The Eye of Vichy (1993)

French New Wave founder Claude Chabrol (Merci Pour Le Chocolat, La Cérémonie) creates a masterful look at the Nazis' media manipulation, which is as engrossing as any of his thrillers. Chabrol assembles a brilliant compilation of long forgotten film footage and newsreels produced by the Nazis and French collaborators during World War Two.

Written by Jean-Pierre Azema and Robert Paxton and narrated by Joe Cox (Manhunter; The Ring), The Eye of Vichy focuses on the small town of the same name in central France where Field Marshall Petain's puppet government worked with their Nazi overlords to create pro-Nazi propaganda. Seeking to turn the tide of public emotion against both the Allied Forces and the Jews, these collaborators skillfully produced a strange alternative history of the war years that is both shocking and grimly fascinating. Product Description

Collaboration Ground Zero.

This is an infinitely watchable, very well done documentary about the mystery that was Vichy France. It's a perfect companion to Ophul's The Sorrow and the Pity. There really is not a central narrative here as they let the films speak for themselves. They really do tell one just about everything they need to know about the weird mix of fascism and bureaucracy that was Vichy. Occasionally, the director provides a little voiceover clarification but basically the propagandistic era reveals itself to viewers slowly. Overall, there is some absolutely outstanding stuff here and it is valuable primary source material. I just read a biography of Petain but I have to say I never realized how depressed and despondent his speeches were from that the era. It is funny to see what sort of thing passed for political inspiration back in those days because Petain basically spent most of his time putting down his fellow citizens in these clips. July 25, 2007

Wonderful Documentary

This is the kind of documentary I like... it lets you see the people of the time and hear in their own words their motivations and justifications. There are so few books and movies on the Vichy regime that this one stands out even more. January 6, 2007

Vichy France - Nationalist Socialist wanna be

This film is a collection of short clips (taken from newsreels, propaganda films, and mainstream movies) made by/for/about the Vichy government from 1940 until the liberation of Paris in 1944. This is a modern (1993) attempt to paint a picture of the Vichy government that they may have painted of themselves. I found this to be a fascinating window into how the Vichy government viewed themselves. The style of the film is, in many ways, similar to `Triumph of the Will'. There are fiery speechs about duty, honor, hard work, basic/traditional values, sacrifice, etc. There is clearly some effort to create a personality cult around Petain as well. An effort was apparently made to place Petain above petty political machinations of individual parties (i.e. he was above partisan politics and only represents France's interests). Complex issues of the day are framed very simply, with an `us-versus-them' dogma. Many of the clips are blatant racist, anti-Semitic propaganda (i.e. during discussion of the `Jewish Question' there is video of rats coming out of a sewer). There is also a great emphasis on the energy of the youth, how they will be the saviors of the future. One thing I found particularly interesting about this film was the repeated line of argument taken by Petain and the other Vichy functionnaires that France will suffer less pain by siding with Germany than against, so France should work with them. Finally, I found it interesting how, as the war progressed, the justifications of the Vichy regime to support Germany became progressively more ridiculous.

The place in history for the Vichy regime is still a hotly disputed subject several generations after the war. This film certainly does not explore many of the moral ambiguities of the Vichy era, it paints the Vichyites simply as Nazis. I give it four stars simply because it is a propaganda film and there is only so much to be learned from this type of film. I am not an expert on the Vichy era, but this film left me with more questions than answers (perhaps this was the point of the film?). The film itself is fast paced and the various clips are seamless woven together. There is some English commentary, but most of the discussion is French with English subtitles. Overall, a good inside into Vichy France and highly recommended for anyone interested in WWII or French History in general. Finally, if you are looking for a good (French) film that actually explores some of the complexities of the occupation check out the film `Uranus'. December 29, 2006

Insight into fascist politics.

Anyone interested in the history and development of fascist and national socialism should watch this film. It presents various aspects of the fascist ideology on class, culture, "nation," and of course shows the prevasive anti-Semitism, anti-Bolshevism and racism of fascism.
The Vichy fascists used anti-communism and anti-Semitism to play upon the fears of its middle class supporters in order to consolidate its position. It viewed its nation-selling to the Germans as a "holy war" against Jews, America and communism.
Also presented in this film is the politics of the radical right-wing fascist politician Jacques Doriot, the role of the French LVF "volunteers" in the axis front lines against the Red Army, and the campaigns encouraging youth to "volunteer" to work in the Nazis munitions factories. The patriotic partisans are portrayed as traitorous "terrorists" against the conservative Vichy government. July 26, 2004

A nation without shame

Admittedly this film is propaganda produced during an occupation by fascist Germany, but it is very educational in explaining why more Americans were probably killed by the French during WWII than were saved by them. But this film shows us what the Vichy government was producing in the way of propaganda, not what the Germans made them do. Including the Northern Africa campaign of serious battles where Allied forces were attacked by French military loyal to Petain's Vichy government, as well as the millions of Frenchmen who assisted the Nazi war machine in their munitions factories, there is no question that the French were more the enemy of the Allies than they would ever be willing to admit today. For anyone who thinks that French diplomatic treachery is a new phenomenon in the war against Islamofascism, they should see this film. No wonder Chabrol was widely condemned in France for shining the light on this ugly chapter in French history. It is something any nation should be ashamed of. But unfortunately they have learned nothing from their ignominy as well documented by their own propagandists. Hollywood did a great job of fooling the world into thinking that the "Free French" were in the majority fighting German occupation, but in fact the vast majority supported Petain and his fellow collaborators until the tide was turning in favor of the Allies. But what's new? If you are interested in this subject Robert Paxton's book "Vichy France" is even more of an eye opener. June 28, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...