Year: 1985
Director: Claude Lanzmann
Country: France
Language(s): English, German, Hebrew, Polish, French
There are many negative things one could say about The Holocaust, lasting from 1933-1945 it is one of the worst atrocities to happen in recent human history. Shocking because it was an incredibly organized mass genocide consisting of over 11 million deaths. There have been many films about this subject, ranging from Schindler's List to Night and Fog, but perhaps the greatest of these films is Shoah.
Claude Lanzmann directed this 9 1/2 hour documentary of the Holocaust without using a single frame of archive footage.. His style of interviewing by asking for the most minute details adds up give a horrifying portrait of the events of Nazi genocide.
Be prepared for an emotional journey, while Shoah is an incredibly long film, it is also very impactful. It is the greatest Holocaust documentary ever made, perhaps the most unique as well. While most films about the Holocaust really only give a survivors account, Lanzmann goes much further than anyone one would have expected by showing the testimonies of ex-nazis, witnesses, bystanders and others who have genuinely tried to help. Exploring in unprecedented detail the horrors of the past, Shoah is incredibly educational. This film is likely the most closest emotional experience you'll get from the Holocaust without actually experiencing it.
However the documentary is not perfect, it fails to interview non-Jewish survivors and thus almost makes the mass slaughter of 11 million people seem to be a race-exclusive tragedy. It also spends little or no time establishing the causes of the holocaust, nor the toxic environment before the event. Remarkably this film is never boring, it always keeps you on the edge of your seat. While Shoah is draining because it tells of the atrocities mankind is capable of, it also is uplifting because because it also shows the strength of the human spirit. GOOD overcame evil in the end. These people SURVIVED. If you are religious you may also come out of this film with a greater love of God. Certainly I came out of the film with a tremendous appreciation for my own life and a more anti-authoritarian spirit.
In conclusion, This film is a must watch even if you think you know everything there is to know about the Holocaust. It will tell you volumes about the human condition, both good and bad. It is a film that NEEDED to be made, because people HAVE to acknowledge the tragedies of the past. Stories upon stories are told here, it is a film that cannot be forgotten. Buy the Criterion Collection edition when it arrives in June. Praise it! 4.5/5
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