The Sorry and the Pity by Marcel Ophuls

[IanC]

I can't see that this documentary has its own thread so having recently discovered it I thought it would be worth creating one in case there are others like me that were not aware of its existence.

It looks at the relationship between the Vichy Government and Germany between 1940 - 44 and the impact this has on the inhabitants of one town. For more background information here is a link to the Wikipedia page.

It was made in 1969 when many of the people of the period were still alive. However it does not feel dated and was ahead of its time in the interviewing technique used. One example is when Pierre Lavel's son-in-law is fact checked over statistics he quotes regarding the survival rates of French Jews. It is 4 hours in length split into two parts.

Whilst there are too many highlights and I don't want to give away too much so I have listed some of the parts or people that stood out for me.

• The two brothers who were in the resistance.
• The interviewers response to the teachers who talk about what they did to help persecuted colleagues.
• The ongoing interview with the German Captain on his daughters or sons? wedding day.
• The discussions with French Waffen SS Charlemagne volunteer on many different subjects such as the wearing a German uniform
• The shop keeper being asked why he took at an advert stating he was 100% French

Highly recommended.

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[Br. James]

I remember seeing "The Sorrow and the Pity" when it was new, in the movie theatres. That must have been fifty years ago...!

Br. James