The Sorrow and the Pity
From Wed 19 to Sun 23 NovMarcel Ophüls four-hour portrait of the French town of Clermont-Ferrand under German occupation from 1940-44 is one of the greatest films ever made, as important as Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah as an essential historical record in its own right.
Director Marcel Ophüls, who passed away earlier this year, interviewed the residents of Clermont-Ferrand who remembered the occupation, as well as government officials, writers, farmers, artists, and German veterans. Here, in their own words, is the story of how ordinary citizens and leaders alike behaved under military siege. Originally refused by French TV, the film garnered international success and acclaim – including an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary – while shattering the myth of an undivided and universally resistant France under the Vichy government. A triumph of documentary filmmaking, The Sorrow and the Pity remains gripping, appalling, and exhilarating for its unflinching and complex view of humanity.
Double bill
The Sorrow and the Pity will be shown in two parts, as intended by Marcel Ophüls, with a break between parts. There will be a 40% discount for people who buy tickets to both parts.