Studiocanal has announced the release of a brand-new 4K restoration of
Jean-Pierre Melville's WW2 set masterpiece,
Army of Shadows, that will be available to own on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from June
3rd. The release follows the film’s inclusion in this year’s ‘Cannes
Classic’ strand at the Cannes Film Festival.
Having himself participated in the French Resistance,
Army of Shadows is both Melville’s most personal film and,
though initially underappreciated in France, is today widely recognised as
being his finest.
Based on a novel by Joseph Kessel and featuring a stellar cast that
includes Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel and
Simone Signoret, Army of Shadows is a real-life story
channelled through the minimalism of Melville's gangster films. The result
is an unmissable tale of defiance in the face of seemingly insurmountable
odds.
In 1942, French engineer and Resistant cell leader, Philippe Gerbier
(Ventura), is arrested and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Managing to
escape we follow Gerbier and his Resistance allies through operations,
camaraderie and espionage, and witness the constant threat of capture,
danger and the tough decisions that need to be taken to stay alive.
We had two bluray copies of Army of Shadows to give away.
The winners are:
Jennifer Rhymer, Banbury
Brian Horsley, Chorley
