IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of Nazi invasion.An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of Nazi invasion.An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of Nazi invasion.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 6 wins & 2 nominations total
Helmut Tausend
- Self, former Wehrmacht Captain
- (as Helmuth Tausend)
Georg Stumme
- Self, general in the Wehrmacht
- (archive footage)
- (as General Stummel)
Sepp Dietrich
- Self, SS commander
- (archive footage)
- (as Zepp Dietrich)
Adolf Hitler
- Self
- (archive footage)
Albert Speer
- Self
- (archive footage)
Mr. Leiris
- self, Former Mayor Of Combronde
- (as Monsieur Leiris)
Philippe Pétain
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOriginally intended for French television. However, French broadcasters refused to show it arguing the documentary depicted occupied France as exclusively populated by traitors.
- Quotes
Dr. Claude Levy: France is the only government in all Europe whose government collaborated. Others signed an armistice or surrendered, but France was the only country to have collaborated and voted laws which were even more racist than the Nuremberg laws, as the French racist criteria were even more demanding than the German racist criteria. It's not something to be proud of.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Annie Hall (1977)
- SoundtracksÇa Fait d'Excellents Français
Music by Georges Van Parys
Lyrics by Jean Boyer
Performed by Maurice Chevalier
Featured review
Historically Significant Historical Documentary
This is an important documentary because it's an early (1969) look back at Vichy France during World War II, when many of those who lived through the Nazi Germany occupation of France were still alive and were able to speak about their experiences. It's a rather straightforward documentary, blending interviews with archival footage and contemporary scenes from France and Germany.
The French filmmakers took care to interview French, both in support and opposed to the government of France who collaborated with Germany after their swift defeat, as well as Germans, both Nazi and otherwise and British officials who were involved in the war. With three languages present, the dialogue is spoken over in French, although in the English cut that I viewed, the English was mostly left alone.
It's not a stunning film as a documentary, in terms of presentation, but some of the stories that the film brings out of its sources are quite amazing and document a lot of details that a basic study of the WWII era during a history class might not bring out. Even more notably, the individual stories of those involved at the time highlight much of what's going on while also providing an emotional connection to a person or groups of people and making the situations easier to imagine. I think The Sorrow and the Pity remains a valuable film simply because there aren't many of its kind from its era and for how personal it chooses to be in telling the stories of the men and women that lived during this terrible moment in history. But it's really long and people who don't care about history or about people's stories probably would find much in here to like. 8/10.
The French filmmakers took care to interview French, both in support and opposed to the government of France who collaborated with Germany after their swift defeat, as well as Germans, both Nazi and otherwise and British officials who were involved in the war. With three languages present, the dialogue is spoken over in French, although in the English cut that I viewed, the English was mostly left alone.
It's not a stunning film as a documentary, in terms of presentation, but some of the stories that the film brings out of its sources are quite amazing and document a lot of details that a basic study of the WWII era during a history class might not bring out. Even more notably, the individual stories of those involved at the time highlight much of what's going on while also providing an emotional connection to a person or groups of people and making the situations easier to imagine. I think The Sorrow and the Pity remains a valuable film simply because there aren't many of its kind from its era and for how personal it chooses to be in telling the stories of the men and women that lived during this terrible moment in history. But it's really long and people who don't care about history or about people's stories probably would find much in here to like. 8/10.
helpful•40
- refresh_daemon
- Aug 28, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Sorrow and the Shame
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $10,840
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,224
- Feb 26, 2023
- Gross worldwide
- $10,840
- Runtime4 hours 11 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content

Top Gap
By what name was The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) officially released in India in English?
Answer