Great film except for one scene (SPOILER)

> Were the soldiers even trying to shoot him?

Of course, in the most sadistic way possible, to imprint fear and humiliation to the victims. By the way that was a method of execution that the Nazis really employed.

> How did they know where exactly to put the rope to only get Gerbier out?

"Where" is not a difficult problem; Mathilde probably had located a floor plan of the prison, as she already did with the Gestapo HQ. As for the "when," as you see the officer checking his watch, all these executions are scheduled, and executed punctually according to their schedule. Plus, if you were already on the roof, you certainly can hear gun shots.

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I see your point, but look at it practically: Gerbier as protagonist HAD to be rescued, or the film is over. The scene has a certain (stretched) plausibility: It was a gamble by his team that paid off. They didn't KNOW Gerbier would eventually run for it, but figured if Gerbier saw the rope dangling after the smoke bomb and grenades, he would have to know his cell was pulling out all the stops to rescue him. Mathilde did say in the getaway car that they had very good information, intelligence which made the rescue effort even possible. And remember Gerbier somewhat rued the fact that he DID run on that occasion, and moreover that the German officer knew he would run. That's part of what makes the epilogue so heartbreaking and powerful--his refusal to run in the end was Gerbier's final resistance.

Army of Shadows gets better over time, over repeated viewings. It has arguably one of the most tragic endings on film, with the voice-over detailing each individual's eventual fate. By now everyone knows (right?) that Melville couldn't decide whether to put the shot of the marching soldiers on the Champs-Élysées at the front or at the back of the film. He finally decided to end the film with the shot, which is how it was printed. After it was sent to the cinemas, he realized his mistake. He went around to all the theaters and physically spliced that shot to the front, which is how we now see it. Now it's just a cut to black at the end, which is perfect.

BTW, that Arc de Triomphe shot was one of only two that Melville claimed he was proud of in his career. The other one was the 8-minute unbroken panning take in "Le Doulos" where Silien (Belmondo) is being interrogated by Commissaire Clain (Jean Desailly). The camera pans a full 360 degrees in a room with reflecting glass, following Clain as he strolls around the office, chewing on a toothpick and grilling Silien. But there are others in the oeuvre: The opening Marseilles nightclub scene in Le Deuxième Souffle--a tracking shot of Paul Ricci (Raymond Pellegrin) in a dark room, as he crosses in front of a group of mirrors with dancers reflected in the background--the de rigeur Melvillean cheesy floor show. There's also the shot of Commissaire Mattei (Bourvil) at the lighted window of the moving train in Le Cercle Rouge. A close-up of his face at the window, train passes one post, then the camera pulls back with a helicopter shot. Pretty cool.

But as much as I love the policiers, I think Army of Shadows stands as Jean-Pierre's masterpiece. He had wanted to make it for 25 years, so he had a lot of time to think it through. U.S. audiences waited another 37 years to see it. The wait, in both cases, was worth it.

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YUP ! That's where they lost me too .... Just too unbelievable. Too bad ...

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How did they know where exactly to put the rope to only get Gerbier out?

Presumably Le Bison was watching through that convenient hole in the roof and timed his smoke grenades and rope accordingly. It would have been awkward if Gerbier had run in a group with the others, since some of them would have snatched at the rope, too. But maybe Le Bison's plan was to threaten or shoot anyone who got in Gerbier's way. After all, Gerbier was vital to the Resistance, the others weren't.

Actually, Mathilde's other rescue plan (to save Felix) is even screwier. She pretends to be a German nurse with two French colleagues pretending to be German soldiers and waltzes into Gestapo HQ with a forged letter saying "Hand over the prisoner".

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