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IMDbPro

Le chagrin et la pitié - chronique d'une ville française sous l'occupation

Original title: Le chagrin et la pitié
  • 1969
  • Tous publics
  • 4h 11m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
Le chagrin et la pitié - chronique d'une ville française sous l'occupation (1969)
Home Video Trailer from Milestone
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
17 Photos
DocumentaryHistoryWar

An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.

  • Director
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Writers
    • André Harris
    • Marcel Ophüls
  • Stars
    • Helmut Tausend
    • Marcel Verdier
    • Alexis Grave
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    4.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Marcel Ophüls
    • Writers
      • André Harris
      • Marcel Ophüls
    • Stars
      • Helmut Tausend
      • Marcel Verdier
      • Alexis Grave
    • 43User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

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

    Photos17

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    Top cast66

    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

    User reviews43

    8.14.3K
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    Featured reviews

    ItalianGerry

    Profound sadness.

    How truly compelling is "The Sorrow and the Pity," a monumental 4 ½-hour documentary about one of the saddest realities of World War II: the almost placid collaboration of the French with their occupying German conquerors. The movie was created by Marcel Ophüls (son of the great Max Ophüls) and portrays a devastating picture of the collective compromise of morality under duress. We are brought into intimate contact with the times by way of newsreel footage and interviews with present-day survivors of all persuasions as they recall the events of the past, corroborate or contradict others or even themselves. We see the danger that comes with historical amnesia and the refusal to see that there is a potential for great evil as well as great good in all of us. This is a profound movie, and a profoundly disquieting one. It does not substitute facile attitudinizing for intelligence and integrity. It demands that we push the limits of our vision beyond the borders of the screen masking in the theatre. It would be a sorrow and a pity not to see it…and think about its implications for all of us.
    8politfilm

    Film banned in France for more than ten years because it showed the extent of the collaboration and the burden of historical responsibility

    This two-part documentary analyzes the occupation of France in World War II through the example of a city with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The spirit of the time is quite well conveyed with the use of archive materials, as well as interviews with members of the resistance movement, collaborators with the occupying forces, and German soldiers who participated in the occupation. Everyone is given the space to express their views and explain the logic that guided them during the war. A side of French history, today mostly hidden, is presented: dark and shameful collaboration, but also the heroic resistance to the occupation - all this in the context of a true civilizational tragedy. The film has been banned in France for more than ten years (it wasn't aired on TV until 1981), supposedly because it was too one-sided, but in fact because it showed the extent of the collaboration and the burden of historical responsibility for the committed crimes - a history that was rushed to be forgotten, in order not to disturb the post-war social consensus and the re-established status quo.
    10Krustallos

    Still So Relevant Today

    I've just seen this at the National Film Theatre.

    I concur with most of the comments from the other users. Certainly Ophuls' directorial hand is evident throughout, the editing, cutting, juxtaposition, reaction shots etc are all part of the construction of his argument, although his interviewees are obviously allowed to account for themselves at some length.

    What I found most surprising was the amount of humour in the film. Because of Woody Allen's use of it in "Annie Hall" I thought it would be gruelling, but there were a number of laugh out loud moments, starting with the resistance leader whose main stated reason for fighting the Germans was that they were monopolising the best meat.

    Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie was also a total star. His comment about the sociological make-up of the Resistance - essentially misfits and malcontents, people with nothing to lose - was very telling. A number of other interviewees made similar points - the main collaborators were the bourgeoisie - the resistance was mainly based on workers, peasants, communists, youth and weirdos of various sorts. Compare that with the sitation in the '60s when the film was made and with the situation now in the western democracies.

    Anthony Eden was another major surprise. The popular image of him now is of a buffoon, the man who screwed up Suez, but in the extended interview here he displays immense charisma, intelligence and humanity. And if they make a film of his life Jeremy Irons is a shoo-in for the role.

    The Nazis, meanwhile, are clearly cut from the same cloth as the neo-fascists presently enjoying something of a resurgence in most of Europe. All the same arguments made in exactly the same way by the same sort of people. This (plus the smugness of the former Wehrmacht officer still wearing his medals) was probably the most chilling thing about the film.

    The final obvious resonance is with Iraq. From the German soldiers baffled and outraged by the fact that some French were trying to kill them, to the French establishment referring to the Resistance as terrorists, (yes that was the exact word they used), to the initial acceptance of the Occupation turning to hatred as reprisals against the Resistance grew, many testimonies throw a radically new light on the present situation. To draw direct parallels would be a mistake - even the Gaullists were not as reactionary as Zarqawi or Muqtada al Sadr - but nonetheless there is a lot to learn from then about now, and about the difference between how events are perceived at the time and by History.

    Another user comment complains about the amount of politics in the film. It's true that some knowledge is presupposed and the film would obviously mean more to those who lived through those times. However Ophuls has said that one of his main motivations was to show that the idea that you can divorce politics from everyday life is exactly what made collaboration possible.

    These are just a few of the thoughts provoked by the film, which holds many more insights and surprises and I am sure repays as many viewings as Alvy Singer gave it. It's perhaps not as shocking or affecting as "Shoah" (on which it's surely the strongest influence) but then it's a different story. It shows us the best of humanity as well as the worst and neither are always where you might expect to find them.

    Incidentally, it looks like the reportedly poor quality of the DVD may be down to the original film stock rather than the transfer.
    10Mrs.Mike

    Stunning, enlightening and unforgettable!

    If you are a movie buff, you have probably gotten the impression from the bulk of movies about WWII that the French populace as a whole fought bravely to resist the Nazi Occupation. "The Sorrow and the Pity" makes it clear that such was not the case. This stunning documentary includes interviews from people from all shades of the spectrum politically, philosophically and socially. The interviewers did a great job of coaxing the truth from these people by being friendly rather than confrontational. Some of the most amazing footage is from German newsreels, with the ghastly "pure race" prejudices being illustrated with a very sarcastic commentary on some of the French prisoners of war. I think that every high school student in The United States should see this film so that they understand that you can't always just " go along to get long". Of course, with the average high school student's attention span, it would have to be shown in shorter installments. This film is completely worthwhile and never boring!
    10zundays

    masterpiece

    A masterpiece in the genre of the documentary. This is a long movie. You've got to have time on your hands, and a little bit of patience to allow Ophüls to unravel all the strands of the French attitude under German occupation. But the journey is worth every minute of your time.

    Focusing on the town of Clermont-Ferrand, Ophüls tries to understand what it was to live with German soldiers in your town, an optimistic and collaborating government, an exiled general urging you to resist and underground organizations who used terrorism as their only weapon. Ophüls does not multiply the number of interviewees. He chooses about 15 of them and interviews them long enough that you understand their comments within the context of their personality and outlook. But the most surprising is the variety among the interviewees: a very courageous farmer, a reckless British spy, a British minister, a self-sufficient German general, a doubting German soldier, a chauvinistic bourgeois, a young nobleman attracted by the Nazi theories, a young disillusioned nobleman-philosopher ready to sacrifice his life, a clear-sighted Jewish government representative, a naïve woman, a Communist, a nationalist. You'll be surprised to find out who is the most perceptive of the bunch

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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

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 14, 1971 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Switzerland
      • West Germany
    • Official site
      • BFI
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Le chagrin et la pitié
    • Filming locations
      • Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France(Main location)
    • 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
      • $13,082
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,224
      • Feb 26, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $13,082
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 4h 11m(251 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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