Michael Mulvey gives context before “Dahomey” screening at KMCC Reel-Time Theater, Feb 5, 2026. The third film in the film festival series will show Feb 19, 2026. (Julie Fischer | UMGC in Europe)
Film critic Anthony Lane gave guidelines for anyone attending one of director Jean-Pierre Melville’s movies: Tell nobody, even your loved ones. If you have a choice between smoking and talking, smoke. Dress well. Wear a raincoat (even if it is not raining). Most importantly, wear a hat. Melville’s movies have a unique vibe of coolness, darkness, betrayal and moral ambiguity. Melville’s antiheroes are dressed to kill and sometimes do.
UMGC in Europe is hosting Melville’s classic “Army of Shadows” (1969), the third showing in a film festival titled “Screen History: Global Pasts in Francophone Films,” at the KMC Reel-Time Theater this Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Many American film critics classified the movie as an indisputable masterpiece for its cinematography and complicated treatment of a subject matter.
Melville was born Jean-Pierre Grumbach in Paris from an Alsatian family. He adopted the alias “Melville” because of a strong identification with the American author of “Moby Dick,” Herman Melville. The nineteenth-century American author left a profound impact on the twentieth-century filmmaker.
During World War II, Melville entered the Army. He was evacuated to England from Dunkirk and returned to France where he joined the Resistance. He served as an artillery soldier with the Free French Forces in North Africa and in the liberation of Italy. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, the U.S. Cinematograph Service filmed the future filmmaker’s unit.
Melville stated that he wanted “Army of Shadows” to be “a retrospective dream, a nostalgic pilgrimage” into his wartime past. At the time, audiences found the movie enormously controversial in its demystified, gritty representation of this past. None of the characters in the historical drama existed.
However, Melville made characters based on real people and events. The movie avoided glorification and presented individuals confronted with complicated decisions. The movie was a historical drama, but also a reflection on humanity and the tension between individual and collective good.
All of us have unique experiences. The movie is shown to reflect on specific academic questions. This movie does deal with potentially distressing material, including violence. The movie is not to be construed as factual or definitive information on this subject matter.
All films are offered at no cost; you must have base access. This is a private university event open to the KMC. All films have subtitles in English. A RSVP is requested for the film on the UMGC in Europe Presents webpage.