Review of Hôtel Terminus

"Klaus Barbie. Sometimes known as the Butcher of Lyons" is the quote I remember in the film Rat Race, obviously not the fashion doll Barbie that's made millions over the years haha. This is how I found out about Klaus Barbie, the focus in this French / German / English language film, that I found in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, directed by Marcel Ophüls (The Sorrow and the Pity). Narrated by Jeanne Moreau, basically this film deals with the life, career and trial of Nazi SS officer Klaus Barbie, known as the Butcher of Lyons, virtually all aspects of his life are covered. This includes Barbie's childhood and school life in Germany, his early experiences in the military and progressing career, his role in the head of intelligence in Lyons, his employment before World War II by the U.S. military, his life in Bolivia, his return to Europe, and his trial and conviction for his crimes against humanity. Interviewed throughout the film are friends, enemies, associates, heroes and traitors of Barbie. I will be honest and say that I could not fully keep up with who was who in the contributions, especially when it kept changing languages and subtitle translations, but most of what was being discussed was interesting enough, so it was an alright documentary. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Worth watching, in my opinion!