Is Paris Burning? (1966)

Set in 1944, the war is going badly for the Nazis. Adolph Hitler (Billy Frick) appoints a General (Gert Frobe) as the military governor of occupied Paris. His orders are to literally destroy the city of Paris rather than have the allies liberate it. Meanwhile as time runs out, the resistance movement places pressure on the allies to liberate Paris before it is destroyed. Based on the non fiction best seller by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (adapted for the screen by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola no less) and directed by Rene Clement (FORBIDDEN GAMES). It's a sprawling B&W epic shot in wide screen Panavision by Marcel Grignon (VICE AND VIRTUE) and an ensemble cast of French, German and American actors. At a three hour running time (including the Roadshow overture, intermission, entr'acte) unless the subject matter interests you, you might find it on the slow side. The occupation of Paris by the Germans has always interested me so I found it rather compelling instead of lethargic. Clement's semi documentary style is effective although the occasional appearance of a major Hollywood actor throws the movie out of whack. The massive cast includes Jean Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Jean Pierre Cassel, George Chakiris, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Yves Montand, Anthony Perkins, Michel Piccoli, Simone Signoret, Robert Stack, Jean Louis Trintignant, Orson Welles, Claude Dauphin, Daniel Gelin, Pierre Vaneck, Claude Rich, Marie Versini and Skip Ward.