point blank is a 1967 american neo-noir crime film directed by john boorman , starring lee marvin , co-starring angie dickinson , keenan wynn and carroll o'connor , and adapted from the 1963 crime noir pulp novel the hunter by donald e. westlake , writing as richard stark .

boorman directed the film at marvin 's request and marvin played a central role in the film 's development .

the film was not a box-office success in 1967 , but has since gone on to become a cult classic , eliciting praise from such critics as film historian david thomson .

in 2016 , point blank was deemed " culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant " by the united states library of congress , and selected for preservation in its national film registry .

point blank ( 1967 film )

point blank ( john boorman , 1967 ) – rhythmic footsteps and diegetic power .
angie dickinson and lee marvin in point blank ( 1967 ) , directed by john boorman .
adaptation of the week no . 43 : point blank ( 1967 ) | books | the guardian
point blank ( john boorman , 1967 ) – rhythmic footsteps and diegetic power . – celluloid wicker man
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing point blank ( 1967 ) near you .
for the movie world , 1967 was the summer of cool thanks to lee marvin and angie dickinson in
point blank .
the film screens at the cleveland museum of art as part of its series ,
1967 : summer of ( movie ) love .
for the movie world , 1967 was the summer of cool thanks to lee marvin and angie dickinson in
point blank .
the film screens at the cleveland museum of art as part of its series ,
1967 : summer of ( movie ) love .
(
point blank is a spin on the concept of a movie within a movie . instead of one movie providing a view into a different film , point blank ' s structure involves two different types of film conventions . a narrative film is found within an experimental one .
a documentary of his state of mind : lee marvin in point blank . photo : kobal
john boorman and steven soderbergh provide a fascinating commentary track included on the dvd of point blank .
the strange approach works . critics and historians are still discussing point blank even after nearly 50 years .
marvel cinematic universe players anthony mackie and frank grillo are teaming with everly filmmaker joe lynch for netflix ’s point blank remake . the film will be an american take on fred cavayé ‘s french crime drama point blank ( a bout portant ) .
point blank is a 1967 crime film directed by john boorman and starring lee marvin and angie dickinson , adapted from the classic pulp novel the hunter by donald e . westlake , writing as richard stark . boorman directed the film at marvin ' s request and marvin played a central role in the film ' s development and staging
ed wood ( 1994 ) : film about the “worst” film direct . . .
on one level , point blank can be viewed as a straightforward story about betrayal , vengeance and greed . on closer viewing , however , point blank possesses a surreal disorientating dreamlike quality . on another level , point blank can be interpreted as the dream of a dying man . a dying dream experienced by walker , from the moment he is shot by reece at the beginning of point blank and left to die in a dank prison cell at alcatraz , until the final frame of the film . point blank utilizes a dizzying of innovative visual , editing and sound techniques , as well as a fractured and disorientating narrative structure , all of which reinforce the notion of a blurring between dream and reality .
a tour de force of filmmaking technique , point blank has often been described as a classic american noir combined with a distinctly european sensibility .
with his next film , point blank ( 1967 ) , boorman employed elements of the french new wave , notably jump cuts and a fractured narrative . the gangster drama starred lee marvin as a small - time criminal out for revenge against his wife ( played by angie dickinson ) and the syndicate that left him for…
point blank was not particularly successful upon its initial release , having been lost in the hype of marvin’s other 1967 blockbuster , the dirty dozen . however , in ensuing years it became a seminal film in the actor’s legacy and helped cement his reputation as one of the screen’s most ruthless tough guys . boorman’s direction shows the influence of the french new wave in its use of jump cuts and a fractured narrative , which gives the film an unreal quality . some critics have interpreted the film as walker’s dying dream . point blank was remade in 1999 as payback .
this is the case with the english director john boorman creating the eclectic point blank in the united states , with the film being his american debut . at age 32 , boorman had his debut feature film with the documentary catch us if you can .
he played casca in cleopatra ( 1963 ) . other notable appearances include lonely are the brave ( 1962 ) , what did you do in the war , daddy ? ( 1966 ) , hawaii ( 1966 ) , point blank ( 1967 ) and kelly ' s heroes ( 1970 ) .
films by martin scorsese , christopher nolan and nicolas roeg all bear the influence of john boorman’s strikingly modern 1967 thriller , says geoff andrew .
the neo - noir crime film about a uber - cool gangster
out for his money
is part of a cleveland museum of art series ,
1967 : summer of ( movie ) love .
it never got much love when it came out in 1967 - - maybe because it was too cool for the summer of love .
a tribute to the star of point blank . lee marvin : a personal portrait by john boorman ( bbc 1998 , dir john boorman , 55 min ) is both a tribute to and an anecdotal reminiscence about the star of point blank and hell in the pacific who was also boorman’s friend . affectionate , funny and illuminating .
…mission ; and in john boorman’s point blank , he played an emotionless man out to exact violent revenge on the men who robbed him and left him for dead . …
university in melbourne , australia . in addition , he has contributed articles for film international , the australian quarterly film journals
point blank is a key film within a pioneering decade of film ; released in the same year as the hugely influential bonnie and clyde and the dirty dozen , it was very clear that the depiction of violence and its effect upon the audience was taking a much more graphic and nihilistic turn .
the film’s notable scattershot editing was something shocking to witness in 1967 , having the same mind - blowing effect on people that bonnie and clyde’s gory violence had or the dirty dozen’s indictment on religion , simple cinematic techniques that are taken for granted today . all crime films that followed point blank owe a debt to it , a film which pushed the boundaries visually and technically , informing us of the importance of artistic production design and the impact of onscreen violence .
in the article below we may give the impression that director john boorman was responsible for the screenplay of point blank . the credited screenwriters are alex jacobs with david and rafe newhouse .
visually arresting , incredibly intelligent and genuinely influential on the craft , john boorman’s point blank deserves its title of being an american cinematic classic , a film which dared to push the boundaries of what could be done with the genre and doing so successfully , though sadly overshadowed by the mainstream success of bonnie and clyde . a violent punch to the face of generic crime cinema , point blank is one film that deserves a new generation of film - watchers to look back on , not only to reflect on its craft but also because it’s just damn entertaining .
much like the great train robbery , point blank has had a subtle but revolutionary impact on cinema , most notably the american crime genre and introducing french new wave tactics into mainstream narratives .
far be it from yours truly to take issue with another writer’s opinion of a film – as if i’d ever do such a thing ! – and in fact i for the most part agree with tom huddleston’s very favourable assessment , in time out , of the bfi rerelease of john boorman ’s classic point blank ( 1967 ) . but i mention his review here because , intriguingly , it raises as its one reservation something which i happen to feel is one of the film’s great strengths .
directed by the crown prince of schlock , william castle , ( 1967 ) was an adaptation of westlake ' s mafia caper of the same name . the film starred sid caesar and robert ryan and gave a young richard pryor his movie debut
the other film is herk harvey’s carnival of souls , another movie which explores a protagonist who has escaped death and now exists in a hazy unreliable reality . point blank’s dream logic is backed up by the film’s plot – a simple revenge story where lee marvin tears through his enemies , surviving death and getting the ladies .
if you’ve watched payback , you might yourself quite surprised about where this story goes . payback was content to finally give its antihero a happy ending , but the ending in point blank is much , much different and if the remake had tried to replicate it , i’m sure the studio would shot them down . point blank ‘s ending left me pretty surprised and bewildered at first and it wouldn’t shock me if many viewers found themselves seriously pissed off about it . however , it was only after thinking over everything and watching the film a second time that i figured out what they were trying to do . if the film’s ending makes you hungry to watch the film again and discover what you may have overlooked the first time , then i’d say it’s done its job . point blank may be a first - rate crime movie first and foremost , but it’s also a very complex and multi - layered film . that may explain why some people didn’t know what to make of it in 1967 and why the film’s reputation and legacy has only increased at a very slow and gradual pace over the years . today , point blank is considered a classic by some , but it took a really long time for it to get there . so , in the end , point blank is one of those rare films you watch just for the purpose of being entertained , but then you find yourself surprised by just how many different interpretations you can make of the whole thing .
as soon as justus d . barnes fired point - blank at the audience in edwin s . porter’s influential the great train robbery , the idea of violence to control an audience was introduced .
inspirations and influences : coming at a turning point in hollywood history as the studio system was breaking down , point blank is generally credited with kicking off the entire american neo - noir movement , taking its cue from the french new wave ' s interest in the genre , notably godard ' s alphaville ( 1965 ) . along with films like bonnie and clyde ( 1967 ) and bullitt ( 1968 ) , point blank also echoed a new mood in us cinema for fetishising blood and violence . its vision of organised crime as a shadowy corporate operation was , however , swiftly eclipsed by the godfather ( 1972 ) and the idea of hoodlum as
family
.
what is the best way for a film to show the power of a character ? is it to retain the power within the narrative world and show it be all encompassing , or is it better to show it to have control over specific qualities of the medium itself ? one of the best examples of this debate to be realised in cinematic aesthetics is in john boorman’s 1967 film point blank . this isn’t just an excellent example because of how effectively brutal the lead character is shown to be , but how the way his power is presented hints at questions about the film’s narrative reality far beyond that of the norm of the film’s genre .
film inquiry is a progressive , independent film magazine that aims to redefine film journalism . we publish in - depth , high quality articles written by a diverse group of people ; without falsely baiting your attention , we offer genuine , passionate insight into the world of film .
there are many questions left unanswered at the conclusion of point blank . however , the surreal atmosphere of point blank , as well as its disorientating narrative structure certainly suggests that the entire film , from the moment walker is shot by reece at alcatraz , until the very last frame , has been the dream of a dying man , lying wounded and convulsing on the floor of a dank prison cell . indeed , the last scene in point blank seems to reinforce the notion of “it was all a dream” . shot from fort point , the camera pans up and across to the shadowy ominous spectre of alcatraz . the camera continues to press closer to alcatraz as the end credits start to roll . is this shot the final indication that walker has now ceased to exist ? has he died in that prison cell at alcatraz ?
what boorman and veteran cinematographer philip h . lathrop do with the story , however , is what makes “point blank” so bewitchingly indelible . they treat the film’s plot like the revenge hallucination of a dying man , where walker’s past slips into and out of his present via sights and sounds .
point blank ( 1967 ) is a early feature by john boorman who would go on to direct deliverance ( 1972 ) , excalibur ( 1981 ) , and the general ( 1998 ) . it is an excellent noir about a man who ' s betrayed and left for dead who goes after the outfit that owes him money . point blank is a tightly constructed thriller with brillient montage and mise - en - scene . the film does a good job at showing the phychodelic colors of late 1960 ' s san fransico . lee marvin in this movie shows why he is one of the best hollywood tough guys of all time . it is much better than the remake payback ( 1999 ) because of lee marvin ' s presence and the masterful editing and camera work of the film .
like most great films that fared poorly upon initial release , point blank has become a definitive cult classic , a film whose reputation has grown incredibly over the years due to its groundbreaking avant - garde techniques that it introduced into mainstream american cinema , and just for how incredibly unique it is .
after point blank , boorman and marvin remained close friends ( until marvin’s death in 1987 ) . the film boorman made after point blank , hell in the pacific , also starred lee marvin . set during the second world war , hell in the pacific is a film that echoes marvin’s own traumatic war experiences . marvin plays an unnamed american pilot who is marooned with a japanese navy captain ( toshiro mifune ) on a small - uninhabited island in the pacific ocean . in addition , boorman also made a television documentary in 1998 about marvin entitled : lee marvin : a personal portrait by john boorman .
point blank , at 46 years old , is still harsh , affecting and peculiarly under - seen . it’s a classic of the crime genre , a streamlined revenge tale that possesses unforeseen power and features one of hollywood’s hardest leading men playing probably his meanest role . john boorman’s film is a masterpiece .
a monumentally important screenplay . dear every screenwriter / filmmaker , read alexander jacobs’ screenplay for point blank [ pdf ] . ( note : for educational and research purposes only ) . the dvd / blu - ray of the film is available at amazon and other online retailers . absolutely our highest recommendation .
era but exhibits several of its classic themes . referred to as the movie about a hit man with a serious case of antonioni - itis , it cleaned up in 1967 alongside warners ' other popular bloodbath ,
bonnie and clyde shocked and thrilled the world when it was released in 1967 . but the legacy of this savage classic is that it opened the floodgates for all forms of screen violence over the next 40 years
point blank ( john boorman , 1967 ) is a crime film that centres on walker ( lee marvin ) , a violent criminal who seeks vengeance when his friend and partner in crime mal reece ( john vernon in his first feature film role ) double - crosses him after a robbery at the old disused prison on alcatraz island in san francisco bay . reece shoots walker at point blank range , leaving him for dead , convulsing in the corner of one of the prison cells . reece then takes walker’s share of the robbery money ( $ 93 , 000 ) . he also takes walker’s wife lynne ( sharon acker ) . yet walker somehow manages to survive the gunshot wounds . seemingly recovered , walker rampages through the remainder of the film seeking revenge for the betrayal of his friend and his wife . he also wants to retrieve the $ 93 , 000 he is owed from the robbery .
the most notable aspect of point blank is its dream - like erratic editing style , which gives the film its fluid european feel and delivers its narrative in an unconventional non - linear fashion . the film is delivered in a linear motion , yet the frequent flashbacks / callbacks to previous scenes gives quite a disorientating feeling that makes it feel like it is being delivered via clashing timelines .
also notable in this scene is the colour of the set design . both the clothes worn by walker and lynne , as well as the colour tones of the furniture and the curtains in the lounge room of the apartment consist of various shades of grey . boorman points out that he decided to begin point blank by using cold colours , with each scene incorporating one particular colour scheme . as the film progresses , these colours gradually warm up . [ 17 ] for example , later in point blank there is a scene that takes place in the office of the organization . the organization’s henchmen all wear suits in various shades of green . the décor in the office is also in a range of green hues . towards the end of the film there are scenes in which walker wears a brown suit and a dark yellow shirt , with the sets also containing variations on the same colour scheme . by the end of point blank , walker’s suit jacket and shirt are a reddish colour . boorman emphasizes that , while these various colour schemes within scenes provide point blank with a sense of unity , they also give the film a kind of stylized look ; the impression that the events taking place are not quite real . [ 18 ] significantly , boorman has cited italian director michelangelo antonioni’s red desert ( 1964 ) as a major influence on his use of colour for the set designs in point blank . [ 19 ]
and there’s very little in his filmography that’s skippable . his 1965 debut film “
which means , of course , that point blank , for all its expertly staged action sequences , is no ordinary crime thriller . indeed , it has at least as much in common with citizen kane ( 1941 ) or last year in marienbad ( 1962 ) as it has to do with crime films like little caesar ( 1931 ) , the maltese falcon ( 1941 ) , kiss me deadly ( 1955 ) or even bonnie and clyde ( 1967 ) .
in a famous scene from the film , marvin walks through a deserted terminal at lax airport , the sound of his footsteps magnified on the film’s soundtrack . in boorman’s words , the “polished brogues beat a knell on the concrete floor , the rhythm of the reaper” . after marvin died in 1987 his widow pam invited boorman to choose a memento from his belongings . boorman selected marvin’s point blank brogues .
the success of catch us if you can took boorman to hollywood . starring lee marvin , point blank tells the story of walker , a criminal who goes on a quest for revenge after being shot and left to die by his partner .
since his first bbc bristol television documentary programmes in the early 1960s , john boorman ’s work has been characterised by its originality , ambition and stylistic invention . his first american feature , point blank ( 1967 ) is a landmark crime movie that reworks the conventions of the genre by fusing hollywood action with a european stylistic sensibility , while deliverance ( 1972 ) , the visceral story of a weekend canoeing expedition that takes a decidedly dark turn , is another modern classic .
cleveland , ohio - - sgt . pepper ' s lonely hearts club band has come to define the summer of love . you see the beatles ' 1967 disc all over the 50 th anniversary look - backs this year .
upon initial release , many critics were outraged by the film’s vigorous violence and escalating bloodshed , one notable mention by film critic richard schickel who condemned its “gratuitous violence” .
as soon as justus d . barnes fired point - blank at the audience in edwin s . porter’s influential the great train robbery , the idea of violence to control an audience was introduced . the ricochet of that powerful shot has rung throughout the history of film , with violence becoming an extremely integral part of narrative storytelling .
as a vehicle for pop group the dave clark five , the film’s critical and commercial success catapulted boorman to hollywood where , after point blank , he made another lee marvin vehicle , hell in the pacific ( 1968 ) , before returning to london for one of his lesser known films , leo the last ( 1969 ) .
the idea is , the organization has taken lee marvin ' s $ 93 , 000 away from him , and he wants it back again .
i want my money back ,
he snarls about 14 times during
point blank .
egads , even stale lsd couldn ' t get me in those get - ups . especially when you compare the fab four to the cool one - that epitome of style who had a very different kind of breakthrough in 1967 .
this would explain the ghostliness of walker’s world , why he succeeds so capably against such odds , why he can second - guess everyone to his own advantage . it could give a reason for why point blank plays out in a high reality , always conscious of its own existence as a movie . a death - dream would also be appropriate for a film so obsessed with memory , one that’s structured so oddly , like a frenzied mind firing off in numerous directions at once . point blank is a tough crime thriller , yes , but it’s also a weird and unsettling one .
sharon acker receives a special
introducing
credit on the film - exactly as she had on the british film
lucky jim
, a full ten years earlier .
the editing in point blank is extremely important , as the dream logic that it creates gives the film its mythical feeling . usually in films , dream sequences are a cheap way for filmmakers to either explore a character’s psyche or backstory , as they allow the director to throw away any logic / basis of reality , allowing them to pull in any setting , character or prop without any organic setups or subtle storytelling . this is not the case here , and to highlight my point we should look at another film which nailed cinematic dream logic .
alex is a 24 year - old west australian who has a slight obsession with film . when he ' s not frowning at australia ' s slack attitude towards film and film - making , he ' s attempting to crack into the prestigious business of show , by making amateur comedies with his friends . with his dvd collection and wealth of film knowledge in tow , alex continues to write about film , something he knows gets the ladies .
this gives point blank a vague sense of existing in alfred hitchcock’s vertigo image of san francisco ( where much of point blank’s action takes place ) , its main character trapped in a weird unreality that constantly reflects his own damaged psyche . johnny mandel’s eerie score , which sounds as though it belongs in a psychological horror rather than a hard - boiled noir , only adds to the disturbing vibe . the colour scheme , too , has a pop arty edge that breaks out at unexpected moments ( one striking shot set in lynne’s all - grey house sees walker staring down into her bathtub , where smashed shampoos and scents are coagulating into a swirling rainbow soup ) . bright contrast colours are seen creeping into lifeless surroundings , matching for visual splendour point blank’s greatest achievement : its editing .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
and when lee marvin kills a mattress , that mattress remains fucking killed . “point blank” arrived during a particularly violent hollywood year , when “bonnie and clyde , ” “in cold blood , ” and another marvin vehicle , “the dirty dozen , ” made onscreen murder return critical and box - office dividends . boorman’s contribution has more in common with other 1967 efforts : the insurgent mythos of “the good , the bad and the ugly , ” the political cynicism of “la chinoise , ” and the modernistic chill of “le samouraï . ” this odd combo of pulpy plot and european experimentation is what makes “point blank” the “last year at marienbad” of renegade hard - ass flicks and a wonder it ever got made in the first place , and why its elliptical , fugitive potency can still intoxicate .
point blank follows a wronged criminal who seeks revenge for a job that he was betrayed over . on his journey to finding the money he is owed , he visits different people from his past and resolves the underlying issues surrounding their double - crossing nature . unlike other films of this ilk , the reality of the film ( a hazy san francisco in the late sixties ) is ambiguous and daringly so . walker , played with robotic precision by lee marvin , is extremely violent but is also knowingly aware of the questions surrounding his very existence . point blank is therefore one of the few crime films that openly questions existentialism .
the national film registry has added 25 more titles to their list of film classics that will ensure they are preserved for generations to come . as usual , it ' s an appropriately eclectic mix of titles spanning from the silent era to recent years and includes some admirably quirky choices . among them : ridley scott ' s
blade runner
and john boorman ' s
point blank
. click here for more ( and the full list . )
when the first cut of point blank was submitted , executives at metro - goldwyn - mayer were obviously befuddled . shocked at the film’s unconventional storytelling , they immediately ordered re - shoots and an entirely new edit , until it was luckily saved by margaret booth , an established editor and executive who starkly told them “you touch one frame of this film over my dead body ! ” coupled with this and marvin’s star power , the film was left untouched once released into mainstream audiences , where it received rave reviews from critics but lackluster box office reception .
a musical picture , catch us if you can focused on the dan clark five , purely made to capitalize on the success of richard lester’s successful beatles film a hard day’s night . whilst not matching the commercial success of that film , the film scored enough critical success ( including influential critic pauline kael ) , that it gave him a smooth transition into the film industry .
as a young director making his first film in hollywood , boorman was extremely fortunate to be working with a major star of lee marvin’s stature . marvin was at the height of his hollywood stardom in 1967 . he had just won an oscar for the dual roles of the ruthless killer tim strawn and the boozy gunslinger kid shelleen in the musical spoof western
on the june 22 , 2018 episode of / film daily , / film senior writer ben pearson is joined by writers hoai - tran bui and chris evangelista to talk about the latest news , including the conners , the terror season 2 , sinemia , point blank , dear white people , the man who killed don quixote , and disneyland’s dynamic pricing . you can subscribe [ … ] the post daily podcast : the conners , dear white people , sinemia , the man who killed don quixote , the terror , disneyland , and more appeared first on / film .
boorman brought a fresh eye to the la locations in a film frequently remade but never equalled .
this hungarian film is a careful , compassionate and beautifully acted character drama with a social conscience .
opinions expressed in our articles are those of the authors and not of the film inquiry magazine .
adapted from donald westlake’s the hunter , the film is not your usual late hollywood film noir but an almost experimental discourse on crime , punishment and revenge brilliantly shot by philip h . lathrop .
so how do you follow a film like that ? what the gang did next . . .
significantly , the emergence of the french new wave in the late 1950s and early 1960s , and directors like jean luc godard and francois truffaut were to have a profound influence on many young directors such as john boorman . point blank , although undoubtedly identifiable as an american gangster film , also has a very european appearance , particularly in its innovative use of a fragmented narrative structure .
one
controversy
over the film is the unanswered question regarding whether or not the events of the film are a dream . john boorman never confirmed nor denied such questions . the surrealist nature of the film does appear very much like a dream . the stylistic changes from a surrealist film to a traditional narrative structure sometimes appears very much like walker is going in an out of consciousness .
can be seen as heralding a turning point in hollywood cinema , which was to lead to the innovative filmmaking of the 1970s and beyond .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
point blank ,
which features angie dickinson in a breakthrough role , screens at the cleveland museum of art - 11150 east boulevard - at 1 : 30 p . m . sunday and tuesday . for more info on the series , go to urltoken or call 216 - 421 - 7350 .
speaking of the corporation and who they represent , who don’t dress and talk like the typical street thug that have become the go - to stereotype for any crime film , boorman does have a deliberate look for them and their surroundings . one of the most visually attractive aspects of point blank comes from its clever costume design , which highlight what each character means and what they represent in the overall narrative .
here’s another fascinating compilation of photographs taken behind - the - scenes during production of john boorman’s point blank . production still photographer : virgil apger © metro - goldwyn - mayer . courtesy of jordan krug’s the edit room floor . intended for editorial use only . all material for educational and noncommercial purposes only .
even this year , tom tykwer’s a hologram for the king ( our review ) borrows heavily from this film , with its use of frequent brief flashbacks and turbulent editing style . weirdly , point blank tows the line between rightfully celebrated and criminally underrated , yet it is only usually talked about by old school filmmakers such as john landis and steven soderbergh , an outspoken fan of it who made a very similar film with the limey , a great little crime flick that was also criticised at the time of its release .
the sense of place is as pervasive as a character in “moss , ” a film by daniel peddle .
12 spicer , andrew , historical dictionary of film noir , scarecrow press , 2010 , p . 236 .
whilst most pulpy b - movies of the time just take that narrative material and deliver it straight , point blank takes it and in a post - modern fashion points at it and says “hey , this really is an impossible male fantasy” . due to this logic , lee marvin’s walker becomes legend , an urban myth for the crime world , which is highlighted by the film’s ending as walker simply disappears into the shadows .
the same year as le samourai and branded to kill , walker is one of the coolest killer ever . in 1967 france has jeff costello , japan has goro , and america has walker , at least according to me . a wonderful year to have a bunch of ultra - cool killers .
a ferociously sexy fever dream of fragmented memories , point blank is 60s post - modernism dressed up as crime film . possibly an inspiration for the terminator , lee marvin ' s walker is a specter with no feeling or human trace , except the mission to recover exactly $ 93 , 000 . if cinema ' s power lies in the bending of time , boorman like resnais coerces multitudinous interpretations in this mesmerizing , extraordinary work .
in point blank , director john boorman keeps lee marvin’s silent terror walker in the shadows , right up until the unforgettably haunting last shot . you fear for walker’s opponents , a cowardly john vernon among them – he’s the bogeyman in his own film . he’s a stylised mythical spectre of whom his own wife lynne ( sharon acker ) doesn’t know his first name , a potentially comical conceit if it weren’t for one thing : there’s a strong possibility walker dies in the opening minutes of the film , and what follows is his exaggerated revenge fantasy .
in john boorman’s 1967 crime film “point blank” lee marvin ’s walker ( just walker ) gets left for dead in the opening minutes . his partner mal ( john vernon ) shoots him to abscond with the score from a recent heist , and he makes off with walker’s wife lynne ( sharon acker ) too . sometime later , a recuperated walker heads down to los angeles , where mal was bought back into the criminal organization ( just the organization ) . walker’s gonna kill his way up the underworld corporate ladder until he finds the head white guy in charge willing to give him his money—even if it means using his wife’s leggy sister chris ( angie dickinson ) as bait . first stop : lynne’s place , where he expects to find mal .
over the years , john boorman has emphasized that point blank is very much a study of lee marvin . born in 1924 , marvin joined the marines as an impressionable 17 year old and fought in the pacific war . marvin was to be brutalized by his war experiences . the japanese ambushed his platoon during the battle of saipan in 1944 . marvin was shot and wounded in the buttocks by japanese fire . as boorman explains , “his whole platoon was wiped out , except for one other person . and he felt himself to be a coward lying there , and he never lost that . it was survival guilt – and it didn’t help that he had been shot in the arse . not because he was running away , but because he was lying down when he was wounded . ” [ 8 ] boorman maintains that , in one sense , point blank is about lee marvin . a connection can be made between the brutality of marvin’s traumatic war experiences and the way in which he expresses himself through violence on the screen in point blank . boorman points out that marvin was always trying to recapture the humanity he felt he had lost during his war experiences . the story in point blank is all about marvin trying to recapture this humanity . in the film marvin ( walker ) is a dead man . he comes back ( or appears to come back ) from the dead and tries to find his humanity . [ 9 ]
also features several original songs written by the dave clark five , including the film’s title track . location scenes in london also capture the city at a point in the mid - 1960s when it was just starting to swing . although by his own admission a minor work ,
in the years since point blank , john boorman has had a substantial career . he has directed a number of other notable films , both in hollywood and britain including , hell in the pacific ( 1968 ) , deliverance ( 1972 ) , hope and glory ( 1979 ) , excalibur ( 1981 ) and the general ( 1998 ) .
( in two parts ) , which looks at shooting the film on location in alcatraz , and the original trailer .
british director john boorman , deservedly given a full retrospective at the bfi southbank over the next two weeks , never made a better film than this landmark thriller , his debut in america in 1967 . it stars lee marvin as a veteran gangster who leaves alcatraz prison to seek out those who betrayed him after a successful heist , and also to retrieve his share of the loot . but can he still function in a strange new world ?
when breaking down the plot of point blank , it sounds like a quite conventional neo - noir film , essentially a man vs the mob plot with the undercurrent of the worn - out revenge genre , fueled by the 1970’s nihilistic energy of the time . lee marvin stars as walker ( originally named parker in the novel ) , a career criminal who is recruited by old friend mal reese ( john vernon ) to intercept and rob the courier of a major underground gambling operation .
this article was amended on 29 march 2013 , to correct the name of lee marvin ' s character in the film .
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( robert aldrich , 1967 ) . [ 5 ] as boorman explained , “… . i met the producer , judd bernard ; he showed me a script , which was dreadful , but whose hero fascinated me . he’d also given it to lee marvin . a few months later , i met marvin in london , where he was filming
there ' s something preternaturally destructive about lee marvin , something dangerous . “you’re a very bad man [ . . . ] a very destructive man , ” spits a threatened carroll o’connor , with the sweaty haste of a hypochondriac , in john boorman ’s point blank ( 1967 ) , a split - second after marvin blasts a telephone into oblivion with his hand cannon . o’connor could be describing any of marvin’s roles , from the stoical hitman in don siegel ’s the killers ( 1964 ) to his gun - for - hire in richards brooks’s the professionals ( 1966 ) to his sergeant leading a gaggle of undisciplined men sentenced to die in robert aldrich ’s the dirty dozen ( 1967 ) . he exuded an odd kind of menace , a disciplined minatory authority . the six - foot - two actor possessed a weathered , world - weary malaise and uncalculated brutality that suggested internal turmoil , an indignation that manifested in abrupt bursts of violence . for all the pain he inflicted on screen , he seemed to be carrying his own , an ineffable kind ,
none of which is to say point blank doesn’t get to have its gangster movie cake , too . you get lee marvin in your film , you also get macho posturing and efficient bursts of violence , like the moment walker invades lynne’s home looking for vernon’s mal reese ( the best friend that betrayed him ) , blasting his six - gun in slo - mo before wordlessly settling on the couch . part of point blank’s initial appeal is that walker’s unrelenting prowess means he simply cannot be defeated – he evades sniper bullets and police attention , only to go on and get his man . there’s a brilliant sequence where walker coolly strolls past security into reese’s fortified home , effortlessly taking out hired goons before facing off against the big boss himself . it’s a remarkably assured moment , so assured that it doesn’t quite make sense that this is only boorman’s second feature .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
) , and had praised the film in a review . moreover , such was the influence of kael that her positive remarks about
however , one scene in particular sticks out from the film visually and aurally in presenting its main character as someone so undeniably powerful that he affects the aesthetic logic of the film . it also enhances the idea that walker is someone who is more unusual and unnatural as a living person in the narrative world of the film ; perhaps even a ghost or someone sent back from purgatory .
the common interpretation of the bizarre journey of point blank is that we’re witnessing walker’s death dream , with the idea that he died in alcatraz prison and everything we see is a fantastical revenge fantasy dreamt by the dying protagonist . the film backs up this theory quite frequently with its narrative and stylistic choices , such as the impossibility of walker surviving the gunshots and being able to swim back to shore , his lack of ability to communicate with those around him , and the disjointed narrative that frequently contradicts itself .
rationally speaking , the story makes no sense , as walker is twice shot point - blank in an alcatraz cell . he then hobbles painfully into the currents of san francisco bay that routinely sweep even strong swimmers out to sea . but our walker unaccountably turns up a year later with a variable wardrobe of undefined origin , to make short work of one mob functionary after another .
boorman’s original intention was to make point blank entirely in san francisco . however , after visiting san francisco for the first time boorman realized it wasn’t the kind of locale that he wanted for the film . as he explains , “i’d never been there , but when i saw the city , i realized it wasn’t at all the kind of setting i was looking for . it was all soft , romantic , pastel shades – a very beautiful place – but the complete opposite of what i wanted for the film . i wanted my setting to be hard , cold and , in a sense , futuristic . i wanted an empty , sterile world , for which los angeles was absolutely right . ” [ 10 ] but boorman had to fight against the studio , against the producers , and even against the screenwriter alexander jacobs to get his way . he finally won out because filming in los angles was going to be less expensive . [ 11 ] ultimately , point blank was made for a modest 3 million us dollars . [ 12 ]
8 philip kemp , ‘return to zero’ , sight and sound , london : british film institute , june 1998 , p . 12 .
excalibur is perhaps the john boorman film par excellence and brings together many of the recurring themes , concerns and motifs of his work .
an ordinary filmmaker would set the opening of point blank within an abandoned parking lot and shoot the same scenes , but this level of intelligent filmmaking highlights how advanced boorman’s approach to the bald source material is . as walker crosses the ocean ( water usually being a metaphorical visual for birth / the cleansing of an unclean soul ) and re - enters society , walker finds himself cold to his surroundings .
any film festival dedicated exclusively to the treasures , glories , and the occasional folly of the past is likely to be visited by ghosts .
this script was donated to the bfi by the film’s continuity supervisor ann skinner and features extensive notes and reference polaroids ( see below ) .
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though it was overshadowed at the time by sexier fare , one of the bigger events of last year’s cannes film festival for cinephiles was the arrival of “ queen & country , ” the first film in eight years from 82 - year - old director john boorman ( it’s a 27 - years - later sequel of his oscar - nominated “ hope & glory ” ) . with that film now in theaters and following a film forum retrospective of his work last month , we’ve looked back at the career of one of the most fascinating filmmakers of the last quarter - century .
in a new series on action film stars at the quad cinema , lee marvin stands out for possessing something greater than badassery : a presence .
appropriately enough , the film itself feels timeless , as fresh today as when it first appeared . and because it’s not simply a genre film but something far more ambitious , complex and ‘different’ , it’s complex and entertaining enough to amply reward repeated viewings . that’s what i call ageing well .
these parallel cycles culminated in 1967 with the simultaneous release of the st valentine ' s day massacre ( roger corman ' s only film for a major studio ) and bonnie and clyde - the former sombre , factual ; the latter lyrical , legendary . these two threads have continued up to this day , with most of the 1970s school of filmmakers working in one stream or the other - robert altman ' s thieves like us ( from a novel inspired by the lives of bonnie and clyde ) , scorsese ' s thirties film boxcar bertha and john milius ' s dillinger on one side , coppola ' s godfather trilogy and de palma ' s the untouchables and scarface , on the other .
in a rare and comprehensive interview conducted one year before his death , the legendary lee marvin reminisces about john ford , john wayne , robert aldrich , fritz lang , michael curtiz , sam fuller , and john boorman , and such classics as the man who shot liberty valance , donovan’s reef , the big red one , the dirty dozen , point blank , his tv series m squad , and winning the oscar for cat ballou .
this feeling of disillusionment and inability to connect to those around you due to a violent traumatic incident are the backbone behind point blank’s thematic content . john boorman has frequently emphasised this interpretation of the film when commenting on marvin’s past ; “his whole platoon was wiped out , except for one other person . and he felt himself to be a coward lying there , and he never lost that . it was survival guilt – and it didn’t help that he had been shot in the arse . not because he was running away , but because he was lying down when he was wounded . ”
point blank’s innovative editing remains bold even now . time and space becomes malleable in boorman and editor henry berman’s hands , flashbacks and fractured memory slipping into the main narrative intermittently . there are some transitions that stick in the memory forever , like the nightclub fight scene , where walker faces off against two thugs in a back room . walker brutally defeats his two opponents ; cut to the nightclub singer , screeching in close - up ; cut to a waitress , screaming in terror at the sight of walker’s two vanquished foes ; cut to walker placidly looking on , hidden , on his face reflected gaudy nightclub graphics . what was probably rather simple on the page becomes a very ‘60s concoction of vibrant cutting and colour , an example of point blank’s genius construction . it adds up to a hazy dream of a movie , one which may all be the result of walker’s dying mind .


army of shadows ( french : l'armée des ombres ) is a 1969 french film directed by jean-pierre melville .

it is a film adaptation of joseph kessel 's 1943 book of the same name , which blends kessel 's own experiences as a member of the french resistance with fictionalized versions of other resistance members .

army of shadows follows a small group of resistance fighters as they move between safe houses , work with the allied militaries , kill informers , and attempt to evade the capture and execution that they know is their most likely fate .

while portraying its characters as heroic , the film presents a bleak , unromantic view of the resistance .

at the time of its initial release in france , army of shadows was not well received or widely seen .

in the wake of the events of may 1968 , french critics denounced the film for its perceived glorification of charles de gaulle .

at the time american art-film programmers took their cues from cahiers du cinéma , which had attacked the film on this basis .

it was not released in the united states for almost forty years .

in the mid-1990s cahiers du cinéma published a reappraisal of the film and melville 's work in general , leading to its restoration and re-release in 2006 .

the film was greeted with critical adulation in the u.s. , appearing in many critics ' year-end top ten lists .

army of shadows

rui nogueira , “melville on melville : army of shadows” , army of shadows , the criterion collection , pp . 30 - 40 .
army of shadows ( the crit . . . has been added to your cart
roger ebert , “army of shadows” , urltoken , ( 21 may 2006 ) .
an overview of the career of great french director of
le samouraï
and
army of shadows .
an analysis of joseph kessel ' s book
army of shadows
which melville adapted to make his movie .
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for anyone interested in the impact of war on ordinary men , army of shadows proves a sobering and invaluable experience .
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) in
army of shadows
to london , where members of the british government are expecting him . the two board a submarine that takes them away .
jean - pierre melville , director , army of shadows ( 1969 ) , 140 min . les films corona , fono roma , france / italy .
the restricted photographic palette of army of shadows , with its muted and desaturated blue , green and grey conveys an ominous , even ghostly , mood of menace , ambuguity and confinement .
expect your units to be a lot more vocal in shadows of valentia with tons of voice acting .
back on the streets of paris , gestapo and the vichy police begin tracking down philippe ' s men . some panic and leave , but new men join
army of shadows
.
amy taubin , “out of the shadows” , the criterion collection , ( 11 january 2011 ) .
from the first sight of german soldiers goose - stepping past the arc de triomphe to a postscript that spells out the fate of characters whose moral confusion is all too real , army of shadows is a movie of its time - - and ours .
jean - pierre melville’s film army of shadows ( 1969 ) gives a dramatic account of the extreme dangers faced by the french who resisted the german occupation of 1940–1944 . the time of the story is unspecified , but it is probably 1943 , late enough …
trailers - 1 . original - the original french trailer for army of shadows . in french , with optional english subtitles . ( 3 min , 1080i ) . 2 . u . s . premiere - army of shadows was screened theatrically in the united states for the first time in 2006 . this is the trailer for the film distributor rialto pictures created . music only . ( 2 min , 1080i ) .
the glacial pacing can be an irritant as the film unfolds - - i repeatedly wanted to speed things up - - but army of shadows won ' t leave you alone after you ' ve seen it .
when
army of shadows
was originally released , a french critic wrote that
this resistance epic was , in the end , a sublime thriller .
melville rejected the comparison , even if it is also entirely possible to see his sublime thrillers as epics of resistance . the great man died in 1973 at the unfair age of 55 , collapsing into the arms of a male friend . he left behind one short film and 13 features , a few of which , including
army of shadows ,
are worthy of that overused superlative masterpiece .
beware , major spoilers ahead . elegant , brutal , anxiety - provoking , and overwhelmingly sad , jean - pierre melville’s 1969 army of shadows was released theatrically for the first time in the united states in 2006 , to nearly universal critical accla…
army of shadows was the third and final film melville made that directly involved the german occupation of france , but it was also made during the middle of his gangster pictures as well and if looking closely army of shadows blends a little of both of those themes . the film was adapted by joseph kessel ' s book army of shadows which was an account of the author ' s experience in the french resistance which was published in london in 1943 . at age 20 melville was drafted in the army in 1937 , and changed his name from grumbach to that of his favorite american writer and kept the name after the war . melville was involved in the resistance between 1941 and 1943 , was jailed in spain and his brother was killed trying to reach him . he then joined the free french in north africa in 1943 and took part in the italian and french liberation campaigns in 1944 . even though service with the free french has never been disputed some have been skeptical on melville ' s connection to the resistance .
jean - pierre melville ' s
army of shadows
is about members of the french resistance who persist in the face of despair . rarely has a film shown so truly that place in the heart where hope lives with fatalism . it is not a film about daring raids and exploding trains , but about cold , hungry , desperate men and women who move invisibly through the nazi occupation of france . their army is indeed made of shadows : they use false names , they have no addresses , they can be betrayed in an instant by a traitor or an accident . they know they will probably die .
and his memories of those times were clearly draped in the dark noirish shadows of those desperate circumstances . in any case melville had the right idea about movies [ 8 ] :
for more on melville ' s career , see : diane christian and bruce jackson ( eds . ) , “conversations about great films : army of shadows / l’armée des ombres” , goldenrod handouts , buffalo film seminars , xv : 6 , the center for studies in american culture , state university of new york .
) , a civil engineer and one of the leaders of
army of shadows
( the french resistance ) , is sent to a concentration camp where he meets a young communist who offers to help him escape . he accepts the offer . shortly after , philippe is arrested and transported to hotel majestic , the gestapo headquarters in paris .
melville ' s film army of shadows was very faithful to the novel and melville realized that many of the resistance fighters who he based his characters on in the film have died probably not knowing their actions contributed to their side winning the war . gerbier is the main character in army of shadows and even though you hear other character ' s first person voice over during the story it usually is from gerbier . the actor lino ventura who plays gerbier creates a remarkable and subtle character who is intelligent , mysterious , calm , and full of intensity . melville once said that no one taught ventura how to say lines , but he said them more convincingly than anyone else .
by then he had already directed two other films about the war , along with some of the thrillers for which he is justly renowned , like
bob le flambeur .
but he clearly wasn ' t finished with the fight of his life and not long after making
army of shadows
he exclaimed ,
the war period was awful , horrible marvelous .
made four decades after the release of melville ' s movie , robert guediguian ' s the army of crime makes for a fascinating comparison with army of shadows . guediguian ' s movie employs a much more colorful palette than shadow ' s monochromatic hue , and is considerably more blood - thirsty , featuring an escalating range of violent range of set - pieces depicting resistance attacks on german occupation forces . both movies depict the resistance as weakened by internal tensions and betrayal from within . in fact , guediguian is much more explicit in his portrayal of the pervasiveness and effectiveness of collaboration during the war . both movies are concerned with the corrosive effects of danger and violence on their protagonists .
after a quiet december , criterion will kick off the new year with renewed energy , as five very varied titles have been announced for blu - ray release in january . on january 11 , the army of shadows ( l ' armée des ombres ; jean - pierre melville , 1969 ) and robinson crusoe . . .
it ' s certainly true - as has been often pointed out - that army of the shadows owes much to melville ' s gangster films , in the particular attention it pays to the same stately codes of loyalty , sacrifice and honour that the director put to such brilliant effect in le samourai and le cercle rouge , the two films he made either side of this . melville makes no concession whatever to the tide of nouvelle vague - inspired realism that was sweeping world cinema in the late 60s , and in some ways army in the shadows is as stiffly arranged as any of the old black - and - white films that melville himself idolised . but in its devotion to , and forging of , the mythology surrounding the french resistance , it remains a work of moving ideological commitment as well as beautifully detailed orchestration .
in a welcome surprise criterion releases jean - pierre melvilles army of shadows on blu - ray after many feared it would be the next dvd in the collection to fall victim to oop status after the last couple of waves of studio canal titles criterion lost . criterion again presents the film in its original aspect ratio of 1 . 85 : 1 on this dual - layer disc and give it nice looking 1080p / 24hz transfer .
jean - pierre melville , filmmaker
- in this introductory piece , directed by jacques dupont and part of the show chroniques de france , jean - pierre melville discusses what inspired him to shoot army of shadows , how he interacts with the actors he likes to work with , etc . in french , with optional english subtitles . ( 5 min , 1080i ) .
in kessel’s book , gerbier , who believes he’s going to be killed by a firing squad , thinks , “i am going to die . . . and i’m not afraid . . . it is because i’m too limited , too much of an animal to believe it . but if i don’t believe it until the last possible moment , until the ultimate limit , i shall never die . what a discovery ! ” melville uses the entire text as a voice - over , one of many spoken by gerbier and other characters . as much as kessel’s concept of fiction as disguise , this idea affects the shape of army of shadows and the late gangster films that bracket it . the extreme elasticity of subjective time , particularly in the face of death—of subjectivity defined by that elasticity rather than by conventional point - of - view shots—is what makes melville’s films , and army of shadows in particular , not merely exquisite abstractions or exercises in style but graphs of human consciousness grappling with mortality .
notwithstanding what vincendeau refers to as “contradictory testimony” around melville’s resistance activities , army of shadows has the quality of lived experience like no other film in the director’s oeuvre . by comparison , even the most dazzling and affecting of the gangster films— le doulos ( 1962 ) , le cercle rouge , le samouraï —seem like game playing . they transcend genre but not their own fetishistic defenses . ( this criticism is , of course , relative . one has only to compare melville’s genre excursions to quentin tarantino’s to understand the gravity of melville’s project . ) and while melville told nogueira that the attack on army of shadows by some french critics for presenting the resistance fighters as if they were characters in a gangster film was “absurd , ” he himself made another kind of connection : “tragedy is the immediacy of death that you get in the underworld or in a particular time such as war . the characters from army of shadows are tragic characters . you know that from the very beginning . ” those who come to the film with expectations of romantic heroes and daring action sequences that culminate in uplifting endings , that is , will be bewildered and disappointed by melville’s rigorous focus on process rather than action , and by the pessimism that tempers his characters as individuals and comrades in arms .
melville ' s world is a world of broad shoulders and heavy burdens , shaved and grizzled faces , the civilized and the savage . it is a world in which a man ' s hat is an emblem of his professionalism , part of the armor he dons for battle . when a resistance member walks into a boîte in
army of shadows ,
and melville shows us a row of nazi caps neatly lined on a shelf , it ' s as if he were showing us a cache of weapons .
as someone who was never able to play the early fire emblem games , shadows of valentia seems more than just a retread of familiar ground , and with fun little changes to the formula to challenge the tactician in me .
army of shadows was the third and final film in which melville dealt directly with the german occupation of france— le silence de la mer ( 1949 ) , his first feature , and léon morin , prêtre ( 1961 ) were also set during that time—and his only film devoted to the resistance . but it was made in the middle of his stunning late run of gangster films , preceded by le deuxième souffle ( 1966 ) and le samouraï ( 1967 ) and followed by le cercle rouge ( 1970 ) and un flic ( 1972 ) , and it has more in common with them , formally , narratively , and philosophically , than with the earlier war films . even if you do not conclude , as so many now do , that army of shadows is melville’s most significant film—his signature work—and certainly one of the greatest films of the sixties , it will at least change the ways in which you make meaning of his surrounding work .
the film is adapted from joseph kessel’s army of shadows , an account of the author’s experience in the french resistance , published in london in 1943 . born in argentina , to a lithuanian jewish family , and educated in france , kessel was a journalist , novelist , and screenwriter ( he also famously wrote the source novel for luis buñuel’s belle de jour ) , and army of shadows reflected this multiple training . “everything had to be accurate , and at the same time , nothing must be recognizable , ” kessel wrote in his preface . in other words , fiction , as a protective strategy , was applied to a work of reportage . in rui nogueira’s melville on melville , the director says that he read kessel’s book when he , too , was in london in 1943 , and immediately wanted to film it . he also seems to have taken kessel’s method as the guiding principle for his entire oeuvre , explaining to nogueira , in a different context : “what people often assume to be imagination in my films is really memory , things i have noticed walking down the street or being with people—transposed , of course , because i have a horror of showing things i have actually experienced . ” the filmmaker whose subject was underground man assumed as a creative artist the strategies of secrecy , subterfuge , and masquerade that were life and death matters for his characters , whether gangsters or résistants . the meshing of this method of constructing story and identity in film ( and perhaps in life as well ) with the behavior of characters as seemingly different from each other as gerbier in army of shadows and corey in le cercle rouge largely accounts for the surprising emotional resonance and profound sense of unease across all of melville’s films , but most powerfully in army of shadows and the late gangster cycle—works that are as precise , distanced , and abstract as a game of chess .
the timing of army of shadows’ s initial french release , in the fall of 1969 , could not have been worse . most serious french critics , including those of the influential cahiers du cinéma , savaged the film for what they saw as its glorification of general charles de gaulle , who , then president , was despised as the betrayer of the may 1968 student uprising . de gaulle , in fact , is a marginal figure in this french resistance saga , and melville depicts him with an irony that makes it clear his heroism would not outlive the extreme circumstances in which the war had placed him . given the enormous sway cahiers du cinéma held over american art - film programmers and distributors during the heyday of the french new wave , it’s not surprising that the film was ignored here for so long . in the midnineties , however , cahiers du cinéma published a reconsideration of melville , and particularly of army of shadows , which led to a restoration of the original 35 mm camera negative by studiocanal and a rapturously received rialto pictures release in the united states .
jean - pierre melvilles masterpiece about the french resistance went unreleased in the united states for thirty - seven years , before its triumphant theatrical debut in 2006 . atmospheric and gripping , army of shadows is melvilles most personal film , featuring lino ventura , paul meurisse , jean - pierre cassel , and the incomparable simone signoret as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their own brand of honor in their fight against evil .
dark as pitch and utterly without compromise ,
army of shadows
traces the harrowing feats of a small band of resistance fighters operating during the occupation . melville first read joseph kessel ' s slim novel of the same title in 1943 , the year it was published , and for the next quarter - century nurtured a desire to turn it into a film . ( cinephiles will appreciate that kessel also wrote the novel
belle de jour .
) he finally did so in 1969 .
when french director jean - pierre melville ' s movie about the french resistance , army of shadows , was released in 1969 , it was met with critical and box - office indifference . its languid pace , long set - pieces , bleak tone and sombre style made it unpopular . politically , the movie ' s reception was controversial and hostile . for melville , himself a former resistance member , had daringly upturned the conventional view of the resistance that had dominated france since 1945 - a national movement of brave men and women unified in their determination to overthrow nazi occupation , supported and admired by the french population at large . it wasn ' t until the end of the century - decades after melville ' s death in 1973 - that army of shadows at last received the acclaim it deserved , and the recognition that it was probably the best film ever made about the resistance movement .
why people chose to join the resistance is a question that historians must strive to answer , and they do so with caution and trepidation because there is no simple answer . if fiction offers far greater freedom to speculate on the motivations of resisters , two of the most potent films to grapple with this issue , army of shadows and lacombe , lucien , jettison a psychological approach . the first presumes that resistance was necessary and focuses on the moral dilemmas such engagement posed for participants ; the second famously proposes that the decision to resist or to collaborate was the result of circumstances rather than ideological commitment . whether one agrees with this proposition or not , lacombe , lucien just like army of shadows , raises the important question of choice and what it entailed , as our two specialists demonstrate . students like to imagine how they would have responded and need sophisticated ways to think about it . the resistance continues to attract writers and film - makers , as witnessed by the release of ismael ferroukhi’s les hommes libres ( free men ) in september which , like other recent films , seeks to highlight a little - known aspect of parisian resistance . michael lonsdale plays si kaddour ben ghabrit , rector of the paris mosque , who saw it as his humanitarian duty to hide jews and resisters , and tahar rahim , of the prophet fame , a young algerian who drifts , somewhat lucien lacombe - like , into collaboration before experiencing moral qualms and a change of heart . unlike the despair of army of shadows or the cynicism of lacombe , lucien , and without being maudlin , the film offers a psychologically credible depiction of engagement .
this masterpiece by jean - pierre melville about the french resistance went unreleased in the united states for thirty - seven years , until its triumphant theatrical debut in 2006 . atmospheric and gripping , army of shadows is melville’s most personal film , featuring lino ventura , paul meurisse , jean - pierre cassel , and the incomparable simone signoret as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their conception of honor in their battle against hitler’s regime .
world film directors , vol . ii . , john wakeman ( ed . ) , wilson , co . , ny 1988 , quoted in “conversations about great films : army of shadows / l’armée des ombres” , diane christian and bruce jackson ( eds . ) , buffalo film seminars , xv : 6 , the center for studies in american culture , state university of new york , buffalo , ny ( 2 october 2007 ) .
pierre lhomme - in this interview , cinematographer pierre lhomme , who supervised the restoration of army of shadows , discusses the various obstacles that had to be overcome to reproduce as best as possible the original look of the film . a collection of stills from the film is also included . in french , with optional english subtitles . ( 15 min , 1080i ) . 1 . rediscovering the film 2 . earning melville ' s respect 3 . a low - budget mentality 4 . cool tones and darkness 5 . respect for the audience
this memorable movie movingly pays tribute to those who chose not to remain silent , to those ordinary men and women who chose to do extraordinary things . . . from the shadows .
discussing army of shadows , melville once declared that he had
no intention of making a film about the resistance . so with one exception - the german occupation - i excluded all realism .
athough the movie , as ebert notes , is primarily about the state of mind of those working under extreme psychological pressure and constant danger , it is in many ways one of the most realistic of all films about the resistance in its emphasis on the necessary details and routines of resistance work . these range from apparently mundane aspects as arranging clandestine meetings and issuing orders , to the problems posed by new neighbours near a safe house - which leads to the issue of deciding how best to execute an informer with the minimum of noise .
the hideous mess in iraq , the sense that we are enmeshed in a situation in the middle east where all options are bad , may partly account for the embrace in 2006 of melville’s depiction of the tragedy within even the “good” war . in their pessimism about the inevitability of war and its cost in individual lives , clint eastwood’s admirable and moving world war ii films letters from iwo jima and flags of our fathers , released late in the same year , have something in common with army of shadows . all three films show that in the worst of circumstances , human beings can act with courage and honor , but that there is a larger tragedy in the fact that war is the realm in which such heroism comes into being . perhaps a line from roger ebert’s review best accounts for the contemporary power of this emissary from 1969 : “rarely has a film shown so truly that place in the heart where hope lives with fatalism . ” amy taubin is a contributing editor for film comment and sight & sound . she also writes frequently for artforum . this piece originally appeared in the 2007 dvd edition of army of shadows .
there may be psychosexual explanations for why this is the case , but the war and france ' s shame were reason enough . melville , a jew , was serving in the military when france capitulated to germany , and he subsequently joined several networks in the resistance . decades later , while discussing
army of shadows ,
he pointedly noted ,
don ' t forget that there are more people who didn ' t work for the resistance than people who did .
it ' s no wonder
army of shadows
feels like a cold rejoinder to the cherished romance of the french resistance fighter , wearing a beret and a sneer , and holding back the nazi tide that had already swept the country . kessel writes :
today it is nearly always death , death , death . but on our side we kill , kill , kill .
that is melville ' s war .
jean - pierre melville ' s masterpiece about the french resistance against the nazi occupation went unreleased in the united states for thirty - seven years , before its triumphant theatrical debut in 2006 . atmospheric and gripping , army of shadows is melville ' s most personal film , featuring lino ventura , paul meurisse , jean - pierre cassel , and the incomparable simone signoret as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their own brand of honor in their battle against hitler ' s regime .
however , melville ' s chief interest , as in most of his films , was in examining the self - imposed codes of honor and behaviour that his main characters tried to maintain . philippe gerbier , like most of melville ' s protagonists , ( frequently thieves or gangsters ) takes pride in his professionialism : the careful , studious application of personal expertise . army of shadows reveals melville ' s fascination with the choices that people have to make under extreme pressure , and by how his protagonists accept the consequences of those decisions . what melville admires is the stoicism , even fatalism , of his ' heroes ' as they abide by their code of honor . his film is not concerned with the morality of otherwise of their actions , but with their loyalty to a particular group and adherence to a personal ethical code .
although kessel’s book ends hopefully , it was written during the war , so understandably the novelization focuses on hope rather than despair . melville’s army of shadows is quite the reverse . for the director , the film was a historical marker , signifying his generation—the pre - may 1968 generation . it does not highlight the past or future but instead remains in the film’s present : the sad mental state of necessary maquis cells operating during wwii . for every procession of german soldiers marching on the champs - elysées , there was a small company of everyday frenchmen , working in the gloom of their eventual deaths to stop them .
commentary - in this audio commentary , recorded for the british film institute in 2006 , film historian ginette vincendeau discusses jean - pierre melville ' s involvement with the french resistance , joseph kessel ' s novel , the various similarities between the french director ' s gangster films and army of shadows , the mixed reviews the film received from various critics after it premiered in france , its main characters , the unique use of color , unorthodox message , etc . in english , not subtitled .
he second stunning revival of the week comes by way of jean - pierre melville ' s 1969 war movie , which tells in typically sombre , deadpan style , of the french resistance and their operations against the nazi occupation forces . forget about the bullet - ridden hell - storms or raffish derring - do of your conventional second world war picture : this is a world of cold , grey - painted rooms , as often as not containing immobile figures dripping with blood . melville ' s own history with the free french is well - known , and army in the shadows , an adaptation of joseph kessel ' s novel was his third time with the subject .
if army of shadows is a tragedy rather than a melodrama—and i believe it is—this is its first act . the narrative will come full circle , and the theme music will be heard again , in the last sequence , when once more gerbier , this time with his commander , luc jardie ( paul meurisse ) —the character partly modeled on the legendary resistance hero jean moulin—decides it is necessary to kill one of their group . but now it is one of the most valued members . after the damning deed is done , melville shows us , one by one , the agonized faces of those remaining and , through the windshield of their car , the arc de triomphe . a second later , a series of title cards briefly describe how each of them was executed by the germans . one expects that an image or two from a film as powerful as this one will stick in one’s memory , but in the months since i’ve seen army of shadows , it’s these words , which originate not with kessel but with melville , that will not leave my mind . all the bleak beauty of the film’s drained color palette and the nearly impenetrable blacks , which are a tribute to the title , lead to this series of filmic tombstones—white letters on black grounds .
this film is a sad and tragic film and after the murder of madame mathilde ; the film shows the unfortunate endings of each member of what was left of the resistance .
army of shadows barely received acknowledgment in france upon its initial release ; the critical response was polarized , and the film did not perform well at the box office . ginette vincendeau attributes the film’s failure to poor timing . it was considered a gaullist picture . by the time it was finished , general de gaulle had been voted out of politics after the student strike of may 1968 , at which time gaullist theory was suddenly unpopular . and so the film never obtained u . s . distribution . melville , however , did receive a number of letters from real - life resistance members praising him for his affecting film . while in france army of shadows was remembered fondly over time , even the most devout american cinephile could not place it within melville’s oeuvre ( unless having seen it in france during its initial theatrical run ) . in 2006 , rialto pictures circulated a print around art house and minor revival theaters in america , introducing this forgotten classic to new audiences . the film received massive critical acclaim , with many calling it the best film released that year .
film historians and melville scholars have noted that army of shadows bears a “funeral tone” throughout , as if mourning the resistance fighters either already dead or soon to die within the picture . melville’s films often brood , and in many cases , preemptively grieve for the hero’s death . then again , his filmic moods could be interpreted as simply pensive—a stylistic trait creating atmosphere through silent protagonists . except , such an explanation is perhaps too simple when looking at his career . in le samouraï and le cercle rouge , for example , his male narcissistic heroes harbor the same meditative disposition as army of shadows ’ lead philippe gerbier ( played by lino ventura ) —in each of these three films the tone reaches levels of almost ceremonial defeatist stoicism , and in each the “hero” dies in the end . ( whereas in bob le flambeur , the hero’s attitude is relatively blithe , allowing the protagonist to live . ) melville adds the tone , the lack of dialogue and humor , as part of his minimalist style . the result crafts an appropriately poetic feel ( both poignant and harrowing next to bob le flambeur ) given this comparatively serious subject matter .
if melville wished , he could have added action into army of shadows , making scenes like the escape attempt from the gestapo prison in lyon more about brute force than suspense . when maquis member lepercq is captured , tortured , and imprisoned , gerbier allows a break - out attempt where three resistance fighters go undercover as medical transports . but rather than grandiose music and fluid camerawork , melville shoots this scene like many of his finest sequences—with no music and patient concentration on detail . this scene compares to the robbery from le cercle rouge or the train heist from un flic , as all are virtually silent , meticulously paced , and with little focus on dialogue . his approach is intellectual rather than physical , making us ponder frame of mind . recognizing the process of decision making becomes more important than action or suspense . melville , having fought in the resistance , understands such a state of mind more than any other filmmaker , which is why army of shadows emerges as a meditation more than a historical account . the film’s events are not realistic , save for their psychology . it contemplates the type of person required to expect betrayal around each corner , to prepare for any unforeseen event , and to survive , all by means of melville’s own romantic penchant for masculinized storytelling .
the hideous mess in iraq , the sense that we are enmeshed in a situation in the middle east where all options are bad , may partly account for the embrace in 2006 of melville’s depiction of the tragedy within even the “good” war . in their pessimism about the inevitability of war and its cost in individual lives , clint eastwood’s admirable and moving world war ii films letters from iwo jima and flags of our fathers , released late in the same year , have something in common with army of shadows . all three films show that in the worst of circumstances , human beings can act with courage and honor , but that there is a larger tragedy in the fact that war is the realm in which such heroism comes into being .
this film , which was never released in america and will now be making its way across the country in limited release , has been immaculately restored and features new subtitles . you can get lost in the blackness of its heart and its shadows . you might never come back .
jean - pierre melville ' s
l ' armée des ombres
a . k . a
arny of shadows
( 1969 ) arrives on blu - ray courtesy of criterion . the supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with film historian ginette vincendeau ; interview with cinematographer pierre lhomme ; interview with editor francoise bonnot ; selection of excerpts from the french television program
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
the next interview is with film editor françoise bonnot . for 11 - minutes she talks about her mother who was an editor , and then covers her work on z , which earned her an oscar . she then talks about melville ( saying hes a tyrant to work with ) and the work she did with him , army of shadows primarily of course . she goes into great detail about the sound effects and then the opening march , which apparently moved from the beginning to the end and back again and again . in all its a charming interview and one of the better ones to be found on the release .
jean - pierre melville died of a heart attack in 1973 at the age of fifty - five .
we also briefly dabbled in shadows of valentia’s amiibo functions . using the new alm and celica amiibo , we were given the option of either trying out a special dungeon , or being able to summon the amiibo in the battle map . in battle , the amiibo serve as phantom allies of other protagonists for a single turn . we were also told that all fire emblem amiibo from the super smash bros . series could also be used to summon phantoms of their counterparts , complete with new art . you’re even able to use non - fire emblem amiibo to summon run - of - the - mill monsters to help you out for a single turn . but don’t think you’ll be able to summon a phantom army without consequence , as doing so will cost some of your unit’s health .
now we have the american premiere of perhaps his greatest film ( i have not seen them all , but i will ) . when
army of shadows
was released in 1969 , it was denounced by the left - wing parisian critics as
gaullist ,
because it has a brief scene involving degaulle and because it involves a resistance supporting his cause ; by the late 1960s , degaulle was considered a reactionary relic . the movie was hardly seen at the time . this restored 35mm print , now in art theaters around the country , may be 37 years old , but it is the best foreign film of the year .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
those familiar with recent fire emblem titles like awakening and fates may be disappointed to learn that pairing up units for dual strikes or guard stance won’t be a part of this remake . but on the bright side , new , fully voiced supports between units who fight close together can be viewed on the battlefield , so expect your units to be a lot more vocal in shadows of valentia with tons of voice acting .
jean - pierre melville ' s 1969 french resistance masterpiece is
the best film of 2006 !
( premiere , new york times , l . a . weekly , sight and sound , film comment ) . jean - pierre melville ' s masterpiece about the french resistance against the nazi occupation went unreleased in the united states for thirty - seven years , before its triumphant theatrical debut in 2006 . atmospheric and gripping , army of shadows is melville ' s most personal film , featuring lino ventura , paul meurisse , jean - pierre cassel , and the incomparable simone signoret as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their own brand of honor in their battle against hitler ' s regime .
at least one woman is present in melville’s film , but in a way that removes her femininity . french actress simone signoret plays mathilde , just as valuable a member of her resistance group as any one of the men . mathilde is an older , de - sexualized female . dressed in common , muted colors , she integrates into the resistance collective as easily as if she were male . years prior , signoret was a beauty in casque d’or and diabolique ; in army of shadows , she is one of the boys , showing but a glimmer of femininity only once in the film—in her glassy eyes after failing to free their comrade from the lyon prison . melville has often been criticized for his depiction of women , who are regularly only set - pieces to the director’s male hero . here , though she is void of cinema’s stereotypical feminine qualities , namely sexuality , but she is nonetheless a strong female hero . by the end of the film , melville asserts that mathilde may be the most valuable member of the film’s resistance group .
booklet - a 44 - page illustrated booklet containing amy taubin ' s essay
out of the shadows
, originally published in the may / june 2006 issue of film comment ; professor roberto o . paxton ' s essay
melville ' s french resistance
; and an interview with jean - pierre melville excerpted from rui nogueira ' s
melville on melville
.
elegant , brutal , anxiety - provoking , and overwhelmingly sad , jean - pierre melville’s 1969 army of shadows was released theatrically for the first time in the united states in 2006 , to nearly universal critical acclaim . from the village voice ’s j . ? hoberman ( “emerges from the mists of time . . . as a career - capping epic tragedy” ) to the new yorker ’s anthony lane ( “lovers of cinema should reach for their fedoras , turn up the collars of their coats , and sneak to this picture through a mist of rain” ) to newsweek ’s david ansen ( “the best foreign film of the year” ) , critics from across the spectrum , who almost never agreed , rallied around melville’s neglected masterpiece . too bad the director , who died in 1973 , at age fifty - five , was not around to experience the tide turn for his most personal film .
this is not to discount melville’s gangster films from his typically more serious work such as army of shadows , silence , or léon morin , prêtre ; on the contrary , these tonal similarities bring them closer together . melville’s stories , regardless of genre , act as tenants to his distinctive style ; the plot is secondary to the film’s mood—an atmospheric architecture where aesthetics take precedence . his characters even dress the same : gangsters , nazi intelligence , and resistance members all wear similar trench coats , with collars up and guns concealed in their pockets , as if out of a 1940’s hollywood gangster picture . ( certainly mathilde’s assassination in the finale better resembles a capone - style drive - by more than a covert execution . )
re - released in 2006 to rave reviews (
for the first , and maybe the only , time this year , you are in the hands of a master ,
declared anthony lane in the new yorker ) , melville ' s tense , gripping tale of honour and betrayal in the clandestine world of the french resistance was selected by melville authority chris peachment as one of the ten greatest films in the history of cinema . flinty lino ventura plays philippe gerbier , a resistance leader who escapes from the gestapo and goes after the turncoats who betrayed his cadre ; simone signoret brings fatalistic fatigue to her role as one of gerbier ' s operatives , whose love for her daughter is eventually turned against her . melville , who worked for the resistance during the war , called the joseph kessel novel on which the film is based
the greatest and most comprehensive document about this tragic period in the history of humanity ,
and the director does it full justice , giving army of shadows a clenched , existential tone , a steely visual design and an epic sense of gravity .
france , 1942 , during the occupation . philippe gerbier , a civil engineer , is one of the french resistance ' s chiefs . given away by a traitor , he is interned in a camp . he manages to escape , and joins his network at marseilles , where he makes the traitor be executed . . . this non - spectacular movie ( do not expect any rambo or robin hood ) shows us rigorously and austerely the everyday of the french resistants : their solitude , their fears , their relationships , the arrests , the forwarding of orders and their carrying out . . . both writer joseph kessel and co - writer and director jean - pierre melville belonged to this
army in the shadows
. ( imdb )
beware , major spoilers ahead . elegant , brutal , anxiety - provoking , and overwhelmingly sad , jean - pierre melville’s 1969 army of shadows was released theatrically for the first time in the united states in 2006 , to nearly universal critical acclaim . from the village voice ’s j . ? hoberman ( “emerges from the mists of time . . . as a career - capping epic tragedy” ) to the new yorker ’s anthony lane ( “lovers of cinema should reach for their fedoras , turn up the collars of their coats , and sneak to this picture through a mist of rain” ) to newsweek ’s david ansen ( “the best foreign film of the year” ) , critics from across the spectrum , who almost never agreed , rallied around melville’s neglected masterpiece . too bad the director , who died in 1973 , at age fifty - five , was not around to experience the tide turn for his most personal film .
setting the tone to army of shadows ahead of the opening credits , melville shows us german soldiers marching on the champs - elysées . aside from the obvious visual significance—the collective body stomping with an orderly and geometric shape , more assembled and impenetrable than a tank—melville fought just to shoot such an image . subsequent to wwi , any german uniform was forbidden on the champs - elysées . dressing up actors ( or in this case dancers , to capture the robotic movement that would enunciate the sound of the german march ) in nazi dress proved a difficult sell , but melville convinced the powers that be to allow it . an aperture to the rest of the film , soldiers step directly toward the camera , as if about to march right through the screen to trample the audience , filling the viewer with dread and with the promise of an equally despairing finale .
in the short demo i experienced , we were able to try out one regular battle map and part of a dungeon . while the battles and maps didn’t offer much variety in terms of topography or objectives , both experiences highlighted some of the more interesting tactical choices shadows of valentia has to offer compared to other titles on the 3ds . like fire emblem awakening , you’re able to traverse a world map between points of interest - enemies on the map will launch you into battles , while certain towns and other places will let you freely explore them from a different perspective .
the same can be said of
army of shadows ,
which is bleak and beautiful by turns , that rare work of art that thrills the senses and the mind . lino ventura plays philippe gerbier , a resistance fighter who has willingly surrendered his entire being to the cause . ( much as melville surrendered to cinema . ) the film opens with gerbier ' s imprisonment in a concentration camp and , shortly thereafter , his escape from his captors . exciting if implausible , the escape seems almost an afterthought to the scene immediately after in which gerbier hides in a barbershop . sitting in a chair with a face full of lather , his throat to a strange blade , the escapee seems cruelly vulnerable anew , the tension abating only after the barber puts down his razor and shows his true colors .
next is a making - of made by studio canal in 2006 called melville et larmee des ombres . it again features lhomme talking again about the look of the film and how tough it could be to work with melville . bonnot also appears again , talking about the same material she covers in her lone interview found in this set . but we also get interviews with jean - pierre cassel , composer eric demarsan , and then filmmakers philippe labro and bertrand tavernier . though some of the material covered in here is mentioned elsewhere , primarily within the commentary track , theres still a wealth of information here about melville and his career , along with material specific to army of shadows , like the touchy working relationship between melville and actor lino ventura , his friendlier working relationship with simone signoret , and then the directors american influences . again some of the material is repeated in the other supplements but its a decent making - of . it runs 28 - minutes and has been divided into 6 chapters .
on the ninety - ninth anniversary of jean - pierre melville’s birth , we’ve gathered a selection of essays , photos , and videos that showcase the best of the iconic director’s varied oeuvre .
jean - pierre melville ' s
army of shadows
opens with the startling image of german soldiers marching down the champs - élysées , framed by the arc de triomphe . the image was , this french director later admitted to an interviewer , a
crazy idea .
actors in german uniforms had not been permitted on the avenue since world war i , or so he claimed , and the shot was both costly and logistically complex . and yet ,
it was a fantastic sight ,
melville said with unmistakable satisfaction .
wagnerian . unfilmable .
this former resistance fighter had exacted a peculiar revenge on his complicit countrymen : he had invaded paris himself , seizing it for his own vision .