Tonight, I saw Army of Shadows, released in 1969 but never shown in the U.S. until now. It’s getting good word of mouth and reviews—a week ago, Ebert called it the best foreign film this year and added it to his “Great Movies” list. Showings at the Film Forum have been regularly selling out, including tonight’s. And it’s not a bad film for two-and-a-half hours of World War II Résistance Française drama.
There are escapes, ruses and sudden deaths, but this isn’t The Great Escape or even a Chicken Run. The pace is leisurely and the composition of the scenes, chiefly in shadowy interiors and wet winter exteriors, is painterly, all of which amplifies the few scenes of tension.
In one of these, which reminded me of that Hitchcock quote about how difficult it is to kill a man, a trio of resistance members is charged with dispatching a teenaged traitor. They’ve taken an out-of-the-way apartment in which to kill him, but a family has moved in next door and the walls are thin. The basement is connected to the family’s and noise will carry too well in the attic hollow. They don’t have the silencer they wanted for the gun. Should they instead use the gun butt to bludgeon the kid? Instead, should they knife him? Strangle him maybe? They discuss this all the while the traitor stands alone in a corner, listening to their conversation and watching them with fear. It’s one of many grim scenes in a nonetheless engrossing film.