{Army of Shadows}
Adapted from Joseph Kessel’s 1943 novel of the same title, Jean Pierre Melville’s film, though almost documentary in its emotional restraint, is no historical documentary. Melville called Kessel’s work, “the book about the Resistance: the greatest and the most comprehensive of all the documents about this tragic time in the history of humanity.” Yet, said Melville, “I had no intention of making a film about the Resistance
At last making its U.S. debut (in 35mm restoration), Melville's 1969 Army of Shadows is an intimate epic of the French Resistance in WWII. Filmmakers such as John Woo, Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and Jean-Luc Godard have all paid tribute to Melville. The film will be re-released in the US by Rialto Pictures on April 28th.
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