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Army of Shadows is a french film of genre Drama directed by Jean-Pierre Melville released in USA on 19 june 1970 with Lino Ventura

Army of Shadows (1969)

Army of Shadows
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Released in USA 19 june 1970
Length 2h19
OriginFrance
Genres Drama,    War,    Thriller,    Historical
Rating80% 4.048144.048144.048144.048144.04814

Army of Shadows (French: L'armée des ombres) is a 1969 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It is a film adaptation of Joseph Kessel's 1943 book of the same name, which blends Kessel's own experiences as a member of the French Resistance with fictionalized versions of other Resistance members. Army of Shadows follows a small group of Resistance fighters as they move between safe houses, work with the Allied militaries, kill informers, and attempt to evade the capture and execution that they know is their most likely fate. While portraying its characters as heroic, the film presents a bleak, unromantic view of the Resistance.

At the time of its initial release in France, Army of Shadows was not well received or widely seen. In the wake of the events of May 1968, French critics denounced the film for its perceived glorification of Charles de Gaulle. At the time American art-film programmers took their cues from Cahiers du cinéma, which had attacked the film on this basis. It was not released in the United States for almost forty years. In the mid-1990s Cahiers du cinéma published a reappraisal of the film and Melville's work in general, leading to its restoration and re-release in 2006. The film was greeted with critical adulation in the U.S., appearing in many critics' year-end top ten lists.

Synopsis

Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura), the head of a Resistance network, is arrested by Vichy French police, imprisoned in a camp, and transported to Paris for questioning. He makes a daring escape.

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Trailer of Army of Shadows

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