The Sorrow And The Pity is an eminent documentary. We know this because Woody Allen takes Diane Keaton to see it in Annie Hall, revealing in this one masterstroke that his character is a selfish, intellectual, geeky cinephile, who is awkward with women, and paranoid about anti-Semitism.

Can one film reference really do all this? Yes, because The Sorrow And The Pity is a monster: a French, black and white, subtitled documentary about the Nazi occupation that's over four hours long.

It sounds worthy and boring, and frankly, it is. We can see why the film caused such a sensation in France, with its depressing tale of French capitulation, and some provocative insights.

But although the story is a fascinating one, the film consists almost entirely of talking heads, which means you spend most of the four hours simply reading subtitles.

If you're interested in Vichy France, get a book instead. At least you can have a cup of tea while you read it.

David Haviland, 19.05.04