Movies

Marcel Ophuls, L.A.-raised documentarian and Oscar winner, dies

BBG News

Famous documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls, who escaped Nazi Germany with his family as a child and later built his career in cinema in Los Angeles, where he faced both acclaim and criticism, passed away on Saturday in France, his adopted homeland. He was 97 years old.

I’ve recently learned of the passing that was initially shared by news outlets, which has now been officially confirmed by my family. My beloved wife, Regine, our three daughters, and three grandchildren are the ones who will continue to carry on my legacy in this world.

1969 marked the creation of “The Sorrow and the Pity,” a powerful four-hour film by the director, which significantly boosted his recognition. Originally conceived for a state-owned French television network, this masterpiece was eventually prohibited from airing on TV for quite some time. The reason for its ban was its unsparing critique (which the director himself referred to as an “explosion”) of the widespread myth that France played a heroic role in the war. This romanticized narrative conveniently overlooked the collaboration between Vichy and German occupiers, a less savory but historically accurate aspect of the conflict.

1927 saw the birth of Marcel Ophuls in Frankfurt, Germany. He was the child of film director Max Ophüls (who later omitted the umlaut from his surname) and Hildegard Wall, a notable theater actor. When the Nazis seized power in 1933, the Ophuls family fled Germany for Paris. As France surrendered, they relocated to Los Angeles in November 1941, where Max Ophuls would eventually establish a successful filmmaking career (“Letter from an Unknown Woman”).

For a young Marcel, who was both French-American and German-Jewish, proficient in three languages, and had lived in two countries, the character and scenery of Southern California presented a unique and occasionally disconcerting journey.

After completing his education at Hollywood High School, he was conscripted into the U.S. Army and subsequently attended Occidental College in Eagle Rock. However, even amidst this transition, he found it challenging to adapt, as he expressed during a 1981 interview with writer Studs Terkel. As a refugee, he was taken aback by the prejudice he witnessed towards people of color in the ethnically divided communities of Los Angeles following Pearl Harbor.

In his own words, he mentioned that while he was making films, a humbling reminder came from reflecting on the Japanese children who were once his classmates, only to disappear suddenly.

Initially, Max had trouble securing jobs in Hollywood, but Marcel always felt that fate was guiding him towards a profession in the movie world. As he shared in his 2013 documentary autobiography “Ain’t Misbehavin”, he started off as an actor, humorously portraying a member of the Hitler Youth in Frank Capra’s 1942 film “Prelude to War,” produced by the War Department.

Eventually, Ophuls traveled to France with his father in the year 1950, and later shifted focus towards creating documentaries for French television, having initially dabbled in fictional filmmaking.

In a straightforward manner, he admitted in 2004 during his time in London, “My second movie wasn’t successful, and honestly, it was a poor quality film that truly didn’t deserve to be successful.

In interviews for numerous movies, he frequently employed a self-deprecating style of humor, subtly laced with irony. This was particularly noticeable when he interviewed former Nazis and collaborators. At times, his tone conveyed contempt, sarcasm or sincere empathy towards the subjects who had suffered at the hands of the Gestapo or Vichy regime’s secret police.

1989 saw Ophuls being honored with an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, thanks to “Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie.” This film portrayed the atrocities committed by the wartime head of the Gestapo in Lyon. Despite French attempts to prosecute him, Barbie managed to elude justice with assistance from U.S. Army intelligence, living freely in South America until 1983 when he was extradited from Bolivia to France. He passed away in prison in 1991.

As a passionate cinephile, I can’t help but acknowledge the multifaceted genius of Marcel Ophuls. Beyond his renowned works, he also crafted documentaries that left an indelible mark on me. For instance, in 1976, he presented “The Memory of Justice,” a poignant exploration of the enduring impact of the Nuremberg trials. Fast forward to 1972, he delved into the complexities of Northern Ireland with “A Sense of Loss.” These masterpieces are etched in my memory as testaments to his profound ability to tackle historical and societal issues with sensitivity and depth.

Regarding his well-known self-assuredness in the presence of challenging figures, an example is an interview he had with Albert Speer, who was Hitler’s chief architect and minister of armaments. Typically, Ophuls demonstrated straightforwardness and humility in this encounter.

He praised Speer, saying he was incredibly helpful. He went as far as suggesting a viewing of his personal home videos, which to me felt like an expected part of the task at hand.

Read More

2025-05-30 03:01

Previous post Brent Oil Forecast
Next post Perfectly recreated FI cars gliding around perfect recreations of F1 tracks…AND Brad Pitt? Now that’s what I call a formula for success!