Viva la Résistance

As previously stated, Seattlest advocates opening night Snakes on a Plane festivities (attention, slowpokes: the 10pm Cinerama show is already sold out, though some tix are still available for the 12:45am show, and we suppose you could just go see it tomorrow).

But we are also capable of appreciating the high-brow. With that in mind, we strongly suggest you see 1969 French classic Army of Shadows in a theater while it's still around. It's not available on DVD (not even on our precious Netflix), and the film didn't get a proper US release until this year. So it is pretty much now or never.

Based on Joseph Kessel's factually-based novel and director Jean-Pierre Melville's own wartime experiences, the scene is 1942 France, where the Resistance provides what help they can to the Allies. We are first introduced to Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) in a Vichy concentration camp, but soon thereafter he escapes and returns to his work coordinating a small band of French fighters. This is the powerful story of their efforts to undermine the Nazi regime while also maintaining their civilian lives. It's a tense and taut film, more about covert glances and moments of silence than dialogue. Beautifully shot and tremendously acted, Army of Shadows has gotten some of the most gushing reviews of the year. We went into it expecting a great film and were still wowed. You must see it during its run at the Harvard Exit; we cannot recommend it enough.

Showtimes, matinees in parentheses:
Thurs, Aug 17 - Fri, Aug 18: (4:00) 7:00 9:50
Sat, Aug 19 - Sun, Aug 20: (1:00) 4:00 7:00 9:50
Mon, Aug 21- Thu, Aug 24: (4:00) 7:00 9:50