Ten years after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, filmmaker Alain Resnais documented the abandoned grounds of Auschwitz. One of the first cinematic reflections on the horrors of the Holocaust, Night and Fog (Nuit et Brouillard) contrasts the stillness of the abandoned camps’ quiet, empty buildings with haunting wartime footage. With Night and Fog, Resnais investigates the cyclical nature of man’s violence toward man and presents the unsettling suggestion that such horrors could come again. Though only a short subject, this groundbreaking documentary remains one of the most influential and powerful explorations of the Holocaust ever made. Director Alain Resnais bluntly presents an indictment not only of the Nazis but of the world community, and the film is all the more remarkable for its harsh judgment considering the time in which it was made, less than a decade after the end of the war, when questions of responsibility were not yet being addressed. Juxtaposing archival clips from the concentration camps across Germany and Poland with the present-day denials of the camps’ existence, the film seeks to once and for all expose the horrifying truth of the Final Solution, as well as to address the continuing anti-Semitism and bigotry that existed long after the war’s end. An invaluable resource and testament to history, this film was a profound influence on all films to address issues of the Holocaust, from Judgment at Nuremberg and Shoah to Schindler’s List. Night and Fog remains an essential and indispensable document of the 20th century. –Robert Lane
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April 21, 2010
#1
I really wonder about all the people giving this film 5 stars and calling it beautiful art. Even though it was only 31 minutes, I stopped watching after 20. It shows dead, decapitated, and starved bodies in an unsettling, almost perverse way. Over and over again. It almost made me want to vomit. Elegant this film is not. I recommend the classic documentary on Hitler called Black Fox, which, despite the subject matter, is elegant in its presentation. This movie is more of a visual onlaught. It is not for children or anyone who wishes to have a pleasant day. It is not for anyone who wishes to learn about the Nazi concentration camps, as it presents no information about them. It is simply designed to shock, to exploit your emotions and human sensibilities through the gratuitous and repetitious display of carnage. I read that some teachers are actually forcing students to watch this perverse film. Why don’t they show videos of gang rapes to communicate the horrors of rape? Becuase some things that are designed to disturb are simply inappropriate and unnecessary. The Holocaust enthusiasts who are trying to force us to experience this particular historical event in all its gruesome detail are sadists trying to establish psychological masochism as a moral virtue. I dissent, and I will not punish myself by watching the remaining 11 corrupting minutes of this pure horror show.
April 21, 2010
#2
Brilliant, Searing Depiction of the Holocaust. Jews … GET OVER IT !!!! Highly Recommended !!!! 5 STARS !!!!!
April 21, 2010
#3
This is what Enhanced CD tried to do in SF’s Multimedia gulch three years ago. A great collection of short films and animation cleverly fused together into a cohesive unit. I still think about “Night and Fog” three days after watching it. If you have an interest in independent films, you will love this collection.
April 21, 2010
#4
This movie was eye catching. I have seen this movie twice and I enjoyed it each time. It is really sad what happens to the people in the movie.
April 21, 2010
#5
I’m doing my morning ‘web surfing after watching my new copy (part of it) of Short Cinema Journal 1:2 “Dreams.” So far I much prefer the third of the series, “Authority.” I’m only writing this because no one has reviewed it here yet.
Vol 1:3 has a good mix of subjects and approachs to their material. The menu system and extra features are sometimes tricky to utilize – I’m not sure if my first generation player is capable of getting to some of the information, but the main thing is that these are some fascinating, and sometimes fun short films worth seeing.
Buy it or rent it, but see this edition of SCJ!