Review of Night and Fog

I saw this film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and even with no idea of what it was about, I willing to try it, from director Alain Resnais (Hiroshima Mon Amour, Last Year at Mariengrad). This thirty minute film is look at the past and present day, in colour and black and white with stock footage and recent on location filming, showing the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz from the Second World War. It looks at both the side of the staff, medical and military, working at the camp, and the thousands of innocent and starving people who were held prisoner. We see the hideous sadistic acts the inmate were subjected too, such as torture, gas chambers, scientific and medical "experiments", executions and prostitution. We also see filmed footage of the hundreds of dead bodies piled into earth, but eventually the country was liberated and the horror of the camps discovered. I have only in the last few years seen a few French or other foreign language documentaries, but this one was really poignant and powerful with its shocking description and footage that shows the brutality of humanity during a terrifying time, a must see documentary. It was nominated the BAFTA UN Award for director Alain Resnais. Very good!