Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (1988)

Directed by

Marcel Ophuls

Genre

documentary film

Country

Germany, France, United States

Runtime

4h 27m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 39 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary traces the life of Klaus Barbie, a Nazi war criminal who served with the Gestapo in Lyon. It covers his early years, his time as a torturer, and the decades he spent in hiding before being brought to trial in France.

informativesobermethodicaldetailedsomberhistoricalthought-provokingunflinching

What happens

Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (French: Hôtel Terminus: Klaus Barbie, sa vie et son temps) is a 1988 American documentary film by Marcel Ophuls about the life of Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie. The film covers Barbie's relatively innocent childhood, his time with the Gestapo in Lyon (where he apparently excelled at torture), through to the forty years between the end of World War II and his eventual deportation from Bolivia to stand trial for crimes against humanity in France. The film explores a number of themes, including the nature of evil and the diffusion of responsibility in hierarchical situations. The film won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, as well as the FIPRESCI Award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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