Night And Fog

Star Review

Called the "greatest film of all time" by director Francois Truffaut, the documentary Night and Fog by Alain Resnais shows the holocaust tragedy in all its horror. Though only thirty minutes in length, the film is devastating in its impact, so approach with caution. Night and Fog refers to the arrival of prisoners in Auschwitz under the cover of darkness and also the ultimate failure of the Nazis at Nuremberg to take responsibility for it. Written by Jean Cayrol, a holocaust survivor, and poetically narrated by Michel Bouquet, its gruesome images seem like a surreal nightmare.

The film opens in 1955 with an image of a barren field of grass with lush romantic music in the background. The scene then abruptly shifts to wartime. We are in Auschwitz and the prisoners are arriving. We are shown scenes shot after liberation that are so shocking that they have never been made public outside of this film. Resnais does not spare us: the hair shaved off the heads of women piled high on the floor, bodies -- men -women - children -- are tossed in a garbage pit like so much rubbish, their fat used to make soap. The film only lasts a short time, but the images remain indelible. Unwillingness to acknowledge responsibility is depicted in brief scenes of the Nuremberg Trials. As we witness the conscious distortion of the past still going on today, we are left numb.

Howard Schumann on 18th November 2004

View all 113 of Howard Schumann’s reviews

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Film Description

Aka Nuit et Brouillard. Resnais' profoundly disturbing evocation of the Holocaust commissioned by the French Committee for the History of the Second World War. It's a combination of footage shot by Allied troops as they liberated the camps and colour footage of a 1950s tour of the ruins of Auschwitz. This is the film that all 5 French TV channels transmitted simultaneously following a series of attacks on Jewish cemeteries in May 1990. Images beyond words.

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Hailed by Francois Truffaut as 'the greatest film ever made', Alain Resnais' remarkable Night and Fog stands as the definitive documentary on the Holocaust, its overwh... more >

Hailed by Francois Truffaut as 'the greatest film ever made', Alain Resnais' remarkable Night and Fog stands as the definitive documentary on the Holocaust, its overwhelming power and effectiveness remaining unsurpassed to this day. As both a superior piece of cinema and a damning indictment of man's capacity for inhumanity, it is a landmark film that demands to be seen.

At once outstanding, heart breaking, thought provoking and unsettling, Night and Fog is an unforgettable documentary that has had a profound influence on all the films that have since addressed the subject of the Holocaust, from 'Shoah' to 'Schindler's List' and 'The Piano'. It is a film that everyone should witness.

Night and Fog is being released on DVD for the first time in the UK on 24th January 2005 through Nouveaux Pictures. The release will coincide with the UK's National Holocaust Memorial Day, on Thursday, 27th January 2005, marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi extermination camp.
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View all 349 of Barry Forshaw’s reviews

Forget Schindler: this is shocking stuff, and makes a mockery of those bizarre people who wish to deny the Holocaust.
The camera never lies, so they say, and this ... more >

Forget Schindler: this is shocking stuff, and makes a mockery of those bizarre people who wish to deny the Holocaust.
The camera never lies, so they say, and this short documentary will make you wish that wasn’t true. Simply told, this documentary begins by journeying back to Auschwitz in 1955 to see the place deserted and quiet. With the killing over, it recounts the events which took place there a decade before, using real footage.
If this idea horrifies you, then you should watch it: it was a horrifying event, and this film will remind you of just how brutal people are to one another. This film is as important today as it was in 1955. Don’t expect it to cheer you up. < less

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