Night and Fog (1956 film)

Night and Fog (French: Nuit et Brouillard) is a 1956 French documentary film directed by Alain Resnais. It examines the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, contrasting the banality of the landscapes with the systematic dehumanization and extermination of millions of people.

The film alternates between color footage of the abandoned grounds of Auschwitz and Majdanek in the mid-1950s and black-and-white archival footage, including photographs and film clips, of the camps during the war. The narration, written by Jean Cayrol, a survivor of the Mauthausen concentration camp, is deliberately detached and analytical, avoiding sensationalism while highlighting the calculated nature of the Nazi atrocities and the complicity of ordinary people.

Night and Fog explores themes of memory, historical responsibility, and the capacity for human cruelty. It questions how such atrocities could occur within a supposedly civilized society and suggests that the seeds of such evil exist within all societies. The film's title, Nuit et Brouillard, refers to Nacht und Nebel (Night and Fog), a Nazi directive that allowed for the secret abduction and disappearance of political prisoners, often without trial or even notification to their families.

The film was initially censored in France due to pressure from West Germany, which objected to the inclusion of footage depicting French police officers participating in the deportation of Jews. These scenes were later restored.

Night and Fog is considered a landmark work of documentary filmmaking and an important historical document. Its unflinching portrayal of the Holocaust has made it a powerful and enduring reminder of the dangers of intolerance and the importance of vigilance in the face of oppression. It remains a widely used educational tool.