Please note: This was screened in Sept 2017
Drawing on his own experiences as part of the French Resistance in World War II, Melville’s masterful and profoundly personal war drama follows an intrepid band of resistance fighters who must grapple with their conception of honour in a battle against Hitler’s brutal regime.
Set between the Autumn of 1942 and Spring of 1943 the film is based on Joseph Kessel’s novel about a band of resistance fighters in German-controlled France. But as the war continues and the grip of the occupying force tightens, friendships, loyalty and trust give way to suspicion and secrecy, with agonising dilemmas leading to troubled soul-searching and tragic sacrifice.
A tribute to the heroic activities of the everyday members of the French Resistance this tense, atmospheric tour de force demonstrated Melville’s mastery of suspense. Despite its brilliance, the film didn't reach our shores until 2006, mostly due to bad timing. After President Charles De Gaulle put down a student uprising in 1968, French critics were in no mood for a movie that championed the Resistance, and since those critics wielded major influence on programmers overseas, the film was effectively quashed. Finally released more than 30 years after Melville's death, it remains a bracing lesson in patriotism without illusion and the starkest, truest tribute imaginable to those who give their lives for their country.