“Memory of the past is positively combined with responsibility for the future (that is,
human agency, the sense of self that makes us capable of compassion and
understanding). with Night and Fog one survives the desperation of the night,
sees through the confusion of the fog, and emerges as a social being with a
commitment to that human connection fundamental to life-a sense of shared
responsibility to (and for) oneself and others.” (Flitterman-Lewis 208)
This passage really stuck out to me from the reading, especially in conjunction with the final words on the screen of the documentary, that “music/film and website have no commercial intentions, only a warning that it can happen again”. This documentary was difficult to watch. In all honesty, I had to turn away from several scenes, especially towards the end when it really did seem like concentration camps were from “another planet”. Humans were absolutely emaciated; bodies dead and alive treated and tossed around like they were literally trash. It was absolutely disgusting and painful, yet there was a sense of beauty in that pain and in that realization that this was history, and this is able to happen again. I like how the reading really focused on the title of the documentary, “Night and Fog” and connecting it to memory and human responsibility. It is our responsibility to be able to not turn away from these stunning and repulsive images and footage because as humans, we are responsible for making this tragedy happen in the first place.
I think one of the most striking parts of the documentary was the impressive story-telling using music to really strike at the hearts of viewers. Some of the most powerful images were contrasts between bodies piled on top of other bodies cut straight to an image of a wealthy Nazi family hanging out in their living room. Both are humans. Both implicated/involved during the Holocaust at the same time, but living completely different types of life. I think this documentary did a really good job of making the Holocaust transparent, and showing EVERYTHING.