In America, World War II made its way pretty quickly into cinema, resulting in portrayals of fascism that dripped with buffoonery and movie-villain cliches (just think of Casablanca or The Sound of Music) or outright comedy (the very daring Stalag 17 or, a bit later, The Producers). In Europe, however, where the devastating effects of fascism rippled long after the war ended, it took longer and more protracted soul-searching to approach the war on the cinematic front. This was especially true of France, where the collaboration with the Nazis left a stain on the national consciousness.

Among the first to confront the occupation cinematically was Jean-Pierre Melville. His epic of the French Resistance, Army of Shadows (Armée des Ombres) is being released for the first time in the U.S. by Rialto pictures at Film Forum. Made in 1969, Army of Shadows can be viewed as fascinating counterpoint to Marcel Ophuls’ The Sorrow and the Pity which was released that same year.

The Jewish-born Melville served in WWII and was himself a member of the Resistance, along with Joseph Kessel, the author of the sourcebook of the same name. The project, therefore, had profound personal significance for Melville, who was associated primarily with intense and quiet gangster films with an existentialist bent. The most striking thing about Army of Shadows is how much of the director’s film noir influence carries over: both in the slow, meditative, meandering plot and in the quiet, intense characters.

The film features strong performances by Melville-veteran Lino Ventura and an aging yet still graceful Simone Signoret. One of the biggest-budgeted French films of its day, it performed dismally at the box office and was vilified by critics (especially Cahiers du Cinema). While the film’s failure in its country of origin may explain why it never made it to the U.S., taking the film on its own terms its easy to see why it wasn’t deemed important enough to be imported. The film’s cultural significance—which can only be appreciated in retrospect—outshines its artistic merit.

Army of Shadows is a minor masterpiece of moody alienation and existential despair. It isn’t nearly as entertaining or powerful as Melville’s other films, such as Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, which are now regarded as masterpieces. Nevertheless, this neglected work of a master film artist needs to be recognized for its importance in the gamut of French WWII films.