Night and Fog Film Review
Night and Fog, is a powerfully moving 31 minute documentary, with a vivid depiction of the true atrocities that occurred in the Nazi concentration camps from 1933-1955, taking the lives of 9 million human beings. I cannot say that I enjoyed watching this film, but I must admit that I was on the edge of my chair, drawn into the story line while watching it despite feeling sorrow and despair for all the lives that were taken and destroyed. This film should been seen by all if not for the true recap of history but as a brutal reminder of the cruelty of war and the inhumanity of mankind. This eye opening film moved me in a way that is difficult to put into words other than it educated me on the gruesome details of the Holocaust. It is hard for me to believe that any human can watch this film and not see the evils of the world around us. Unlike other films on the Holocaust such as Schindler's List this film is short and to the point. It does not focus on the view of one person or story but instead showed a quick glimpse of life in the Nazi Camps. The short film length and quick paced story line follows the theme of the death sentences that were issued to many of the prisoners immediately upon arrival to the Nazi camps. Names from 22 nations fill the hundreds of ledger pages of inmates who entered the camp gates that were designed to be passed through only once.

Historical Background: This film did not have an easy start as Producer Anatole Dauman wanted this documentary to be done but had great difficulty convincing the director of his choice, Alain Resnais to direct this controversial film according to Night and Fog (film). "Resnais, who was not very well known at the time, was hesitant to direct such an important subject of history which he did not have a firsthand experience with" (Metalluk). His concern was that viewers would question the authenticity of the information on the film without a firsthand account. With much persuasion Resnais agreed to direct the film under the condition that the script for the film be written by Jean Cayrol a Mauthusen Holocaust survivor and Holocaust Poet according to Metalluk's full review (2). Cayrol had viewed the first cut of Night and Fog and had great difficulty relieving the torment and torture endured in the camp. "It took a great deal of persuasion by Chris Marker, a mutual friend of Cayrol and Resnais, to convince Cayrol to revisit his experience in the Nazi Camp but he did eventually agree to do the film" (Metalluk). Metalluk reports that Cayrol had difficulty writing the text for the scripts as he was so distressed by recapping his past that he could not write them segment by segment as a film would normally be edited (2). Instead Metalluk informs us that Cayrol went by his recollection of Resnais first cut and wrote text by his own recognizance of that earlier viewing (2). The film and text was then reordered so that the music, theme, and story would flow poetically. The result was a phenomenal recap of history that displays the painful path of life to death or near death within the confines of a Nazi Concentration Camp.

Production Values: The images shown in this film are truly disturbing and heart breaking but the film itself is laid out with great consideration and detail. From the beginning of the film where the grass has grown over the land and the wind is lightly blowing over the quiet grounds of the camp, to the delivery of the prisoners via train in the night and fog, to human heads of the decapitated being piled up and dead bodies being pushed or carried into mass graves as the eerie flute music plays, to the end of the film where the land is quiet again with green pastures, and the building which once harbored such inhumanity has turned to crumpled stone. A reminder that with time all things fall apart and are forgotten as is the harsh reality of the memories of what occurred during the Holocaust. I had difficulty keeping up with the text in the film but it follows the flow of this rapidly paced film and I believe ties into the theme that life was unpredictable and short for many of the Jewish prisoners needing to keep up in order to survive. The light musical sounds of flutes and horns though out the film are a bit eerie but not overpowering and it fits the mood and pace of the pictures.

This power packed film covers so much historical information from the engineering and design of the buildings, the untouched lives of the Germans and their families, the recycling of Jewish human remains such as hair into cloth material, skin recycled into paper, bodies made into soap, and bones into fertilizer. The film gave glimpses of the dehumanization of the prisoners by stripping them of their clothes, starvation, torture, and ultimately extermination via gas chamber, incineration, or poisonous injections. The film shows us the false securities within the confines of the camps with a hospital and surgical building which were noting more than torture chambers or the place where the sick were taken and ultimately killed at the hands of the SS doctors or nurses.

Themes: From the beginning of this film Resnais plan was to give a true account of what happened within the confines of the Nazi Concentration camps so the world never forget or repeat the atrocities of this war. As the film starts in color with serene flute music and green grass covering the ground of the now desolate abandoned camps it reminds us that looks may be deceiving as that ground was once the area of death. The black and white clips of the German soldiers marching and saluting their loyalty to Hitler to their inhumane treatment of the inmates, and then the end of the film when all are denying responsibility for their part in the mass killings. This too ties into the fact that many people did not believe what was truly going on behind the confined walls of the concentration camps or chose to be ignorant of these facts as the "night and fog" crept in. This film is a reminder to all of mankind to remember the viciousness of this and any war and the consequences that follow. I feel that this films theme ties into today's world as we battle our own war on terror and we must remember that there is evil in this world but we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. We must not turn a blind eye to the evils inflicted on innocent human beings no matter their race or religion.

Bottom Line: I recommend this film to anyone who wants to see a powerfully historical documentary on the Holocaust. Alain Resnais title Night and Fog describes the way in which the Jewish prisoners were delivered to the Nazi Concentration camps in the dark of night through the mask of thick fog, unknowing of their tormented and tortured days ahead. Many of the deportees disappeared in the night and fog never to be seen or heard from again. Resnais did an excellent job on directing this short film packed full of history that should never be forgotten or repeated.

References:
Metalluk. “War Keeps One Eye Always Open.” Rev. of Night and Fog, by Alain Resnais.
     http”//epinions.ccom/review/mvie_mu-1015001/content_177539812996, 22 Mar. 2005.
     Web. 11 Jan. 2010
Night and Fog (film). (n.d.) Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia online. Retrieved from
     http”//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_and_Fog_(film). Web. 11 Jan. 2010