The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) Part 2 Choice
Divided into two parts - The Collapse and The Choice - Marcel Ophuls's monumental documentary is not just an investigation into what occurred in France during the Nazi Occupation, but how the nation has elected to remember it. Probing the selective memory of his occasionally evasive witnesses (who range from heroes and survivors to traitors and oppressors), he uncovers contradictions among the half-truths, as well as provoking outbursts of bitter fury and expressions of genuine remorse, as topics such as collaboration and co-operation, resistance and indifference are painfully explored. The archive material may be manipulative, but it retains the power to chill and cast doubt (Radio Times 5-star review).
Part 2: Choice
Experiences and reminiscence of active particpants in the Maquis. Extended interview with Christian de la Mazière, who provides a counterpoint to Mendès-France. Whereas Mendès-France was a French Jewish political figure who joined the Resistance, de la Mazière, an aristocrat who embraced Fascism, was one of 7,000 French volunteers who fought with the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front.
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