Night and Fog

"War nods off to sleep, but keeps one eye always open." As absolutely devastating and relevant at the dawn of our already war-torn 21st century as it was upon its initial release in 1955, Alain Resnais's Night and Fog is not only one of the best films ever made about the Holocaust, but also one of the best documentaries ever made, period. Narrated by actor (uncredited) Michel Bouquet, and filmed in the deserted concentration camps of Auschwitz and Majdanek 10 years after the Allied liberation, this half-hour heartbreaker intertwines then-contemporary, nearly bucolic color footage with harrowing archival images and clips from the time that Jewish men, women, and children arrived at their final destinations on trains in the "night and fog"; followed by the indignities of being shaved, numbered, and bunked three to a bed (Jean Cayrol's hauntingly poetic script refers here to the "fiercely contested blanket"); and culminating, finally, in death…in the work fields, the inhumane "clinics," or the gas chambers. Touching on the differences in designs of the concentration camp gates "meant to be passed through only once," the camp's ghastly semblance of city life (hospital, residential area, prison), and the in-context-Orwellian camp slogans such as "Work is Freedom" and "Cleanliness is Health," Night and Fog is so much more than simply a gruesome catalog of stills and clips (although these are some of the most disturbing in existence). It is, rather, a fierce dirge, a film that firmly grabs you by the head and says "look and remember, this is man's work." The film is presented in a new high definition digital transfer with restored image and Dolby Digital mono sound, and the disc features a five-minute interview with Resnais and a brochure with a pair of essays and crew profiles. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—July 26, 2016—Criterion, 116 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1955's Night and Fog sports a fine transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include the 2009 documentary “Faux aux fantômes” (99 min.), a new interview with filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer (16 min.), an excerpt from a 1994 audio interview with director Alain Resnais (6 min.), and an essay by film scholar Colin MacCabe. Bottom line: a landmark documentary makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]