Amazon.com
Who would've guessed that the best film of 2006 would be a 37-year-old thriller about the French Resistance during World War II? Hailed as a masterpiece by an overwhelming majority of reputable critics, Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows wasn't officially released in America until 2006 (hence its appearance on many of that year's top-ten lists), but its reputation as a French classic was already well-established throughout Europe. Fully restored in 2004 and released in the U.S. by Rialto Pictures, it represents the gold standard of films about the French Resistance, based upon Joseph Kessel's 1943 novel and imbued with personal touches by Melville, an Alsatian Jew whose own involvement in the Resistance qualifies Army of Shadows as a semi-autobiographical exercise in somber nostalgia, as indicated by an opening quote echoing Melville's ironic belief that memories of Nazi occupation needn't always be traumatic.
Having lived through this history, Melville doesn't treat it lightly; in Army of Shadows, the threat of death hangs over every scene like a shroud. Unfolding with flawless precision, the plot begins in 1942 and focuses on a small, secretive band of Resistance fighters led by Gerbier (Lino Ventura), whose intuitive sense of danger lends additional suspense to the film's dark, atmospheric study of grace under pressure. While working in the classical tradition of the Hollywood films he admired, Melville breaks from convention with lengthy, deliberately paced scenes in which tension builds to a subtle yet almost unbearable intensity. With the possible exception of a brief and wryly humorous scene involving Resistance leader (and future Prime Minister) Gen. Charles de Gaulle, every scene in Army of Shadows supports Melville's predominant themes of solitude and futility. Melville's visually and thematically bleak outlook may prove challenging for some, but Army of Shadows is remarkably beautiful in its own way, and it gains power with each additional viewing through flawless development of memorable characters played by a first-rate cast. Especially memorable is Simone Signoret as Gerbier's boldly pragmatic ally Mathilde, a woman in a war of men, with a tragic vulnerability that ultimately decides her fate. As intellectually stimulating as it is thrilling to experience, Army of Shadows represents the triumphant zenith of Melville's posthumous recognition as a world-class auteur. Thanks to the Criterion Collection, this masterpiece can now be widely appreciated, along with Criterion's previous DVD releases of Melville's earlier classics Bob Le Flambeur, Le Samourai, and Le Cercle Rouge. --Jeff Shannon
You can Download or Watch Army of Shadows (The Criterion Collection) Movie Streaming free in High Definition Now. of satisfied members who became tired of waiting for DVDs in the mail, and now watch the hottest NEW RELEASES and CLASSICS on our site.
Watch Army of Shadows (The Criterion Collection) Movie in HD
Secure scanned, no virus detected.
Criterion Collection: Army of Shadows by Criterion, Jean-Pierre ... In this war drama set during the French Resistance of WW II, a courageous fighter escapes Gestapo headquarters and returns to Marseille. There he and his group ... Army of Shadows: Out of the Shadows - The Criterion Collection Beware, major spoilers ahead. Elegant, brutal, anxiety-provoking, and overwhelmingly sad, Jean-Pierre Melvilles 1969 Army of Shadows was released theatrically for ... Army of Shadows Blu-ray Disc, 2011, Criterion Collection eBay eBay: Well-known for his influential crime films LE SAMOURAI, LE CERCLE ROUGE , director Jean-Pierre Melville explores the lives of French Resistance fighters in his ... Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection : DVD Talk Review of the ... At a crucial point in Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 ode to the French Resistance, Army of Shadows (L'arme des Ombres), his hero, Gerbier (played with a sober ... Amazon.com: Army of Shadows (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ... Who would've guessed that the best film of 2006 would be a 37-year-old thriller about the French Resistance during World War II? Hailed as a masterpiece by an ... CriterionForum.org: Army of Shadows DVD Review SPECIFICATIONS 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen; French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono; French Dolby Surround; English subtitles; 2 Discs FEATURES Amazon.com: Army of Shadows (The Criterion Collection): Lino ... Find Army of Shadows (The Criterion Collection) at Amazon.com Movies & TV, home of thousands of titles on DVD and Blu-ray. Army of Shadows (1969) - The Criterion Collection Atmospheric and gripping, Army of Shadows is Melvilles most personal film, featuring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and the incomparable Simone ...
No comments:
Post a Comment