Latest news with #German-Jewish
Canberra Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Canberra Times
Filmmaker who forced France to face its WWII past dies
Born in Frankfurt on November 1, 1927, Marcel Ophuls was the son of legendary German-Jewish filmmaker Max Ophuls and when Hitler came to power in 1933, the family fled Germany for France. In 1940, as Nazi troops approached Paris, they fled again — across the rugged Pyrenees into Spain, and on to the United States.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marcel Ophuls, Oscar-winning director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity', dies aged 97
Marcel Ophuls, the acclaimed French-German documentary filmmaker whose probing explorations of history and memory helped shaped the genre for decades, has died at the age of 97. His grandson, Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert, confirmed that he "died peacefully" on Saturday. Ophuls' life and career focus was shaped enormously by his own experience of war and exile. Born in Frankfurt in 1927 to German-Jewish parents - actor Hilde Wall and celebrated director Max Ophuls - he was just six years old when the family were forced to flee due to the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. They found temporary refuge in France, only to be forced away again in 1940 as German forces advanced across Europe. They escaped across the Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually reached the United States in December 1941. After finishing college in Los Angeles, Ophuls served in a U.S. Army theatrical unit in occupied Japan in 1946. In 1950, he returned to France and began his film career as an assistant to renowned directors Julien Duvivier and Anatole Litvak. After early forays into fiction, including the 1964 comedy-thriller hit Banana Peel starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ophuls turned to documentaries. Ophuls' most renowned work, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), was a groundbreaking documentary that questioned France's postwar narrative of noble resistance. Across four hours, the film focuses on the town of Clermont-Ferrand and pulls together a collection of interviews with Resistance fighters, collaborators, Nazi officers, and seemingly ordinary citizens to expose an uneasy truth: that complicity with the occupiers had permeated every level of French society, from local hairdressers to aristocrats. The blow to national self-image was so profound that French television banned the documentary for more than a decade, refusing to air it until 1981. While making pioneering waves in historical documentary circles, the film also left its mark on pop culture. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously uses the film as an unlikely first-date movie. Ophuls continued to tackle the shadows of the 20th century. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, a chilling investigation into the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon." In later years, he remained outspoken on political issues, turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2014, he began crowdfunding Unpleasant Truths, a documentary co-directed with Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan that sought to explore the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Initially conceived as a collaboration with French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard - who later withdrew but appears briefly in the film - the project was ultimately stalled by financial and legal complications and remains unfinished.
LeMonde
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Marcel Ophuls, director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity' and a reluctant master of documentary, has died
A whole world has come to an end with the death of Marcel Ophuls, the creator of the legendary Le Chagrin et la Pitié (The Sorrow and the Pity) – a documentary that, when it was released in 1969, blew the lid off the French cauldron of collaboration and antisemitism. This was a brilliant, cosmopolitan world, sparkling with culture and wit, whose roots lay in the Mitteleuropa of the 1930s, passed through the United States during World War II and ultimately ended in France – rich in days and in triumphs, yet haunted by suffering and struggle. Few can claim such a journey. The director died on Saturday, May 24, at his home in southwestern France at the age of 97, his grandson Andréas-Benjamin Seyfert announced. Ophuls was born on November 1, 1927, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the son of Max Ophuls, a prominent German-Jewish filmmaker, and actress Hilde Wall. Five years later, with Adolf Hitler's rise to power in January 1933, the family packed their bags and moved to France. Their stay there was short-lived, as the Nazis continued to pursue the Ophuls family even into France. In 1941, they fled again, this time across southwestern France, where, much later in life and estranged from nearly everyone, Marcel would buy a house in Lucq with a solitary view – a constant reminder of his childhood flight. Some events mark a man indelibly. The desperate flight of an intellectual family, suddenly outcasts, across Nazi-occupied Europe, was one such event for Ophuls.
Euronews
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Marcel Ophuls, director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity', dies aged 97
Marcel Ophuls, the acclaimed French-German documentary filmmaker whose probing explorations of history and memory helped shaped the genre for decades, has died at the age of 97. His grandson, Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert, confirmed that he "died peacefully" on Saturday. Ophuls' life and career focus was shaped enormously by his own experience of war and exile. Born in Frankfurt in 1927 to German-Jewish parents - actor Hilde Wall and celebrated director Max Ophuls - he was just six years old when the family were forced to flee due to the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. They found temporary refuge in France, only to be forced away again in 1940 as German forces advanced across Europe. They escaped across the Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually reached the United States in December 1941. After finishing college in Los Angeles, Ophuls served in a U.S. Army theatrical unit in occupied Japan in 1946. In 1950, he returned to France and began his film career as an assistant to renowned directors Julien Duvivier and Anatole Litvak. After early forays into fiction, including the 1964 comedy-thriller hit Banana Peel starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ophuls turned to documentaries. Ophuls' most renowned work, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), was a groundbreaking documentary that questioned France's postwar narrative of noble resistance. Across four hours, the film focuses on the town of Clermont-Ferrand and pulls together a collection of interviews with Resistance fighters, collaborators, Nazi officers, and seemingly ordinary citizens to expose an uneasy truth: that complicity with the occupiers had permeated every level of French society, from local hairdressers to aristocrats. The blow to national self-image was so profound that French television banned the documentary for more than a decade, refusing to air it until 1981. While making pioneering waves in historical documentary circles, the film also left its mark on pop culture. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously uses the film as an unlikely first-date movie. Ophuls continued to tackle the shadows of the 20th century. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, a chilling investigation into the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon." In later years, he remained outspoken on political issues, turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2014, he began crowdfunding Unpleasant Truths, a documentary co-directed with Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan that sought to explore the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Initially conceived as a collaboration with French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard - who later withdrew but appears briefly in the film - the project was ultimately stalled by financial and legal complications and remains unfinished. Anything you can think of, we bet it has a day dedicated to it. For example, today is —checks notes — National Blueberry Cheesecake Day and World Dracula Day. Indeed, most are dubious in origin and officialdom — but admittedly quite handy if you've been looking for an excuse to eat cheesecake in a cape. They're also a good excuse to share some themed suggestions, and although World Goth Day and International Museum Day have now passed, angsty art and zany curations live on forever. And speaking of zany — this week's Agenda is markedly so, with a UK cheese rolling contest taking place today, and Wes Anderson's new film The Phoenician Scheme beginning its own rollout across cinemas. Providing balance is the wistful photography of filmmaker Wim Wenders, and a rousing group exhibition in London that explores memory, belonging and place. But if you're just here to party, Lyon is calling with its umph umph umph annual electro takeover at Nuits Sonores. Unfortunately, we're not that cool — so will likely be watching And just Like That... while pretending it's World Eat A Large Pizza In Bed Day, or something. Lastly, if you're still debating seeing Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, check out our latest culture catch-up for critic David Mouriquand's thoughts.* (spoiler: He hated it.) Here are this week's highlights. Wim Wenders: Nearby and Far Away. Photography Where: Galerie Bastian (Berlin, Germany) When: Until 26 July 2025 The German filmmaker behind classics like Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders has always had an incredible ability to capture the echoing expanse of human dreams. Richly metaphorical and quietly revelatory, his films transform people and places into moving poetry. It's a quality that's visible in his photography, too. On display at Berlin's Galerie Bastian, his series of snapshots taken across China depict the sweeping shapes and static figures of distant landscapes. For fans of Wenders' work, it's a must-see — with a major retrospective of his photography set to follow at the Bundeskunsthalle in August 2025. Finding My Blue Sky (A group show curated by Dr Omar Kholeif) Where: Lisson Gallery (London, UK) When: 30 May – 26 July 2025 Ahead of London Gallery Weekend (6-8 June), the prestigious Lisson Gallery is bringing over 20 artists together for a major new multimedia group exhibition, which spans both its Bell Street and Lisson Street spaces. Those involved include British artist Lubaina Himid, Nigerian visual artist Otobong Nkanga, and Lebanese painter and sculptor, Huguette Caland. Together, they have created a diverse and emotive ode to London that explores personal entwinements with places — how we shape them, and they, in turn, shape us. Bonus head's up: British virtual band Gorillaz have announced a new immersive exhibition titled 'House of Kong', set to open in August in London. Tickets are available now and likely to sell fast — don't be left On Melancholy Hill! Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival Where: Cooper's Hill (Gloucestershire, UK) When: 26 May 2025 A whole day dedicated to cheese rolling? You'd feta believe it! Although the cheese of choice is actually a chunky wheel of Double Gloucester. This kooky annual event has been taking place since roughly 1826 — although the exact origins are murky and thought to date back even further. Hosted on Coopers Hill in the English county of Gloucestershire, participants must race to catch their cheeses — no easy feat when the wheels can reach speeds of up to 70mph. The first race begins at 12pm BST (1pm CEST), and to all those rolling with their homies: Gouda luck. Nuits Sonores 'Nights of Sound' Festival A post shared by Nuits sonores (@nuits_sonores) Where: Lyon, France When: 28 May - 1 June 2025 One of the biggest electro-music events in France, Nuits Sonores takes place across the vibrant city of Lyon for five days every year. From English trip hoppers Massive Attack, to American DJ Honey Dijon, to French electro duo Cassius and techno icon Jeff Mills — the line-up is well and truly stacked. Most of the major events will be held at Les Grandes Locos in the day, and La Sucrière at night, both former industrial spaces-turned cultural beacons. Grab your bucket hats and pour yourself a strong coffee — it's gonna be a late one. The Phoenician Scheme Where: UK cinemas When: 30 May (with a wider theatrical release 6 June) Fresh off the Cannes Film Festival circuit is Wes Anderson's latest confection, starring (as usual) an all-star ensemble that includes regulars Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Benedict Cumberbatch. Set in the 1950s, we follow suave businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) and his trainee nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as they try to secure investments for a fictional place called Phoenicia — all while dodging a band of eccentric tycoons. Lots of pastel, perfectly poised mischief ensues in this frenetic family adventure, which will either delight Anderson fans — or exhaust them. And Just Like That… (Season 3) Where: Sky and NOW When: 30 May 2025 As a new season of the Sex and the City spin-off returns, I couldn't help but wonder: Why? That's a lie, actually — cringeworthy as the show is, it's also frustratingly addictive. Continuing to follow the lives of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate their 50s alongside a host of new characters, it's got about as much substance as a Manolo Blahnik shoe. But fans know what they're in for here. And even if we're still reeling over that stupid season 2 ending in which Aidan asked Carrie to wait five years for him (as if!), the show's familiar template and superficial sheen encourage your brain to happily melt. Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful When: 30 May 2025 In the nearly 20 years since her breakout role as teen pop idol Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus has done everything to break free from her Disneyfication. Giant wrecking balls were straddled, and twerking routines performed. But through the struggle of growing up in the limelight, Miley emerged as an artist whose strength is in constantly evolving — and those powerhouse vocals. Following 'Endless Summer Vacation', from which 'Flowers' became Spotify's most-streamed song of 2023, she returns with her eighth output: 'Something Beautiful'. Inspired by Pink Floyd's groundbreaking concept album 'The Wall', Miley has also produced and directed a companion film, set to be released some time in June.
Scientific American
16-05-2025
- Health
- Scientific American
Loneliness Is Inflaming Our Bodies—And Our Politics
Hannah Arendt has been on my mind a lot lately. The 20th-century German-Jewish political philosopher escaped the Nazi Holocaust, and won regard as one of the world's greatest public intellectuals at a time when few women were appointed to university faculties. She drew on history, literature and her own life to identify the conditions under which open and liberal societies turn into authoritarian states. Seven decades ago she made observations that still offer powerful insights today. In The Origins of Totalitarianism,Arendtemphasized one primary factor in the rise of authoritarianism that has little obvious connection to politics: loneliness. While we usually think of loneliness as not having our social needs met, Arendt defined the word as something deeper. Loneliness happens when there are no shared objective facts and no potential collective action to solve shared challenges. It's a state of being where you can't trust others. Loneliness, in Arendt's telling, inflames the connective tissues of a society. It weakens the body politic so that demagogues and despots can prey. 'What prepares men for totalitarian domination,' she wrote, '… is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience.' Arendt—as far as I know—didn't use the word 'inflammation' to describe the effects of social isolation on a country or culture. But it's the metaphor that, to me, gets to the essence of her warning. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Inflammation is the body's response to a sense of threat—a protective, contractionary response that can extend even to the cellular level. It's a response that can inhibit healing. A community or society that faces a deficit of meaningful connectedness is similarly in a state of perpetual threat; people are unable to listen to one another, to trust each other, to maintain trust in shared institutions, or to collectively overcome divisions. This might sound familiar. From 2003 to 2022, face-to-face socializing among U.S. men fell by 30 percent. For teenagers, it was a staggering 45 percent. An estimated 12 percent of Americans report having no close friends, a fourfold increase since 1990. While social media was supposed to amplify human connection, the rise of comparison culture, social sorting into echo chambers and the rapid decline of in-person social connection have instead coincided with unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression and distrust. It should therefore come as no surprise that, in America, we're seeing democratic backsliding like Hannah Arendt warned of—including mass polarization, intentional disinformation and a politics of fear, retribution and rage. Loneliness inflames societies. It just so happens that loneliness inflames the body, too. Two decades ago, researchers Louise Hawkley and John Cacioppo at the University of Chicago demonstrated in a landmark study that loneliness acts as a chronic stressor that triggers the body's innate stress-response systems. Social isolation keeps the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a constant state of arousal, driving persistent cortisol release. This hormonal imbalance heightens inflammation. And this can, in turn, weaken the immune system, compromise cardiovascular health and worsen vulnerability to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. In short, the absence of meaningful social bonds can literally recalibrate the body's physiological mechanisms toward greater stress and illness. Over the past two decades, further studies have only reinforced the link between loneliness and inflammatory pathways. George Slavich of the University of California, Los Angeles, underscores that experiencing social disconnection can mimic physical threats in how our brains and immune systems respond—magnifying the release of inflammatory agents. From an evolutionary standpoint, sustained isolation disrupts our primal need for social integration—leading to inflammation and a whole host of downstream consequences. It's easy to downplay the loneliness problem. When former U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy warned of the dangers of social isolation and proposed solutions, no meaningful government interventions ensued. Likewise, when the U.K. government appointed a minister for loneliness in 2018, many likened the move to a Monty Python sketch rather than seeing it as a serious policy intervention. But the medical, social and even political costs of growing social isolation mean that we can no longer afford to ignore it. Some solutions are straightforward. Medical innovators are now addressing social isolation through practices like ' social prescribing '—wherein health professionals connect patients who are lonely with nonmedical community services, volunteer programs, exercise groups and arts activities to improve their well-being. Instead of writing prescriptions for pills, doctors can prescribe a free pass to a museum, an invitation to join a gardening club, or a support group for people facing similar struggles. A recent multiyear evaluation of nature-oriented social prescribing in the U.K. found that programs significantly helped participants reduce anxiety and improve happiness. Other solutions are more systemic. When Pete Buttigieg ran for president in 2020, he laid out an agenda for ' belonging and healing '—emphasizing new funding and policies around mental health and addiction as well as national service to rebuild community institutions and promote environmental restoration. Leaders should propose scaling up 'belonging infrastructure'—transit, green spaces, cultural venues, and mental health centers—while expanding purpose-driven national service programs like Americorps and investing in local journalism through public grants or tax incentives to restore trusted information sources and restore important foundations of community life. This should be a bipartisan cause. Conservatives and liberals alike have an opening to address the crisis by leveraging faith and veterans' groups–for example, granting tax incentives or small federal matches that could help churches, synagogues, and veterans' groups build mentoring initiatives, addiction recovery support and efforts to revitalize parks, libraries and civic spaces. There's also growing bipartisan recognition of the role of social media in the crisis. In tackling big tech's impact on youth, leaders across the ideological spectrum should push toward full algorithmic transparency, restrictions to exploitative design features, and mandates for robust digital well-being protections for children. Like inflammation in the body, social isolation weakens our civic 'immune system,' fueling polarization and making us more susceptible to authoritarian impulses. But Hannah Arendt emphasized that the condition is reversible. By investing in the foundations of shared belonging, we can restore our adapt to adapt to the challenges we face—from wildfires to pandemics to misinformation. It's time to get serious about our healing.
