What it’s about
In Vichy France, 1942, French Resistance leader Philippe Gerbier (Ventura) escapes a Gestapo internment camp and reunites with his underground network in Marseilles. His first order of business is to capture and dispense with the traitor who exposed him. But this is only the beginning of a long and arduous set of experiences that Gerbier and his comrades in the shadows must endure in the fight against Nazi tyranny.
Why we love it
Perhaps the most gripping and suspenseful of Melville’s thrillers, “Army” is certainly his darkest and most personal effort, as the director clearly drew on his own wartime experiences for this. Apart from the director’s mastery of mood and technique, the film’s bold handling of the moral consequences of torture remain sickeningly relevant today. The talented cast, especially Ventura and Signoret, do a superb job of conveying the hellish realities of wartime idealism. Don’t miss this enduring classic of war and resistance.
Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura Jean-Pierre Melville