A French resistance fighter tells his story for this 1969 documentary. Still photo by Paul Goldfinger.
In 1969 filmmaker Marcel Ophuls made this remarkable documentary about a French town during the German occupation of WWII. It is 4 hours long and has to be seen in two doses.
It focuses on the French Resistance, the collaborative Vichy French Government, the Nazi occupiers, and French anti-semitism.
Serious students of that WWII era will find this documentary to be so remarkable that it will be forever quoted as the history of that era continues to be written. There are many interviews and film clips.
Pierre Mendes France, the former Prime Minister of France. He escaped from a Vichy jail and joined the DeGaulle government in exile. Paul Goldfinger still photograph from the documentary.
Free French soldiers being transported to London. Paul Goldfinger still photo. ©
To watch this film requires great patience and attention. It makes its main point that the French Vichy government did indeed collaborate with the Nazis and even participated in implementing the “final solution.”
The interviews with former resistance fighters are mesmerizing. These people could not form an army, but they could compromise the infrastructure of the occupiers.
A new streaming company called OVID is offering this movie. They have a one week trial period before paying for a subscription. The price is reasonable.
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