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The Sorrow and the Pity

Original title: Le chagrin et la pitié
  • 19691969
  • PGPG
  • 4h 11m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
Home Video Trailer from Milestone
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
13 Photos
DocumentaryHistoryWar
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
  • Director
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Writers
    • André Harris
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Stars
    • Helmut Tausend
    • Marcel Verdier
    • Alexis Grave
  • Director
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Writers
    • André Harris
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Stars
    • Helmut Tausend
    • Marcel Verdier
    • Alexis Grave
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 39User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Sorrow and the Pity
    Trailer 2:01
    Watch The Sorrow and the Pity

    Photos13

    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    Denis Rake in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    Marcel Ophüls in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    Pierre Mendès France in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    Christian de la Mazière in The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
    The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Helmut Tausend
    • Self, former Wehrmacht Captain
    • (as Helmuth Tausend)
    Marcel Verdier
    • Self, pharmacist in Clermont-Ferrand
    Alexis Grave
    • Self, Yronde farmer
    Louis Grave
    • Self, Yronde farmer, Résistance Fighter
    Pierre Mendès France
    Pierre Mendès France
    • Self, Former Prime Minister Of France
    Emile Coulaudon
    • Self, Former Head of the Auvergne Maquis
    Walter Warlimont
    • Self, General, adjutant to the Wehrmacht Supreme Command
    Georg Stumme
    • Self, general in the Wehrmacht
    • (archive footage)
    • (as General Stummel)
    Tausend
    • Self
    • (as Frau Tausend)
    Anthony Eden
    Anthony Eden
    • Self, Winston Churchill's foreign Secretary 1940-1945
    Sepp Dietrich
    • Self, SS commander
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Zepp Dietrich)
    Roger Tounze
    • Self, journalist for La Montage newspaper based in Clermont-Ferrand
    Adolf Hitler
    Adolf Hitler
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Albert Speer
    Albert Speer
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Mr. Leiris
    • self, Former Mayor Of Combronde
    • (as Monsieur Leiris)
    Christian de la Mazière
    Christian de la Mazière
    • self, an aristocratic ex-fascist and Veteran of the French division of the Waffen SS
    André Harris
    • Self, interviewer
    Philippe Pétain
    Philippe Pétain
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Marcel Ophüls
    • Writers
      • André Harris
      • Marcel Ophüls
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in Annie Hall (1977)
    • Soundtracks
      Ça Fait d'Excellents Français
      Music by Georges Van Parys

      Lyrics by Jean Boyer

      Performed by Maurice Chevalier

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    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.
    helpful•4
    0
    • refresh_daemon
    • Aug 28, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 25, 1972 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Switzerland
      • West Germany
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Sorrow and the Shame
    • Filming locations
      • Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France
    • Production companies
      • Télévision Rencontre
      • Société Suisse de Radiodiffusion et Télévision (SSR)
      • Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,840
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,224
      • Feb 26, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,840
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      4 hours 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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