Army in the shade
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Army in the shade |
| Original title | L'Armée des ombres |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1969 |
| length | 138 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| script | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| production |
Robert Dorfmann Les Films Corona Fono Roma |
| music | Eric Demarsan |
| camera | Pierre Lhomme |
| cut | Françoise Bonnot |
| occupation | |
| |
Army in the shadow (original title: L'Armée des ombres ) is a French war or agent film from 1969 directed by Jean-Pierre Melville . It tells the story of the work of the French Resistance in World War II , which fought against the German occupying power , but also against collaborators from within its own ranks.
action
In October 1942, Philippe Gerbier, a leader of the Resistance , was arrested by the police and put in a camp. He is transferred to Paris , where he is to be interrogated by the Gestapo . He manages to escape and return to Marseille , where his resistance group is based. Félix Lepercq, Philippe's right-hand man, identified a young agent as the informant who betrayed Philippe to the police. With the help of Guillaume Vermersch, known as “Le Bison”, and Claude Ullmann, known as “Le Masque”, the traitor is caught and taken to a house, where he is strangled so as not to make any noise.
In a bar, Félix Lepercq meets his old friend Jean-François Jardie, who joins the resistance group. Mathilde also belongs to the group. Gerbier travels to London by submarine in order to better coordinate the resistance from there. On his trip he also meets Luc Jardie, known as “The Boss”, leader of the entire Resistance. Gerber parachutes over France when he learns that Félix has been arrested by the Gestapo and is being tortured in order to betray other members of the resistance group. Mathilde tries to free him with an alleged ambulance, but fails because Félix is already dying and too sick to be transported.
During a restaurant raid, Philippe is arrested and can only be freed at the last second during a sadistic shooting game by his comrades under the direction of Mathilde. Philippe now has to hide in a lonely house for a few weeks, where he is visited by the "boss", among other things. This tells him that Mathilde has been arrested. The Gestapo forced them to give names, otherwise their daughter would be arrested and deported. She is released, whereupon she is shot dead in the street by the others in the group so that she cannot reveal more names. "The boss" thinks it is possible that she would have wanted it that way. In the credits one learns that all members of this resistance group were killed by the Germans until February 1944.
background
In this work, director Jean-Pierre Melville reflects on his own involvement in the French resistance. The film, which is based on a novel by Joseph Kessel , opened in France on September 12, 1969, but did not hit German cinemas until January 20, 1978. Army in the Shadow was first released on DVD in Germany on May 17, 2011. In 2007 there was already a release on HD DVD .
criticism
The Lexicon of International Films found: “A distanced, factual and unpathetic description of the grueling and self-destructive actions of a French resistance group in World War II. By renouncing anything sensational and through excellent theatrical performances, the film achieves an extraordinary intensity without the inner tension lessening. ” Cinema sees the film as a“ monument of resistance, but one with cracks ”.
Web links
- Army of Shadows in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Army in the shade. In: Zelluloid.de. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Army in the shadows. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 26, 2018 .
- ↑ Army in the shadows. In: Cinema . Hubert Burda Media , accessed on August 26, 2018 .