Review of I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal (2007) by Jeffrey S — 26 Jun 2007

Every now and again, you come across a film that is practically beyond reproach, as the mere telling of the subject is so vital it almost doesn't matter how it's put across. Simon Wiesenthal is a real-life figure, a Holocaust survivor whose life has been dramatized in at least three major films (once even by Ben Kingsley).

But what separates Simon Wiesenthal from so many other survivors is that he spent the remaining 50-some-odd years of his life hunting down and bringing to justice the Nazi war criminals who had fled Germany after the fall of Hitler's Third Reich.

We should be thankful that this documentary exists to tell, as title explains, of the life and legacy of this great man, whose modest prohibited him, even in very old age, from accepting the description of "hero," even if that is perhaps the most apt term for what Mr.

Wiesenthal was and is. So we can forgive Nicole Kidman's stenotorian, PBS-style voiceover, the persistent and overbearing music that scores the archival footage, and the musty library-room editing.

The production is so-so, but the story it tells is fascinating and absolutely essential.