(France/Italy/1969—directed by Jean-Pierre Melville)

Resistance fighter Lino Ventura, joined by Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret, goes underground during the German Occupation. The cost of heroism is high and often unimaginable. Master director Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samouraï) adapted Joseph Kessel’s 1943 novel in the white heat of immediacy, realizing a dream 25 years in the making.

Melville’s film, Army of Shadows, considered one of his masterpieces, wasn’t seen in the U.S. until 2006. Despite its age, it dominated that year’s Ten Best lists, was named Best Picture by the New York Times, and won the New York Film Critics Circle’s Best Foreign Film award, 37 years after its completion. This stunning new 4K restoration may be this year’s most important cinematic revelation. In French with English subtitles. (145 minutes)

“A rare work of art that thrills the senses and the mind. A masterpiece.” –Manohla Dargis, The New York Times