It goes without saying that a mammoth film like Shoah can't be summed up in a simple review. It shouldn't really be reviewed as a film, it's more of an educational piece. At 9 and a half hours straight, it's a documentary that can't be consumed in one day. It would weigh too heavily on your shoulders. I scattered my viewing over the course of a few weeks which is the ideal way to take it, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten the first half. However, in saying that, its most powerful moments come in its last two hours as it features contributors breaking down and explores familiar places, such as the White House, in the style we've seen Treblinka. By virtue of its content, it's captivating. There are only so many tragic stories of Jewish victims you can take in a certain amount of time but Shoah treats them all with the respect and attention they deserve. It's flawed filmmaking however. The problem is that it lacks structure. It wouldn't feel as laborious if each hour was broken by topic, but instead it flows from topic to topic without much reason, sometimes coming back, sometimes telling something slightly related.
It is indeed in Lanzmann's passionate thoroughness that bites back at him. It doesn't hold the film back necessarily, but it could've felt like a more complete piece. It's length largely comes down to its slow pacing due to the fact that Lanzmann does not speak many of the languages the interviewers speak, particularly in the first half. As a result, everything has to be filtered twice through an interpreter, who's really telling us the story for the most part. Any slight misinterpretation or change of emphasis is down to her so she deserved quite a bit of credit. The most polarising interview is certainly the one with a Nazi who proudly gives details of concentration camp conditions. An unmistakably vile human being you can't take your eyes off. But it's a film that makes you angry and makes you sad, as the camera catches some very emotional interviewees at their most vulnerable moments. Its editing method may make the film unnecessarily scattered, but it paints a rich picture of a terrible period in human history. Admirable and essential viewing.
8/10
It is indeed in Lanzmann's passionate thoroughness that bites back at him. It doesn't hold the film back necessarily, but it could've felt like a more complete piece. It's length largely comes down to its slow pacing due to the fact that Lanzmann does not speak many of the languages the interviewers speak, particularly in the first half. As a result, everything has to be filtered twice through an interpreter, who's really telling us the story for the most part. Any slight misinterpretation or change of emphasis is down to her so she deserved quite a bit of credit. The most polarising interview is certainly the one with a Nazi who proudly gives details of concentration camp conditions. An unmistakably vile human being you can't take your eyes off. But it's a film that makes you angry and makes you sad, as the camera catches some very emotional interviewees at their most vulnerable moments. Its editing method may make the film unnecessarily scattered, but it paints a rich picture of a terrible period in human history. Admirable and essential viewing.
8/10