Army of Shadows (1969)
A war thriller at the peak of the French wave.
Presentation:
If you are going to watch a film from the French wave, look no further than Jean-Pierre Melville. Army of Shadows is probably his greatest film with incredible cinematography for 1969. There are some nuanced that should even be appreciated in 2024. The color grade is quite exquisite reminiscent of some modern desaturated looks and great lighting. It’s not perfect with unconvincing day for night and laughable vfx but the film shines in all the right places. Camera movement, zooms and framing are well executed with longer takes when constant cuts in dialogue were the norm. The first half of the film isn’t particularly compelling as focus is spread thin across the underground resistance members and events. I would characterize this film as a war thriller, without particularly tense music or action. There are quite a few impressive cinematic sequences like jumping from a plane that don’t really serve any purpose other than to look cool. I found the most enjoyable aspects of the film toward the end of the film when the narrative hones in on certain characters and choices they have to make. But the rest of the time the film has a neutral observatory tone to it, which makes you not care much for their movement, if not for the fact they are fighting the Nazis.
Conclusion:
This is a decent film to watch even today due to its cinematography. The story may feel a bit too neutral and hollow for the majority of the film and may make you feel bored at times, but does get better and you wouldn’t really regret watching this 2 and a half hour film.
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