Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie

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Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie

Directed by	Marcel Ophüls
Produced by	Marcel Ophüls
Written by	Marcel Ophüls
Starring	Klaus Barbie Claude Lanzmann Marcel Ophüls Jeanne Moreau (voice)
Release date(s)	October 6, 1988 6 April 1989
Running time	267 min
Country	France / USA
Language	French/English/German/Spanish
IMDb profile

Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (French language|French]]: Hôtel Terminus: Klaus Barbie, sa vie et son temps) is a 1988 documentary film directed 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. The film explores a number of themes, including the nature of evil and the diffusion of responsibility in hierarchical situations.

The film features interviews from both supporters and opponents of Barbie's trial, from journalists to former U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps agents to independent investigators of Nazi war crimes to Barbie's defense attorney. Much of the testimony presented is contradictory: for example, some interviewees allege that Barbie was brought to trial as a figurehead while others allege that he was allowed to go free for forty years as a result of the protection of various governments (including those of the United States and Bolivia), because Barbie knew secret agents and his trial could thus jeapordize various counterintelligence operations.

Nonetheless, within the course of the film, Barbie is brought to trial and sentenced to life in prison; near the end of the film, his defense attorney vows to appeal the decision.

The film won the 1988 Academy Award for Documentary Feature as well as the 1988 FIPRESCI Award at the Cannes Film Festival.