Alain Resnais' "Nuit et Brouillard"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Alain Resnais' 1955 masterpiece film, "Nuit et Brouillard" ("Night and Fog"). The paper focuses on how Resnais' resurrects the horrors of Auschwitz by contrasting the black and white brutal and historical footage of Auschwitz with present-day color footage of the European countryside. The paper explains that, when contrasted with the black and white footage of the camps, these colored shots seem almost deceptive, as though the camera is lying to the audience, by trying to cover up the ugly history of the place. This beauty, however, quickly gives way to the brutal and recent history of the place, as the viewer is soon presented with one horrific image after another.

From the Paper:

"The next shot depicts bones of every description, taken from every part of the human body. The very picture of death, these bones give way to a picture of a fertile field. Death and decay, is here contrasted with new life springing forth. These images, taken with the narrator's commentary echo the juxtaposition that pervades throughout the film. The color and beauty of the countryside, next to the cold, harsh, black-and-white reality of the camps; the comfortable home-life of the commandant, while the prisoners starve and freeze--all serve to highlight the untruths and abuses that became second nature to the Nazis."

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