The Age of Commercialism

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Human beings are capable of angelic deeds. But at the same time they are also capable of actions that can only be described as demonic. Alan Resnais with his powerful(that's an understatement) documentary underlines this dark side of humanity. As an Indian man living in the 21st century, my conception of the horrors of WWII and the holocaust is solely restricted to books and the films based on the events. Although I have seen a lot of WWII movie and some of them genuinely are masterpieces, one can't help but sense some fabrication and sensationalism which is inevitable as a filmmaker has to have the cinematic medium in mind. 'Night and Fog' however completely avoids any temptation of sensationalism and presents the horrors of the war in the most raw fashion giving the whole thing an air of tangibility. I think a viewer's reaction to 'Night and Fog' goes through three stages:1. One will feel angry both during the documentary and after its conclusion because of the explicit manner in which we see the consequences of unreasonable hatred and such a reaction is completely valid and understandable.2. One will feel an extreme sense of humility flow through every inch of his/her body and acknowledge their luck and privilege for not having to face the violence and the wrath of the Nazis.3. Hopefully the last stage will be that of acceptance and a personal pledge to never get seduced by or tolerate unreasonable hatred so that we all can do our best to ensure the world never has to witness another holocaust ever again.P.S. - I did wrestle with the question of whether assigning a star rating to a film like this trivialises its contents. But in the end I decided to stick with my 10 star rating as a symbol of my own personal respect for the film.

This documentary about The Holocaust and the persecution of millions intersperses current-day film with archival B&W shots from WWII, which ended only ten years earlier. But this is more than a documentary--which would only document facts--because it includes the poetic commentary of Jean Cayrol, a survivor whose words seek to convey the horror on a personal level.The result is a moving film that does not try to explain what cannot be explained. Instead, the viewer is left with more questions. Even today--so many years after the gates at Buchenwald were opened and their secrets revealed, there are questions about complicity. I know I will continue to read about this tragic phenomenon, hoping to better understand the nature of man.Though the film may be graphic and repulsive, it actually could have been worse. Knowing that, the viewer is left to extrapolate the horrible truths of those years. The witness of cruelty by one man magnified millions of times. The overt inhumanities that undoubtedly led to unthinkable betrayals from moment to moment over accelerated lifetimes.Shots of smiling guards, so efficient and so casual in the face of what had become routine for them, are triggers for wondering what calculus allowed them to abandon their humanity on a daily basis and then embrace their families at day's end.

Monsieur Alain Resnais' holocaust documentary "Night and Fog" is about different concentration camps in Europe where more than 9 million people lost their lives. What is most shocking is the attitude of those who were directly responsible for these deaths. There is not a single person who accepts the guilt. Everybody says that I am not responsible as the orders to kill came from the top. This film is able to make strong impact on viewers due to Jean Cayrol's powerful voice. As a concentration camp survivor, he wrote the text of this film. "Nuit et Brouillard" takes into account three different time periods. It all started in 1933 when a call was made regarding "Il Faut Une Nation Sans Fausses Notes" (One needs a nation without false notes).This was the period when concentration camps were getting constructed with each camp having a surprise element. For example : a symphony orchestra and a zoo. In 1942, military commander Heinrich Himmler gives the slogan "Il Faut Anéantir Mais Progressivement" (One must destroy but progressively).As per his instructions, models and plans of concentration camps are studied, deportation of Jewish people from all parts of Europe takes place and cyanide based pesticide Zyklon is used as killing by hand takes time. By 1945 Nazi brutality is at its peak as by this time concentration camps are huge cities with roughly 100,000 inhabitants. A lot of German companies namely Steyer, Krupp, Heinckel and Siemens benefit enormously from cheap labor provided by concentration camps. There is immense horror after the war when allied forces open the doors of concentration camps. It is at that moment deportees watch with horror without understanding anything. By directing "Night and Fog", Monsieur Alain Resnais has attempted to find an answer to human cruelty. The only question which all human beings can ask is this : "How can a human being inflict so much cruelty and suffering on another human being" ? His film features excellent cinematography and music by Ghislain Cloquet, Sacha Vierney and Hanns Eisler. Lastly anybody watching this film must bear in mind "Même Un Paysage Tranquille Peut Tout Simplement Conduire A Un Camp De Concentration" (Even a quiet landscape can simply lead to a concentration camp) !!!!!

I saw "Night and Fog" in film class as a teenager over 40 years ago. I have never forgotten it, nor will ever as long as I live.Anyone who sees this film will understand what will happen when one group of human beings cedes absolute dominance over themselves to another group. Notice my use of the word "will". Some may not ADMIT they understand (eg., the holocaust deniers), but they WILL understand.One point seven million Cambodians, one million Armenians, four hundred thousand Cossacks, three million Ukrainians, six million Jews as well as a like number from other "undesirable" categories. On and on...And yes, the Holocaust DID happen.One half hour you will never, ever forget. Absolutely shattering.