It's valuable mainly as a brilliant assemblage of documents and testimonies.
The Sorrow and the Pity (1971)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:24
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 4 hrs 20 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: THE SORROW AND THE PITY is one of the greatest documentaries ever made, delving into the Nazi occupation of France. Director Marcel Ophuls interviewed dozens of French, British, and German... THE SORROW AND THE PITY is one of the greatest documentaries ever made, delving into the Nazi occupation of France. Director Marcel Ophuls interviewed dozens of French, British, and German citizens, including soldiers, former Nazis, members of the resistance and collaborators. The result is an amazing portrait of ordinary people in extraordinary, and terrible, conditions. [More]
Director: Marcel Ophuls
Director: Marcel Ophuls
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Release:
Apr 17, 2001
Reviews for The Sorrow and the Pity
A work which helped change the way France viewed its own past, The Sorrow And The Pity is an impressively assembled documentary which combines archival footage and detailed personal testimonies to profound effect.
Through its scale, intelligence, wit, imaginative organisation and polemical thrust, it changed the face of the documentary forever.
The film is so boldly conceived, richly textured and beautifully paced that its marathon running time feels more like a sprint.
Documentary about the horrors of occupying a foreign country. Especially well worth watching now.
The mosaic is comprehensive, the documentation overwhelming, particularly regarding the nature and extent of collaboration.
A grand, astonishingly comprehensive document, recorded with unfailing persistence and intelligence.
In its complexity, its humanity, its refusal to find easy solutions, this is one of the greatest documentaries ever made.
Though lengthy and obviously downbeat, the 1970 film should be a staple for all serious filmgoers.
It soberly spotlights history -- impressively human, not pedantic, levels.
It remains the preeminent documentary about historical tragedy and one of the most exhilaratingly demanding experiences the movies have ever offered.
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