It has taken me a few days post watching Night and Fog to be able to write about it. It’s brutality and uncensored film clippings were harsh and conveyed the severity of the situation going on. As I sit here writing my blog post though, I realize that the intent of the documentaries brutally disturbing clips was to spark action and reflection and in all honesty, I did the opposite. I shut my laptop at the end of the credits and did not allow myself to process what I had seen. It was a lot. I think it’s safe to say that the Holocaust is a well-represented event that is taught in the majority of high school history courses. I have read textbooks, fiction novels, and news clippings about this event but nothing has made me more repulsed then this documentary. The documentary did indeed remind me to not forget the past while in the present. Alain Resnais achieves the connection between past and present by switching from the colored film of the abandoned camps to the black and white film of the camps during that time. This juxtaposition brings the audience back to the present and is a reminder to never forget these terrible events. Overall while the documentary was harsh and at first, I fought the reflection of the documentary it had a unique way to highlight the severity of the events and to remind the audience that even though it is over the events should not be forgotten. The title brings all of this together where night symbolizes terror and fog symbolize uncertainty just like the emotions felt during that time and watching this film.
