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Movies / On DVD / The Sorrow and the Pity
The Sorrow and the Pity

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The Sorrow and the Pity (1971)

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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

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • A chronicle of a French city under the occupation. Director Marcel Ophuls combined interviews and archival film footage to explore the reality of the French occupation in one small industrial city, Clermont-Ferrand. He spoke with resistance fighters, collaborators, spies, farmers, government officials, writers, artists and veterans. The result is a shattering portrait of how ordinary people actually conducted themselves under extraordinary circumstances. By turns gripping, horrifying, and inspiring, Academy Award nominee "The Sorrow and the Pity" is a triumph of humanist filmmaking and a testament to the power of cinema. Before "Shoah," "Schindler's List," "The Long Way Home" and "The Last Days," there was "The Sorrow and the Pity."
  • Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.
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    Reviews for The Sorrow and the Pity

    • T-Meter Critics
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    • RT Community
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    It's valuable mainly as a brilliant assemblage of documents and testimonies.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    10/06/07
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    10/06/07
    Channel 4 Film

    Through its scale, intelligence, wit, imaginative organisation and polemical thrust, it changed the face of the documentary forever.

    Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
    10/06/07
    Philip French
    Philip French
    Observer [UK]

    The film is so boldly conceived, richly textured and beautifully paced that its marathon running time feels more like a sprint.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    10/06/07
    Xan Brooks
    Xan Brooks
    Guardian [UK]

    Documentary about the horrors of occupying a foreign country. Especially well worth watching now.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/17/07
    Louis Proyect
    Louis Proyect
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    What is exceptional about the film is its comprehensive structure.

    comment Comment
    07/21/06
    Douglas Pratt
    Douglas Pratt
    DVDLaser

    The mosaic is comprehensive, the documentation overwhelming, particularly regarding the nature and extent of collaboration.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/31/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    03/12/05
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    A grand, astonishingly comprehensive document, recorded with unfailing persistence and intelligence.

    Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
    03/03/05
    Stuart Klawans
    Stuart Klawans
    Nation

    In its complexity, its humanity, its refusal to find easy solutions, this is one of the greatest documentaries ever made.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    10/23/04
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [A] timeless study of human nature.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    05/22/04
    David Parkinson
    David Parkinson
    Empire Magazine

    Even today it's lost little of its challenging impact.

    Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
    05/18/04
    Jamie Russell
    Jamie Russell
    BBC

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/17/03
    Linda Cook
    Linda Cook
    Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

    Though lengthy and obviously downbeat, the 1970 film should be a staple for all serious filmgoers.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    07/30/03
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/19/03
    Nell Minow
    Nell Minow
    Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

    It soberly spotlights history -- impressively human, not pedantic, levels.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    A.H. Weiler
    A.H. Weiler
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/25/02
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    It remains the preeminent documentary about historical tragedy and one of the most exhilaratingly demanding experiences the movies have ever offered.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    08/11/02
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/08/02
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com
     
     
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