The Sorrow and the Pity(2023)

Name: The Sorrow and the Pity
Director: Marcel Ophüls
Genre: Documentary, History, War
Released: Feb 24, 2023
Cast: Helmut Tausend, Marcel Verdier, Alexis Grave

Kino Lorber

PG
4h 11m

Release Date: Feb 24, 2023

An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.

Official Website

Release Details

Original Release | Feb 24, 2023 | Limited

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Box Office Results

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$5,224
Total US & Canada:
$13,082
Total Worldwide:
$13,082

Current Showtimes

orround

Wed Sep 2
Thu Sep 3
Fri Sep 4
Sat Sep 5
Sun Sep 6
Mon Sep 7
Tue Sep 8

Director & Top Cast

Marcel Ophüls
Director

Helmut Tausend
Self, former Wehrmacht Captain

Marcel Verdier
Self, pharmacist in Clermont-Ferrand

Alexis Grave
Self, Yronde farmer

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Mono

Other Details

Country of Origin: Switzerland, West Germany

Language: French

Summaries

Plot Summary

It's not fair to say that Marcel Ophüls "interviews" his subjects. He disarms them, then let's them tell their story, quite often a very ugly story, that they'd never admit to without a few glasses of wine in them. Marcel understands that this is one of those stories you'll only hear out of the mouths of the actual players. From Prime Ministers to farmers to German officers, everyone gets the treatment. With a handful of exceptions, the story is one of willful collaboration, and... is it really fair to call shipping Jews to death camps "antisemitism"? Let's just say that all families have their secrets, and France's collective secret is that they embraced the Nazi's with vigor.

Storyline

From 1940 to 1944, France's Vichy government collaborated with Nazi Germany. Marcel Ophüls mixes archival footage with 1969 interviews of a German officer and of collaborators and resistance fighters from Clermont-Ferrand. They comment on the nature, details and reasons for the collaboration, from anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and fear of Bolsheviks, to simple caution. Part one, "The Collapse," includes an extended interview with Pierre Mendès-France, jailed for anti-Vichy action and later France's Prime Minister. At the heart of part two, "The Choice," is an interview with Christian de la Mazière, one of 7,000 French youth to fight on the eastern front wearing German uniforms. —