Le chagrin et la pitié (1969)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Marcel Ophüls

Writers:

André Harris (writer)
Marcel Ophüls (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History | War

Plot:

From 1940 to 1944, France's Vichy government collaborated with Nazi Germany. Marcel Ophüls mixes archival...

Plot Keywords:

Interview | France | 1940s | Clermont Ferrand | Collaborator

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins

Cast

Georges Bidault	...	Himself
Matthäus Bleibinger
Charles Braun
Maurice Buckmaster
Emile Coulaudon
Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie
René de Chambrun		(as Comte René de Chambrun)
Christian de la Mazière
Jacques Duclos
R. Du Jonchay		(as Colonel R. du Jonchay)
Anthony Eden	...	(also archive footage) (as Lord Avon)
Sgt. Evans
Marcel Fouche-Degliame
Raphael Geminiani
Alexis Grave
Louis Grave
Marius Klein
Georges Lamirand
Pierre Le Calvez
Mr. Leiris
Claude Levy		(as Dr. Claude Levy)
Pierre Mendès-France	...	Himself
Cmdt. Menut
Elmar Michel
Mr. Mioche
Marcel Ophüls	...	Interviewer
Denis Rake
Henri Rochat	...	Himself
Paul Schmidt
Mme. Solange
Edward Spears	...	Himself
Helmut Tausend
Roger Tounze
Marcel Verdier
Walter Warlimont

Also Known As:

Das Haus nebenan - Chronik einer französischen Stadt im Kriege (West Germany)
Le chagrin et la pitié - Chronique d'une ville Français sous l'occupation (France)
The Sorrow and the Pity (USA)
Zorn und Mitleid (West Germany)

Runtime:

251 min

Country:

France | Switzerland | West Germany

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | France:U | UK:12A | USA:PG

Company:

Télévision Rencontre

Trivia:

Originally intended for French television but broadcasters refused to show it.

Quotes:

Georges Bidault: Some people are resistants by nature. In other words, some people are naturally headstrong. Others on the contrary, try to adapt to the circumstances, and get what they can out of it. If you are a resistant over everything and nothing, you're exaggerating. But if you accept everything, you're lying.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Ugly Betty: Zero Worship (#2.11)" (2008)

Best Documentary

Far and away the BEST documentary I've ever seen! I've only seen it once, in a theatre, about 32 years ago, but the images and the words of the people who told of their Occupation experiences still stay with me. I wondered then, and still do, how in the world the filmmaker got his subjects -- especially those who had admittedly collaborated with the Nazis -- to be so forthcoming. To me, that's the value that makes this movie stand head and shoulders above all other documentaries (including those of Michael Moore, whose work I also love): the way Orphuls gets right to the innermost soul of the people he films.

Now that it's out on DVD, I intend to buy it, no matter how overpriced or poor quality -- the film itself is that good.