Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Army of Shadows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 30, 2010

Jean-Pierre Melville's "Army of Shadows" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with film historian Ginette Vincendeau; interview with cinematographer Pierre Lhomme; interview with editor Francoise Bonnot; selection of excerpts from the French television program L'invite du dimanche; documentary film produced by Philippe Quinconneau for Studio Canal; original trailers; and more. In French, German and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

At Hotel Majestic

France, 1942. Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura, Le Deuxieme Souffle), a civil engineer and one of the leaders of "Army of Shadows" (the French Resistance), is sent to a concentration camp where he meets a young communist who offers to help him escape. He accepts the offer. Shortly after, Philippe is arrested and transported to Hotel Majestic, the Gestapo headquarters in Paris.

Philippe manages to escape. A few days later, the traitor is located and taken to an abandoned house where he is tied to an old chair. A man grabs his legs, while another gags him. The second man then strangles him. The body is wrapped up in a blanket and left to rot. Before they leave, the men in the room agree that what they’ve just done was absolutely necessary.

Back on the streets of Paris, Gestapo and the Vichy police begin tracking down Philippe’s men. Some panic and leave, but new men join "Army of Shadows".

Philippe is asked to accompany the most important man (Paul Meurisse, Les diaboliques) in "Army of Shadows" to London, where members of the British government are expecting him. The two board a submarine that takes them away.

Meanwhile, Gestapo captures one of Philippe’s best men, Felix (Paul Crauchet, Dernier domicile connu). When the news reaches London, Philippe immediately packs his bags and heads back to France. Assisted by a woman named Mathilde (Simone Signoret, Room at the Top), the veteran fighter "Le Bison" (Christian Barbier, Le franciscain de Bourges), and the ambitious "Le Masque" (Claude Mann, La baie des anges), Philippe draws up an ambitious plan to rescue Felix.

Army of Shadows is directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, whose Bob le Flambeur (1956), Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966), Le Samourai (1967), and Le Cercle Rouge (1970) are amongst the greatest gangster films ever made. It is based on the novel by Joseph Kessel, whose famous Belle de Jour was also adapted and made into a marvelous film directed by the legendary Luis Bunuel.

Army of Shadows is about real heroes who look like real people. They are men and women from various social classes and cultural backgrounds. Many of them are weak and indecisive. Almost all of them are afraid to die. The focus of attention is on their thoughts and feelings, rather than their clashes with the enemy. Naturally, the best scenes in Melville’s film are dialog-free - these are the moments where the heroes question themselves or begin collapsing under the enormous pressure of the environment they have been placed in. Some become traitors; others opt for the cyanide capsule.

The film is dark, cold, and infused with fatalism. Like Melville’s Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, it is also firmly controlled - everything happens in a methodical fashion and for a good reason, though not everything immediately makes sense to the viewer. What does is that the heroes are fighting a strange war, and at least for the duration of the film their side isn’t winning.

Note: Army of Shadows was screened theatrically in the United States for the first time in 2006.

Army of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Supervised by director of photography Pierre Lhomme, this high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from the original 35mm camera negative, restored by StudioCanal. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisor: Pierre Lhomme.
Telecine colorist: Raymond Terrentin/Eclair, Paris."

This Blu-ray release represents a strong upgrade in quality over the R2 Pan-European DVD release of Army of Shadows Studio Canal released quite some time ago. Fine object detail is very good, clarity dramatically improved, and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. It is the color reproduction, however, that impresses the most - the variety of cold blues, browns, grays, and blacks look fantastic. The nighttime scenes in particular have benefited enormously; on the R2 DVD many of them look blocky and even smeared, but now they are well detailed and full of healthy colors. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern, though I noticed traces of it popping up here and there. Additionally, some minor noise corrections have been performed, but the fine film grain has been retained. Many of the close-ups for instance look wonderful. There are no serious stability issues either; however, early into the film, and at the very end (where the main characters' profiles are listed), I noticed some extremely light background shimmer. All in all, I am indeed very pleased with the technical treatment. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Army of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with potions of German and English). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic tracks. The stereo track was created by StudioCanal from the original stems. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation."

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is excellent. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no balance issues with Eric Demarsan's moody music score either. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

I ran a couple of quick comparisons between the French LPCM 1.0 track, the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, and the French Dolby Digital 2.0 track from the R2 DVD. The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track clearly has the stronger dynamic amplitude - when Philippe Gerbier is getting ready to jump from the British plane, the engine noise is most effective on the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The underground execution scene also sounds better with the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The dialog, however, is just as clean, stable, and easy to follow on the French LPCM 1.0 track.

Army of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, recorded for the British Film Institute in 2006, film historian Ginette Vincendeau discusses Jean-Pierre Melville's involvement with the French Resistance, Joseph Kessel's novel, the various similarities between the French director's gangster films and Army of Shadows, the mixed reviews the film received from various critics after it premiered in France, its main characters, the unique use of color, unorthodox message, etc. In English, not subtitled.

• "Jean-Pierre Melville, Filmmaker" - in this introductory piece, directed by Jacques Dupont and part of the show Chroniques de France, Jean-Pierre Melville discusses what inspired him to shoot Army of Shadows, how he interacts with the actors he likes to work with, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080i).

• Pierre Lhomme - in this interview, cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, who supervised the restoration of Army of Shadows, discusses the various obstacles that had to be overcome to reproduce as best as possible the original look of the film. A collection of stills from the film is also included. In French, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Rediscovering the film
  2. Earning Melville's respect
  3. A low-budget mentality
  4. Cool tones and darkness
  5. Respect for the audience

• Francoise Bonnot - in this interview, recorded for Criterion in 2006, Oscar-winning editor Francoise Bonnot discusses Jean-Pierre Melville's legacy and her family's relationship with the director. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080i).

• L'invite du dimanche - a selection of excerpts from the French television program L'invite du dimanche, containing interviews with Jean-Pierre Melville, actors Paul Crauchet, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret, writer Joseph Kessel, and Andre Dewavrin (a.k.a. Colonel Passy). Originally aired in 1969. In French, with optional English subtitles. (31 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Shooting the film
  2. "It's my youth"
  3. Melville and his actors
  4. Joseph Kessel
  5. Passy and the Resistance

• Melville et "L'armee des ombres - a documentary film, produced by Philippe Quinconneau for Studio Canal, in which actor Jean-Pierre Cassel, editor Francoise Bonnot, Writer and filmmaker Philippe Labro, composer Eric Demarsan, cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, and director Bertrand Tavernier discuss the legacy and public image of Jean-Pierre Melville. In French, with optional English subtitles. (27 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Sunglasses and a Stetson hat
  2. His tribute to the Resistance
  3. Ventura and Melville
  4. Melville and Signoret
  5. The cinephile
  6. Political preference
  

• The Resistance -
  
  1. Le journal de la Resistance - shot primarily by twelve French cameramen (led by Jean Painleve and Jean Gremillon) in August 1944, Le journal de la Resistance captures the final French insurrection in German-occupied Paris, the surrender of the Germans, and the mass celebration in the streets. It aimed to restore France's reputation as a unified country and continues to be shown to commemorate that victorious time. Narrated by Noel Coward, the film was sponsored by the Liberation Committee of the French Cinema. In French, with optional English subtitles. (35 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Simone Signoret and Lucie Aubrac - short interview excerpts from Liberation, liberation: Le cinema de l'ombre in which Simone Signoret and Lucie Aubrac, who was an inspiration for Mathilde in Army of Shadows, discuss Jean-Pierre Melville's film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080i).
  
  3. Ouvrez les guillemets - excerpts from an episode of the popular French television series in which former members of the Resistance recall their activities. The episode was directed by Claude Barma, and originally aired in April 1973. In French, with optional English subtitles. (24 min, 1080i).

• Trailers -
  
  1. Original - the original French trailer for Army of Shadows. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).
  
  2. U.S. Premiere - Army of Shadows was screened theatrically in the United States for the first time in 2006. This is the trailer for the film distributor Rialto Pictures created. Music only. (2 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - a 44-page illustrated booklet containing Amy Taubin's essay "Out of the Shadows", originally published in the May/June 2006 issue of Film Comment; Professor Roberto O. Paxton's essay "Melville's French Resistance"; and an interview with Jean-Pierre Melville excerpted from Rui Nogueira's "Melville on Melville".

Army of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arguably Jean-Pierre Melville's best film, Army of Shadows transitions to Blu-ray in an impressive fashion. The film looks and sounds the best it ever has, and Criterion's supplemental features are indeed outstanding. Let's hope that some of the French director's classic gangster films - Bob le Flambeur, Le Deuxieme Souffle, Le Samourai, and Un flic - will also get a similar treatment. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.