Russia (review)

story would be dishonest. No man is more, or less, important than another; each contributes to the complex mosaic. Just as the resistance fighter played out his role, so did the collaborator or the man who did nothing. To understand France in the Occupation, it is necessary to listen to all the varied tales. Ophuls is concerned with the moment of decision: the instant when people are faced with a moral choice. In France of 1 940, the decision, which may appear clear-cut in retrospect, was not simple for many Frenchmen. The social and cultural atmosphere of the time (a widespread anti-Semitism for example) determined how many people reacted. But it is the ambiguity ofhuman behavior that fascinates Ophuls; he seems more concerned with the people who did nothing rather than with those who took positive actions. A message that rings clearly throughout the film is that human behavior is not easily predicted, nor is it entirely logical. The resistance member cannot say precisely why he decided to fight, and he seems little different from another Frenchman who collaborated. For Ophuls, heroism appears in unlikely places at unexpected moments—bravery is not the prerogative of a single class and one can find the heroes and villains scattered almost at random throughout the population. Ophuls' film caused a sensation when it was released in 1970, for it implied very clearly that the comfortable myths ofFrench resistance to the Occupation were indeed myths; that in reality many Frenchmen stood by quietly while Jews and resistors were taken offby the Gestapo. The Sorrow and the Pity struck at the pride and conscience of an entire generation ofFrenchmen and caused the young to look upon their fathers with new eyes. It was promptly banned. It was shown throughout Europe however and after considerable pressure the French authorities relented and allowed the film to be screened. It drew record crowds in Paris and stimulated considerable interest in the period ofthe Occupation. Marcel Ophuls is a man committed to social change, an international figure who has lived in the United States and who now resides in West Germany having left France in anger when his film was banned. The Sorrow and the Pity was conceived during the Rebellion of 1968, when Ophuls worked for French television. During the briefbut exhilarating period ofcultural freedom Ophuls set to work on a film that would raise questions about war, collaboration with oppressive governments and the need for involvement in political affairs. The result was The Sorrow and the Pity and we must be grateful that Ophuls persevered in his project. The result ofhis labor is staggering, captivating and above all, disturbing. The relevance to America in 1972 is uncomfortable, for we are asked to consider the question ofcooperation with a government that might (or might not) violate our moral standards. It is a dilemma that the French faced in 1940 with ambiguous results but it remains a living question for citizens of every nation pretending to be democratic. Russia by Jack Mazelis, Rutgers University The use offilms to supplement and enrich history courses has recently been attracting increasing interest. Documentary films are especially useful. For example, the recent film The Sorrow and the Pity conveys the mood and situation of occupied France more vividly than most books could. 42 In teaching Russian and Soviet history, the instructor faces certain specific problems. Whereas, many ofthe students have at least a cursory knowledge ofthe Soviet Union, gleaned from newspapers and magazines, they are often completely unaware of Russian history before the twentieth century. An understanding of Soviet society is impossible without some grasp ofthe historical background, ofthe continuity between Russia before and after the revolution. Ignorance or lack of interest in earlier Russian history encourages oversimplifications and prejudices about Soviet society. A related problem concerns the frequent confusion displayed about the meaning ofthe terms Russia and the Soviet Union. Many do not realize that the Russian nationality is only one ofmany peoples in the Soviet Union, albeit the largest and dominant one. For these reasons, I welcome the appearance ofa new color documentary film, entitled Russia, filmed by an American, Theodore Holcome, and billed as the first "uncensored film...