MovieChat Forums > L'armée des ombres (1970) Discussion > what a way to spend a resistance

what a way to spend a resistance

posted 18 years ago by vramesh
31 replies | jump to latest

just saw this film tonight; it was being shown in a local art/university-house theatre by the kalamazoo film society this weekend. overall was quite impressed, esp with the ability of melville to have long, mostly-silent scenes with little dialogue and even less visual "effect" that were nonetheless gripping and tension/drama filled. quite a different style & talent than most modern movies that are fast-paced and active - this was almost film in the passive voice, which just like writing, can be really intense if done properly.

what i found a bit amusing, though, was how the resistance characters (the ones pictured in the movie that the plot revolved around, at least) spent all of their time either getting arrested or trying to free their arrested compatriots. they never were actually "resisting" the occupation, it seemed like they could never quite get around to that. rather they were getting arrested, being tortured and giving up information on their fellows, deliberating about how to free those who got captured, and then what to do with any rats; basically just bumbling around and never actually getting to fighting zee germans. no wonder the french resistance took so damn long!

[–] dmh7-1 15 years ago

I suspect you realize this, but Melville wanted to show the "un-romantic" side of resistance, it's "nuts and bolts" or utilitarian aspects. Since ANY depiction of blowing up trains or killing German officers in their massive squad cars would lend itself to romanticism (at least on the part of the audience) and deprive the film of its quiet air of existential desperation, he chose to show a resistance cell which is under mounting pressure from without and within. And it certainly is not (as another poster says) because Melville wishes to show the "futility of their cause" because I am certain Melville did NOT think resistance to the Germans was futile. He is however showing (first) the day-to-day loneliness and anguish of what was essentially an existence lacking many immediate rewards, and (secondly) what real heroism and struggle consists of; this is not a film about poetic and epic LEGENDS (writ large) but about a sort of working man's army. In truth, life in the resistance could be mostly protecting yourselves, and "going about" one's business: the actual moments for resistance were few and far between and meant months of quiet planning.

[–] Deusvolt 15 years ago

You should watch the documentaries in the two-disc DVD release because there were post war interviews and discussions among veterans of the Resistance who touched upon this point. The British and the Resistance leaders in London (De Gaulle, Col. Passy) were more focused on German movements in France and discouraged a national insurrection called for by those actually in the field. Why? Because too many raids amounting to a general insurrection would have made the Germans beef up their forces in France and that would have made the Allied Normandy landing even more difficult. In short, they wanted the Resistance to concentrate on espionage and at the same time lull the Germans into complacency.

[–] fanaticita 14 years ago

I liked the tone of this film -not blood and guts- but the internal point of view or the personal relationships of the people involved. In that way it reminded me of Smiley's People and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Reilly: Ace of Spies. I would rather see these than the blood and guts.

[–] deeveed 14 years ago

You know at that particular time I think only certain, very atypical people were able to work the "Resistance" job. I just have to think that as soon as one opened his/her mouth and wished to "join" the resistance they signed their own death warrant since from then on your existence was based on the fact that the other individuals you'd speak in your narrow circle would not betray you. I'm sure those early rseistance fighters pretended to themselves that they were as good as dead when they got in. Just one less thing to think about as they went on day by day by day.

[–] 11 years ago

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