The Sorrow and the Pity
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Movie Reviews of The Sorrow and the Pity
Movie Review: France against itself
Summary: 4 Stars
'The Sorrow and the Pity' isn't light viewing. It is, for the most part, a dry, far-too-long documentary with a decidedly political slant. The editng is conspicuous. A self-satisfied ex-German officer occupies, in my opinion, an overly large part of the film. I think the producers of this film had to look some time to find such a stereotypical German.
Still, the film is of value. It depicts, through the mouths of participants, the terrible schisms that existed and still exist in France. Some Frenchmen clearly tried to live more-or-less normal lives during the occupation; others joined the Resistance; and still others collaborated or even joined the SS.
The Resistance fighters are primarily leftists and Communists, people the producers seem to be sympathetic with. The producers do not seriously question their motives i.e. were they fighting for Stalin or France? Through pointed questioning, it is possible to tell that they are less than sympathetic to people who tried to live through the occupation with as little trouble as possible.
To me, the most interesting character is a Frenchman who joined the SS. He appears to be a little less self-protective than most of the other people interviewed. He describes the French political turmoil of the early 1930's with the French Press stirring up trouble and high school battles between right and left wing students. He tells of the writhing French anti-semitism between the wars. He says that his parental roots were right wing and that he was especially impacted by films showing nuns and priests murdered by the Communists during the Spanish Civil War. He also tells of his admiration for the young German troops with their good behavior, moral and discipline. He joined up to become disillusioned as the Germans threw his French Charlemagne Divisions--with 7,000 SS Frenchmen--into rearguard battles fighting the Russians at the end of the war. Only 300 survived.
Other than these, we see many shots of Petain and Laval with discussions about their complicity and motives. We hear of Laval's, in particular, cooperation with the Nazis in their antisemitic endeavors.
Overall I think 'The Sorrow and the Pity' is worth watching as a historical document. I wish it had been more evenhanded but, unfortunately, such a documentary is impossible now. The protagonists are ancient or dead.
Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
Movie Review: Ophuls strips the veil covering the failure of France to live up to its former glory.
Summary: 4 Stars
In a searing examination of the French soul, Ophuls has detailed the almost complete failure of the powerful French nation of the mid-twentieth century to contest the Nazi invasion of the country which had been the military giant of the Napoleonic period and the stubborn, enduring survivors and the eventual victors of trench warfare of WW I.
Not only did their leaders kow-tow to the blitz-krieg, but Laval, president of occupied France and Petain, leader of Vichy,
obscenely rushed to collaborate with the invaders of their country in the Nazi genocide.
Movie Review: Excellent documentary, overpriced DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
This documentary is very interesting and brilliantly covers the Nazi occupation of France. It's well-worth seeing and possibly even owning. However, the price is ridiculous, in my opinion. Yes, it's a four-hour movie but there are no extra features or supplementary materials to justify the price. It should cost about half this much. That said, the film is sure to please anyone interested in the subject matter. It's extremely well-made and gripping.Movie Review: Good title. Maybe I will stop French -bashing.
Summary: 3 Stars
The French are to be pitied. Lots of rationalization for losing the war. They did lose their war. They just ended up on the winning side. Lots of rationalization why their army lost to a smaller, inferior force, why there was so many colaborators& the fiction that Vichy was anything but a puppet-state. On that note it is to Britain's & the United States' shame that they ever acknowledged it's existence or it's leaders. The alternative was to recognize the only man among boys, namely Charles DeGaulle. A son of a bitch to be sure, but recognizing him eariler would have saved England & the U.S. a lot of grief later. De Gaulle does not forget & does not forgive...ever.
This is all history. A painful & depressing movie (perfect for Woody Allen's character). I was embarassed for the French.
I recalled a line from Catch 22: "It is better to live on your knees than die on your feet."
Movie Review: Outstanding movie. Terrible DVD
Summary: 2 Stars
OK, I want add to the other comments about the actual movie, it is great. My complaint with this is the poor quality of the DVD. It's massively letterboxed & digitized & looks like a poor quality VHS transfer. No extras. Hideous yellow subtitles, which are poor & not complete nor removable. As expensive as this package is, you would expect much better quality.