- Midway through Army of Shadows, French Resistance organizer Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) has to parachute out of a plane under cover of darkness. He's never jumped before, and he's hardly comforted by the brief instruction he's given on how to land. The plane takes some flak en route to France, but finally they reach their destination. The alarm sounds, the British airman yells for Gerbier to jump, and...nothing happens. Gerbier is no coward, but he needs a moment to summon the determination required to leap into the darkness below. This is Jean-Pierre Melville's hero of the French Resistance.
- In another memorable scene, Gerbier and his colleagues undertake what is obviously their first execution. Unable to find a knife, they discuss whether it will be possible to bash in the young man's head before eventually resorting to strangulation. Their method ultimately works, but the executioners do not rejoice at their success. Their encounters with these sorts of practical obstacles convey in a very sobering manner the often improvisational nature of the Resistance and the impressive character of those involved. These were not people who sought out war, but rather a collection of largely untrained citizens struggling to recover their former lives.
- The members of the Resistance are as eclectic as an association of ordinary citizens should be. Some, like Gerbier, Luc Jardie (Paul Meurisse), and Madame Mathilde (Simone Signoret) naturally assume positions of leadership despite coming from very different walks of life. Felix (Paul Crauchet) and Le Bison (Christian Barbier) immediately project competence and reliability, while Le Masque (Claude Mann) must painfully develop his identity in the organization. Jean-Francois (Jean-Pierre Cassel) cuts the figure of a bold hero who never discovers that his scholarly brother Luc is the leader of the Resistance. While this remarkable group achieves much, theirs is ultimately a tale of tragedy and sacrifice. Against a background of washed-out colors and plaintive music, the Resistance fighters fight increasingly difficult battles until the end, when they are forced to eliminate one of their own. The end titles poignantly inform us that even those characters who have lived through the film will not see the end of the war.
- Working from the source material in Joseph Kessel's book and his own life experiences as a member of the Resistance, Melville has delivered what is certainly his most moving and personal film. It may also be his best work, although precisely where it ranks in his handful of nearly perfect films is not particularly important. What is important is that Melville demonstrates with Army of Shadows that his inimitable style is not limited to genre films and that his name belongs in the pantheon of great directors, even if it is added 40 years too late.
- Interestingly, Melville and Ventura were not on speaking terms for much of the filming.
