Review of Shoah (1985) by James R — 12 Jul 2018

What a film. I'm not even into documentaries, but this one just works. Directed by Claude Lanzmann (who recently passed away earlier this month). The movie is a 9 1/2 hour (yes you read that right) documentary on the Holocaust.

Instead of actually showing footage/archival footage of the event the movie is a series of interviews with three types of people. Jews that were in the concentration camps, people that were in the areas witnessing the events and then finally SS officers that were still alive during this time (it was filmed during the late 70's and early 80's).

The approach this way makes this very touching as you are basically witnessing interviews and conversations seeing peoples actual reactions. I would say that every type of interview adds to the experience of this documentary.

From the barber that breaks down remembering the events, to the SS officer that conveniently just doesn't remember everything. It's a well done film that is broken up into 4 parts (which I recommend how to watch it unless you have a bladder of steel).

It's a beautifully shot film that doesn't even feel dated and gave me a much deeper perspective of the Holocaust and the things that people had to go through during this terrible time. Definitely, would recommend this for any people that love documentaries and even for people that have an appreciation of history.