Living under Pétain: The Divided Memory of Vichy - Gestapo - History Documentary - AT

Oct 30, 2024 | When the people of Vichy recount the memory of the ephemeral capital of the "French State" from 1940 to 1944, the unsuspected force of the Pétain myth is revealed.

The new "French State" was born on July 10, 1940, in Vichy, in the Grand Casino theater. In a few days, the Hôtel du Parc, the Majestic, the Portugal, luxury establishments typical of pre-war Vichy, became the headquarters of a regime to which the small spa town would give its name. The terms of collaboration with the Nazi regime had been established as early as June. The hotels became ministries and parliamentary residences, before the Gestapo and its auxiliary, the Milice, set up their dungeons in Portugal and the Petit Casino.

On site, the filmmakers met men and women who, in their youth, were able to watch this sticky little world of the "National Revolution" live. Two of these witnesses, because they were Jewish, lived there as outlaws; one joined the resistance, another was among Laval's lawyers at his trial, a fifth was the daughter of a parliamentarian of the regime. Through their words, it is the history of collaboration and resistance that is written, with its ambiguities and its commitments.

Walks, greetings, hugs from chubby children… Pétain remains in the memory of many Vichy residents as a father and this documentary reveals the unsuspected strength of his myth in French memories. Remembering Vichy is mixing dreams, nightmares and reality, in the same way that Last Year at Marienbad, by Alain Resnais, makes us lose our footing in the troubled waters of memory. With this past that seems to await us in the peaceful alleys of the city, Bertrand de Solliers brings out the palpable unease caused by the era.

Last year in Vichy
Directors: Bertrand de Solliers, Paule Muxel
Producers: JULIANTO, ARTE FRANCE
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An Islamic History of Europe: التاريخ الإسلامي في أوروبا
This series of twelve BBC videos are well worth watching. Bear in mind, however, that much appears to have been whitewashed. There is no talk of dhimmitude; and in general a very rosy picture is painted. One could be forgiven for believing that this is the story of El Dorado! You decide on the accuracy of all that has been reported. Above all, enjoy!


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Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Muslims Ignore the Lessons of European History Only at Their Own Peril!
The recent furore over the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad is a wake-up call to the West. The West has been asleep for far too long, choosing to ignore the problems that the co-mingling of the secular with the intensely religious Islamic world will inevitably bring.

As abhorrent as these flag-burnings and cries for "Death to Denmark" and "Death to France" are, they should be welcomed for one simple reason: They show just how incompatible Islam is with a modern, secular society!

Europe needs to stop the insanity of allowing more and more Muslims in, and it needs to begin to think - think about the consequences of diluting a rich, historic culture with one secured firmly in the desert sands of Arabia.

But it needs to stop further immigration for a number of other reasons, too. Naturally, one of the most important of these is that Muslims, convinced of their own superiority, have no intention of assimilating.

This, of course, is bad news! Bad news not only for the Europeans; but also bad news for Muslims! Why? For one simple reason: Europe has a history of 'dealing' with ethnic groups which are seen as a threat. The last people seen as a threat were the Jews. We are all familiar with the story of the tragic and horrendous suffering of that people at the hands of the Nazis, an end which was the Holocaust!

My greatest fear is that Muslims could suffer the same fate as the Jews by pushing the Europeans too far, by insisting that Europeans change their way of life too much, change their way of life to suit their archaic, restrictive and backward mores. The fact that history has a nasty habit of repeating itself is known to most of us. How abhorrent it would be if recent European history were to repeat itself in order to safeguard the freedom of individuals and safeguard the rights of man!

©Mark Alexander

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