ARMY OF SHADOWS / L'Armée des ombres(Jean-Pierre Melville, France, 1969, 35mm, 145 minutes)
Army of Shadows still resonates with the truth and
tragedy of its awful yet sometimes beautiful time.
--Michael Wilmington, The Chicago Tribune
That rare work of art that thrills the senses and the mind.
--Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Last August, I caught a screening of Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 masterpiece Army of Shadows during its first-ever US release. I had a feeling that I wouldn't see a better film in 2006. I didn't, and it topped my list for the year. It also topped the lists of local critics Sheila Benson and Annie Wagner.
Although this is the kind of action-oriented, yet elegantly composed picture that plays best on the big screen, a digital viewing is better than none at all, so I was thrilled to hear that a release date has finally been announced.
The Criterion Collection will be issuing a double-disc edition of Army of Shadows on May 15. Extra features include commentary from author Ginette Vincendeau (Jean-Pierre Melville, 'An American in Paris') and interviews with cinematographer Pierre L'Homme and editor Françoise Bonnot.
For more information about Spine #385, click here for the Criterion Collection listing, here for the Amazon listing, and here for my review.
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