The Army of Shadows

In Brief: Often called the "godfather of the New Wave" (a title he ultimately rejected), Jean-Pierre Melville is a hit-and-miss acquired taste — something of which The Army of Shadows (1969) is a perfect example. Coming right after his stylistic masterpiece Le Samourai (1967), Shadows is downright ordinary. Oh, it's well-made, well-acted and certainly solid. But apart from one "swish-pan" scene transition and the desaturated color, the only thing that distinguishes it from the run-of-the-mill 1960s WWII films (of which there was no shortage) is the fact that it follows a group of French Underground freedom fighters rather than a specific plot or event. I suppose a case can be made that it's gloomier than its U.S. or British counterpart — it is undeniably a singularly downbeat film. But if was really any more of a downer than, say, George Seaton's The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) — which I think scarred me for life at the age of seven — is open to question. That said, there are certainly moments of greatness in Melville's film, but I am hard-pressed to say they end up forming a great movie.