BruceH Posted May 17, 2007 Report Posted May 17, 2007 I ordered this on May 13th (it was supposed to be released on the 15th.) It arrived in the mail on the 15th! Sweet! When I went to see this in the theater in the Fall of 2006, I was just sort of hoping it would be good. I didn't know it would be the best war movie I've ever seen in my life. Well, one of the best, anyway. A heretofore obscure Melville film that didn't even get shown in the US until 37 years after it was made. And it turns out to be one of Melville's best. The image quality on the DVD is superb; I've rewatched the film twice already. Haven't checked out any of the extras yet. Quote
sal Posted May 17, 2007 Report Posted May 17, 2007 BruceH said: I ordered this on May 13th (it was supposed to be released on the 15th.) It arrived in the mail on the 15th! Sweet! When I went to see this in the theater in the Fall of 2006, I was just sort of hoping it would be good. I didn't know it would be the best war movie I've ever seen in my life. Well, one of the best, anyway. A heretofore obscure Melville film that didn't even get shown in the US until 37 years after it was made. And it turns out to be one of Melville's best. The image quality on the DVD is superb; I've rewatched the film twice already. Haven't checked out any of the extras yet. How bizzare! I just posted this question in the thread right below! Quote
Kalo Posted May 18, 2007 Report Posted May 18, 2007 You can be sure I'll be getting this for myself when my birthday rolls around next month. Quote
Guy Berger Posted May 18, 2007 Report Posted May 18, 2007 "Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things: Jack and shit... and Jack just left town." Quote
Shawn Posted May 18, 2007 Report Posted May 18, 2007 Guy said: "Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things: Jack and shit... and Jack just left town." It's an N word...definitely an N word... Quote
MoGrubb Posted May 18, 2007 Report Posted May 18, 2007 (edited) BruceH said: .... Dumb question, I know but, is Army of Shadows as good as Platoon?[assuming you saw, liked Platoon] Edited May 18, 2007 by MoGrubb Quote
BruceH Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Posted May 18, 2007 MoGrubb said: BruceH said: .... Dumb question, I know but, is Army of Shadows as good as Platoon?[assuming you saw, liked Platoon] Actually, I saw Platoon and thought it was one of Stone's better efforts. They're very different films. Army is about the French Resistance, particularly when there were only a few hundred of them and they were in constant danger of being caught. Platoon is of course about America's Vietnam quagmire. Hmmm. I could get into a whole thing about respective subtlety-quotients, but...no. Let's just say that, even given the old apples-and-oranges caveat, Army of Shadows is at least as good as Platoon, maybe even a tad better. (Personally, I'd say it's at least a hundred times better, but hey, that's just me.) Quote
BruceH Posted May 18, 2007 Author Report Posted May 18, 2007 Kalo said: You can be sure I'll be getting this for myself when my birthday rolls around next month. Yep, my birthday came five weeks early this year. (I also ordered Playtime, Trouble In Paradise, and Dazed & Confused.) Quote
Kalo Posted May 18, 2007 Report Posted May 18, 2007 BruceH said: Kalo said: You can be sure I'll be getting this for myself when my birthday rolls around next month. Yep, my birthday came five weeks early this year. (I also ordered Playtime, Trouble In Paradise, and Dazed & Confused.) Three of my favorite movies. I'd even put Playtime and Trouble in Paradise in My Top 10. Quote
BruceH Posted May 19, 2007 Author Report Posted May 19, 2007 Kalo said: BruceH said: Kalo said: You can be sure I'll be getting this for myself when my birthday rolls around next month. Yep, my birthday came five weeks early this year. (I also ordered Playtime, Trouble In Paradise, and Dazed & Confused.) Three of my favorite movies. I'd even put Playtime and Trouble in Paradise in My Top 10. Oddly enough, so would I. Quote
MoGrubb Posted May 19, 2007 Report Posted May 19, 2007 BruceH said: MoGrubb said: BruceH said: .... Dumb question, I know but, is Army of Shadows as good as Platoon?[assuming you saw, liked Platoon] Actually, I saw Platoon and thought it was one of Stone's better efforts. They're very different films. Army is about the French Resistance, particularly when there were only a few hundred of them and they were in constant danger of being caught. Platoon is of course about America's Vietnam quagmire. Hmmm. I could get into a whole thing about respective subtlety-quotients, but...no. Let's just say that, even given the old apples-and-oranges caveat, Army of Shadows is at least as good as Platoon, maybe even a tad better. (Personally, I'd say it's at least a hundred times better, but hey, that's just me.) I appreciate your reply and objectivity. Quote
sal Posted June 9, 2007 Report Posted June 9, 2007 Just watched this film for the first time and loved it. I think I'm gonna watch it again sometime in the next week; a second viewing will be well served. Quote
Stefan Wood Posted June 9, 2007 Report Posted June 9, 2007 (edited) An OUTSTANDING film! Melville's best; without a doubt. No other film has come close to producing the sense of paranoia, dread and terror that an occupying army had over a group of people. Edited June 9, 2007 by Stefan Wood Quote
sidewinder Posted November 25, 2007 Report Posted November 25, 2007 (edited) Saw this one on TV last night. Wonderful film - with a great cast, stunning atmospheric photography and with the paranoia and claustrophobia of the 'occupation' captured as no other war film I've seen. The use of colour, long pauses and props in the movie just serves to further emphasise the sense of all-encompassing dread (although that aircraft for the parachute drop scene is a bit too 'airfix kit' - they got it bang on with the Lysanders though). Great cast too - Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurrisse all standouts. No histrionics, just edge-of-seat suspense. Edited November 25, 2007 by sidewinder Quote
BruceH Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Posted November 25, 2007 sidewinder said: Saw this one on TV last night. Wonderful film - with a great cast, stunning atmospheric photography and with the paranoia and claustrophobia of the 'occupation' captured as no other war film I've seen. The use of colour, long pauses and props in the movie just serves to further emphasise the sense of all-encompassing dread (although that aircraft for the parachute drop scene is a bit too 'airfix kit' - they got it bang on with the Lysanders though). Great cast too - Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurrisse all standouts. No histrionics, just edge-of-seat suspense. Indeed. Such a great movie. Lino Ventura was terrific! Melville should have gotten awards for this film. Instead, the French critical establishment dumped on him for being "Gaulist." The French, they are a funny people... Quote
medjuck Posted November 25, 2007 Report Posted November 25, 2007 Reminded me of the novels of Alan Furst (though I've only read a couple). Except that Melville is even colder. Quote
brownie Posted November 26, 2007 Report Posted November 26, 2007 BruceH said: sidewinder said: Saw this one on TV last night. Wonderful film - with a great cast, stunning atmospheric photography and with the paranoia and claustrophobia of the 'occupation' captured as no other war film I've seen. The use of colour, long pauses and props in the movie just serves to further emphasise the sense of all-encompassing dread (although that aircraft for the parachute drop scene is a bit too 'airfix kit' - they got it bang on with the Lysanders though). Great cast too - Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurrisse all standouts. No histrionics, just edge-of-seat suspense. Indeed. Such a great movie. Lino Ventura was terrific! Melville should have gotten awards for this film. Instead, the French critical establishment dumped on him for being "Gaulist." The French, they are a funny people... The film was released at a time (1969) when anti-gaullist sentiment was growing throughout France. 1969 was when de Gaulle retired from power after one of his referendums was not approved by French voters. I remember not being very enthusiastic about the film when it was released even though I was a big fan of Melville. I began to appreciate 'L'Armée des Ombres' much later and rarely miss occasions now to get a new look at it when it plays here which is pretty often. Quote
sidewinder Posted November 26, 2007 Report Posted November 26, 2007 This was the first time I've seen it Brownie - only caught it by chance as they broadcast it around 2am on a specialist move channel ( ). It has to be real good to keep me rivetted to the set at that time of day. There sure were some great movies coming out of Europe around that time - France in the late 60s/early 70s and Germany a bit later in the 70s. A golden age, I think. Also, on 'Army of Shadows' the film is shot in locations which still seem to be essentially the same as they must have looked during WW2, so the sense of realism is palpable. You get the same feeling with some of the Brit movies of this time too. This adds a historical importance to such works. Quote
brownie Posted November 26, 2007 Report Posted November 26, 2007 sidewinder said: Also, on 'Army of Shadows' the film is shot in locations which still seem to be essentially the same as they must have looked during WW2, so the sense of realism is palpable. You get the same feeling with some of the Brit movies of this time too. This adds a historical importance to such works. This was another reason why I did not like the film at first. Many scenes were shot at the Satory military camp, near Versailles, which I instantly recognized the first time I saw 'L'Armée des Ombres'. Brought back still fresh memories of a dreadful week of army maneuvers there soon after being called up for army service. The scars have healed since and I can watch the movie without adverse prejudices and enjoy it for the masterpiece it is! Quote
BruceH Posted December 5, 2007 Author Report Posted December 5, 2007 ...And I don't care what Bob says, I still love it. Quote
Elissa Posted December 16, 2007 Report Posted December 16, 2007 Women of the Resistance getting some play on the Beeb. Quote
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