General Information

Author/Creator

Bernstein, Sidney producer

Language

English.

Subtitles

English, Czech, Dutch; Flemish, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian

Published

UK BFI 2017

Physical Description

Blu Ray (72 min.) black & white

Contents/Summary

Summary

On 29 September 1945, the incomplete rough-cut of a disturbing yet compelling documentary revealing the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps was viewed at the Ministry of Information in London. For five months, Sidney Bernstein had led a small team - which included Stewart McAllister, Richard Crossman and Alfred Hitchcock - to complete the film from hours of footage. Unfortunately, this ambitious Allied project to create a feature-length visual report that would damn the Nazi regime and shame the German people into acceptance of Allied occupation had missed its moment, and was left unfinished and shelved. Even in its incomplete form, the film was immensely powerful, generating an awed hush among audiences. But now, complete to six reels, this faithfully restored and definitive version produced by the Imperial War Museums and with a newly recorded narration by actor Jasper Britton, has been rightfully compared with Alan Resnais' Night and Fog (1955). Special features New restoration by IWM (Imperial War Museums) Presented with both an optional contextualising Intro and Outro Panel Discussion at the BFI Southbank (2015, 42 mins): restoration director Dr Toby Haggith (IMW) is joined on-stage by a panel of experts to discuss the film Audio Commentary with Dr Toby Haggith and senior curator Patrick Russell (BFI) Vox Pops Compilation (2015, 6 mins): cinema-goers reflect after a screening at the BFI Southbank Interview with Ludwig Weill at Fort Breendonk (1945, 5 mins): archival interview with a freed prisoner Interviews and Statements at Bergen-Belsen (1945, 17 mins): archival interviews with SS soldiers, freed prisoners and members of the British Army Interviews and Statements at Dachau (1945, 12 mins): archival interviews with recently liberated prisoners Interview with Petr Zenkl (1945, 12 mins): archival interview with the Czech politician who was imprisoned at Dachau and Buchenwald Alternate archival soundtrack 80-page perfect-bound book with new writing on the film, and full film credits

Subjects

Genre

Documentary films

Bibliographic Information

Title Translation

German Concentration Camps Factual Survey

Library Special Collection

Verzio Film Festival Submission

Holdings

Item Type	Current Location	Call Number	Status	Shelving Location	Public Note
Blu-Ray Disc	OSA Film Library	FL Record 4381	Available	-	M22-R17-S1-R6