Murder of a Hatmaker (Assassinat d’une Modiste)

Name: Murder of a Hatmaker (Assassinat d’une Modiste)
Director: Catherine Bernstein
Released: 2005

Catherine Bernstein 2005

Between her birth on July 2, 1901, and her deportation to Auschwitz on July 18, 1943, Odette Bernstein’s life left few traces except in administrative archives. This young, independent woman from a well-off family in Neuilly-sur-Seine was the filmmaker’s great aunt. Before World War II, she started her own hatmaking business and changed her name to Fanny Berger. Her business thrived near the Champs Elysées until the Vichy government’s anti-Jewish laws took hold. Forbidden from contacting clients or opening bank accounts, she wore the yellow star and tried to escape to the free zone but was caught and interned in Drancy camp. Her business was Aryanized and sold. By 1942, she had lost her home, business, and rights.

Add to Playlist

Add Bookmark

Bookmark List

Play Trailer

Running Time:

87 min.

Spoken Languages:

French

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Catherine Bernstein

Producers:

Catherine Bernstein, Dominique Pailler

Cinematographers:

Jérôme Colin

Editors:

Stefan Richter

Production Companies:

ADR Productions, IO Production

Press

Educational Media Reviews Online

The film is beautifully shot. The various locales associated with Fanny’s life make Fanny’s presence felt. Still, the film is anything but lachrymose. It sustains an almost documentary sobriety as it relates its painful story, and is all the more poignant for it.

Rebecca Adler Schiff

Festival Participation

NY Jewish Film Festival
“Les rendez-vous avec l’histoire” Film Festival in Blois France
“Les étonnants voyageurs” Film Festival in Saint-Malo – France

Additional Materials

Film Poster

Distribution Company

Back to Film Summary

This Week’s Featured Films

An investigative journalist uncovers the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet in the latest exposé from filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish)
The road to eliminating poverty begins with her
Israel's military service is questioned through the experiences of young Israelis struggling with enlistment pressures. Innocence uncovers the personal cost of conforming, with lost lives and haunting diaries illustrating the impact of military duty on young souls.
Fresh from their Nobel Prize win, mRNA pioneers race against time to develop new cures for cancer, HIV, and other deadly diseases, in this gripping documentary.
How did we come to this moment, where free speech issues have never felt more complicated and urgent, and where the nation is wondering a new: what price are we willing to pay for free speech?
Let us tell you a story about the boundary pushers who shape souls and give children strange dreams. The stars of STORY & PICTURES BY are picture book creators changing the narrative for the next generation, even when their own lives are not fairytales.
After speaking out on his torture, Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi faces arrest on his honeymoon, igniting a campaign to save him from extradition. The story follows his rescue led by Australian activists, pitting justice against political and royal pressures.
A political thriller that that goes inside the U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, revealing their power and influence on U.S. foreign policy, as they aim to fulfill the Armageddon prophecy and ultimately destroy our civilization
A one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress