The Sorrow and the Pity Film by Marcel Ophuls - Movie Review Example

Running Head: The Sorrow and the Pity film by Marcel Ophuls The Sorrow and the Pity film by Marcel Ophuls [Course] The Sorrow and the Pity film by Marcel Ophuls Introduction The Sorrow and the pity is a documentary movie and is a master piece from the history. The movie is actually based on the evaluation of the most difficult era in the history of France. The Sorrow and the pity is a compelling movie and well-directed. It is also an important historic movie. The movie is directed by Marcel Ophuls, a son of one of the greatest German film director named Marcel Ophuls, whose inquiring and research based documentaries earned him international fame. The budget of the movie was estimated around $160,000 equivalent to that in the year 1972. The Sorrow and the pity documentary is based on view that during the World War II, France was the only state which collaborated and de Gaulle’s Free French in UK were in the awkward situation as government of France was not in a state of exile. The strongest point of the movie is that it shows reality and the idea was completely innovative to show the interviews of the people who actually were present at the time of such a chaos and destruction. The real stories are described in the film. The Sorrow and the Pity movie include the interviews of the French and German who played a major or minor part in the war. The idea behind the movie was to bring in front the truth about the collaboration of France with Nazis. The documentary, which is more than four hours long was shot in Clermont Ferrand, a town in France. Marcel Ophulus view about the movie is that those who have not undergone the pain, damage and grief of occupying power can never know how it feels so they have no right to judge a nation that endured the horrors and terror of the war. The fundamental point of the movie is the forbearance and complacent of the people under the control of another power in their state. The Sorrow and the Pity is one of the greatest documentary ever made. The film is based on the World War II, the destructions caused by the war and the people affected by the war. The movie was about the physical and social division of France. The Germans with their war weapons and machined easily conquered the France and it was not shown that it’s any of a big deal for the Nazi Germans to have a control over France. As shown in the movie the basic concern of the people under the war was to have food for them to eat. The movie has two parts. First part is about the conquest and collaboration of France and is called “The Collapse”. This part consists of the attack of Nazi Germans and the quick surrender of the French, whereas the second part is known as “The Choice” which inquires about the practical dilemma of power of resisting. This part was actually to reveal the truth about the resistance or cooperation of French with Nazi Germans. It also reveals the consequences of the Collaboration. The movie first stirred great controversy when it was released. The people of France were reluctant to admit that France was one of the many states who could actually collaborate with the victorious country, Germany. The French television was not willing to broadcast it and it stirred a huge controversy. So the movie was shown at the cinema where it emerged as a great success, (Holm, D. K 2005). The Sorrow and the pity movie is all about the life in France during the period of the World War II and the Nazi Occupation. It includes the interviews of the people who were involved directly or indirectly in this play. It is a daring step taken by the director to make an objective evaluation of the perplexing situation in the history of France. The documentary is close to reality which reflects the real life situation about what actually happened to the people who lived during the war and what difficulties they faced. The interviews were conducted from the Government officials, politicians, artists, farmers, veterans, forces and common people who could speak about the war and their effects on their lives and on the nation as a whole. The interviews were conducted from the diverse class of people (Miles 2004). The movie is about the people who were affected by the World War II. It includes interviews of the people who were directly involved in the war and they share their experiences. The movie shows that people are sincere in showing their emotions and the interviews conducted and shown in this movie are effective and free of any deceit. It has been shown in the movie that how the life of these people changed after the war and the adverse effects of the war on their personal lives. It is the story about the normal people who have seen war and lived in that horrible situation. Just after its release, the movie was controversial and people expressed their utter disapproval for the movie. It was remarked as unpatriotic movie. It was also seen as a direct attack on the state’s rule of General de Gaulle. The movie was also nominated for Academy award at the Oscars in the year 1972 (Travers, J. 2003). The movie is about the Nazi Germans Occupation of France during the World War II and the expressions and feelings of the people who lived the most difficult part of their lives during that period. The interviews of people were in contradiction of each other which not only revealed the story of the Occupied France but also the other side of the state where the nation was divided among them. The story was unveiled about the propaganda by the Nazi Germans. The movie had a great controversy when it first came out. It was admired as well as criticized. The outcome of the movie was that how the common people proved themselves extra ordinary in the exceptional situations. The viewers of this movie are constantly reminded of what they have done if they have faced such a situation and that makes the movie thrilling. This controversial movie gave people the courage to face the situation and constantly fight for your survival. Myth The documentary movie was exceptional and worth noticed. It was praised as well as criticized. The Sorrow and the Pity incited the nation’s first enduring defiance with the Second World War. The movie has an influence to rouse passionate feelings being the strongest element in removing the French myth that prevailed in France since the Gaulle’s triumphant march from Paris in the year 1944. De Gaulle was the leader of the free France and afterwards elected as a President. Except some, France was always united and refused to comply in every part or respect of the war and was busy with its own liberation and defeating Nazi Germany. This myth played an important role in reconstruction of France after war because it made possible for the state to proceed with the achievements they accomplished and closely associated them as a nation and not to think about the disgraceful things that separated them. France was presented as the state split into parts and then it was strongly suggested that lack of action was kind of submissive cooperation with the enemy made the film counter myth to the Gaullist myth. So it became controversial (Wolf, J.B) The documentary movie was directed in a way that every person watching the movie could feel himself to be placed at the position of that person who was in any way affected by the War. The interviews of the ordinary people who were the victims of the war were shown and their personal views about the destructions of the war. A person watching the movie feels himself to be near of the person giving the interview. It is about how common people reacted to and lived in the situation regarded as the most difficult in the world. Person starts thinking about what they have done and how they have reacted in a particular situation. It is an excellent job performed by the director of the movie who directed it in such a way that person feels himself close to the situation. The director of the movie tried and given his best in showing the courage and bravery of the people who were living there at a wartime specially the French nation which was under the Occupation of German Nazi (Moyn, S. 2005) The movie was at a time liberating and fearful. At one side it provided an opportunity to the nation to have a reflection on the past and the monuments and on the other side it reminded of a divided France. It was painful for them to think of their past and they neither desired for their children to remember it. The movie disclosed the knowledge about the war and the weapon used in the painful war the people of France had with the past. (NY Times 2009) The movie ends with concert of a famous singer Maurice Chevalier who performed in the Nazi Germany and he asserts that his concert was not for German Army but it was for the French prisoners of the World War II. This type of end shows that how the nation of the France feels and their emotions regarding the Occupation of the German troops in France. Another important point is that the people involved in the movie still could not forget the destruction which happened about thirty years ago and such a great historic destructive incident could not be forgotten so easily. People could not just let go such turmoil and it still make them feel the lost they had come up with years before. It is not so easy to forget the difficult part of your life and the problems you have faced in your lives. The memories last forever and even transfers to the next generation. (Rowell, C. 2005). It took more than 2 years to the director to collect and arrange the data to make a 50 hours documentary. He talked to the people of different status and most of them were completely unknown to him and the others were the famous figures. It is not an easy task to interview common people and interview them about the worst part of their life which caused huge pain. So it is an achievement in itself by the director of this movie to be successful in making it possible to let the common people listen to the views of the common people about the historic destruction. If anyone has a curiosity about the World War II or concern for people then will love to watch the movie. References Holm, D. K (2005) The Sorrow and the Pity (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/s/sorrowandthepity.shtml Miles (2004) “The Sorrow and the pity: Chronicle of a French City under the Occupation” (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http://www.milestonefilms.com/pdf/SorrowPity.pdf Moyn, S. (2005) “A Holocaust Controversy: Treblinka affair in postwar France” Published by UPNE (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http://books.google.com/books?id=c46Dr-ntolIC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=the+sorrow+and+the+pity+controversy&source=bl&ots=4MIMAnWOzc&sig=R7Sm2swxzTLvC_WxzcHyVz6lEJw&hl=en&ei=20jsSdimIs-GkQW43MCqCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9the NY Times (2009) “Le Chagrin et la pitie” (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/45714/Le-Chagrin-et-la-Pitie/details Rowell, C (2005) “The Sorrow and the Pity” Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http://www.milestonefilms.com/pdf/SorrowPity.pdf Travers, J (2003) “Le Chagrin et la pitie” (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_Le_Chagrin_et_la_pitie_rev.html Video Online (2009) (Retrieved April 20, 2009) (Retrieved April 20, 2009) from Trailer/1324888?autoplay=true&partnerid=OVG video.tvguide.com/The+Sorrow+And+The+Pity/The+Sorrow+And+The+Pity++Original+Trailer/1324888 - 63k Read More