Nicht schuldig? (1976)
66KNicht schuldig?: Directed by Marcel Ophüls. With Yehudi Menuhin, Noël Favrelières, Anthony Herbert, Edward Sowders. Explores the subject of atrocities during wartime, especially during World War II and the Vietnam War.
“Yesterday evening, Paris cinema Etoile, 23.00 : Two masters of documentary together. Accompanied by his friend of 40-years Frederick Wiseman (who insists on Ophülsu0026#39; talent for quality interviewing), Marcel Ophüls tells the public that u0026quot;the memory of justiceu0026quot; is his favorite own film and that it was a public disaster when it came out in 1976 in the USA… The public is still vibrant with the nearly five hours projection (although the version projected is a 10 years old TV recording in DVD – the only existing 16mm copy seems to be in Germany in 29 reels).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVery dense, tense and complex editing makes this film another fascinating film from the director. With wit and elegance, the film passes from one interview to another, focusing mainly on the lessons NUREMBERG trial left us, mainly through the point of vue of Telford Taylor (USA prosecutor at the trial) who as a character and in Marcel Ophülsu0026#39; own words appears as u0026quot;Mr Smith goes to Nurembergu0026quot; (he served also as historical adviser on the picture). Some Nazi talk to exonerate themselves, Albert Speer being the most controversial and in the same time most charismatic one. After having study NUREMBERG trial itself in the first part through archive images and long interviews of 1975u0026#39;s survivors of the facts, the film draws in the second part a parallel between Nazi atrocities, American exactions in Vietnam (contemporary to the shooting of the film) and French torture in Algeria…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA single review cannot contain all the complexity of the film but I was surprised no review had been written before. If you are lucky enough to see this title aired on TV in your country or projected nearby, please watch it or go to the cinema and bring young people with you in order to learn more together and start a discussion… (If I noted it 7 out of 10, it is because my personal impression of the film was that the second part lasted a bit too long and was a bit confusing in its first hour (third hour of projection))”
