The Sorrow and the Pity (Le Chagrin et la Pitié) Reviews
March 12, 2020
What I liked most about the film was that it accepted, indeed relied upon, the extraordinary particularity of the individual. There were one or two generalisations... but otherwise, typecasting was avoided.
February 5, 2018
Watch for Pierre Mends-France, who makes you feel better about the human race after the rest of the film has made you despair.
June 30, 2017
This is one of the most important -- and gripping -- documentaries on the Second World War and its aftermath.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
October 6, 2007
It's valuable mainly as a brilliant assemblage of documents and testimonies.
October 6, 2007
The film is so boldly conceived, richly textured and beautifully paced that its marathon running time feels more like a sprint.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
June 24, 2006
The mosaic is comprehensive, the documentation overwhelming, particularly regarding the nature and extent of collaboration.
October 23, 2004
In its complexity, its humanity, its refusal to find easy solutions, this is one of the greatest documentaries ever made.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
May 22, 2004
[A] timeless study of human nature.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
May 18, 2004
Even today it's lost little of its challenging impact.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
June 19, 2003
Original Score: 5/5
May 20, 2003
It soberly spotlights history -- impressively human, not pedantic, levels.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
August 11, 2002
It remains the preeminent documentary about historical tragedy and one of the most exhilaratingly demanding experiences the movies have ever offered.
January 1, 2000
The postwar, Gaullist myth of massive French resistance to fascism has long since been destroyed, yet The Sorrow and the Pity retains its shattering power as an interrogation of memory.