Marcel Ophuls, who chronicled 20th-century conflict & atrocities, has died at 97. Known for 4+ hour documentaries like The Sorrow and The Pity & Hôtel Terminus, he believed "there's a relationship between attention span & morality."
Marcel Ophuls, a foundational documentarian, somewhat influenced my own work, as in, "Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero", an anti-war film that has won over 60 international awards. Ironically, it’s only 28 minutes long.
The impact, as I experienced it in the theater with an audience, was nothing short of stunning.
At the point the film reached what was to seem like a natural ending, and the audience erupted into applause. But then came the second ending—a scrolling list of "all wars on Earth", culminating with the Ukraine war, which I labeled 'Putin’s Foll' (This film also played in Kyiv...and unbelievably, in Moscow). When it concluded, the American theater, in August of 2022, fell into a profound silence. Which was intended as the sheer scale of human conflict, with no end in sight, is absolutely staggering.
Ophuls’ films, The Sorrow and The Pity and Hôtel Terminus, focused on the human cost of war and conflict. His lengthy documentaries demanded our attention, presenting uncomfortable truths — a similar aim to my own film, which uses poetic imagery (and an actual poem) juxtaposed with the brutality of war to create emotional intensity in a compressed time frame.
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While Ophuls relied on long-form storytelling to convey the complexities of war, I used a more condensed, poetic approach to achieve the same visceral impact. Both demand full attention from the audience to truly grasp the weight of the issues presented, and we, as filmmakers, share the responsibility to challenge the public conscience.
Marcel Ophuls’ legacy reminds us that the power of film lies not just in the stories we tell, but in the way we compel our audiences to reflect, to feel, and ultimately to confront uncomfortable truths. As I continue to explore the human cost of war through my own work, I’m reminded of the responsibility we carry as filmmakers: to create something that demands attention, that lingers long after the credits roll.
"Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie" is available on multiple streaming services. You can watch it on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Apple TV+. It is also available for purchase or rent on Amazon.com.
The silence that followed the final moments of Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero speaks to the weight of that responsibility—a silence that speaks louder than any applause ever could. We may not have Ophuls' four-hour runtime, but the message we share is the same: war’s consequences are too heavy to ignore, and it's our duty to make sure the world never forgets.
Watch Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero and reflect on the silence that demands action.
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