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Night Will Fall

7.4

292

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Original title

Night Will Fall

Year

2014

Running time

75 min.

Country

United Kingdom

Director

André Singer

Screenwriter

Lynette Singer

Cast

Music

Nicholas Singer

Cinematography

Richard Blanshard

Producer

Angel TV, RatPac Entertainment, Spring Films

Genre

Documentary | II World War. Holocaust. Nazism

Synopsis

Researchers discover film footage from World War II that turns out to be a lost documentary shot by Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein in 1945 about German concentration camps liberated by allied troops. When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums. This eloquent, lucid documentary by André Singer (executive producer of the award-winning The Act of Killing) tells the extraordinary story of the filming of the camps and the fate of Bernstein’s project, using original archive footage and eyewitness testimonies.

Awards: 2014: British Independent Film Awards (BIFA): Nominated for Best Documentary

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Critics' reviews

"It may not do full justice to all [of its] subjects in its tight 78 minutes, but it's not a film you're likely to forget."

Mike Hale: The New York Times
"As startling and bleakly compelling as you'd expect from this rare combination of director and subject. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)"

David Parkinson: Empire
"This is a shocking and moving account of how the Bernstein documentary was shot, edited and shelved. (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of five)"

Geoffrey Macnab: The Independent
"This wise, sober new documentary is a reminder of historical horrors, but it's also a tale of censorship. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)"

Dave Calhoun: Time Out
"This is an extraordinary record. But be warned. Once seen, these images cannot be unseen. (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of five)"

Peter Bradshaw: The Guardian
According to actor Stephen Fry, a documentary "dark, deep, disturbing, shocking, brilliant (...) incredibly moving."

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User history

Night Will Fall

2014

André Singer

7.4

(292)