Marcel Ophuls, the distinguished filmmaker whose courageous documentaries peeled back the layers of France’s World War II past, has died at 97. Celebrated for his Oscar-winning films, Ophuls devoted his life to unveiling uncomfortable realities and challenging collective amnesia. His work not only transformed documentary cinema but also provoked vital conversations about France’s wartime history, leaving a lasting imprint on cultural and historical discourse worldwide.

Ophuls’ signature approach combined rigorous archival investigation with deeply personal interviews, creating films that were as much emotional explorations as they were historical examinations. His documentaries demanded audiences confront arduous truths rather than seek comforting narratives. Among his most influential works are:

• The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) – a pioneering study of the complexities surrounding Vichy France’s collaboration with Nazi Germany
• Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (1988) – an Oscar-winning exposé on the notorious Nazi war criminal’s evasion of justice
• Recall to Memory (1992) – a probing look at Germany’s struggle to come to terms with its past