Shoah Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of Claude Lanzmann’s "Shoah," released by Criterion, benefits from an exceptional and painstaking restoration process. The film, presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and encoded with MPEG-4 AVC for 1080p resolution, showcases a 4K master produced through an extensive effort by Cineteca di Bologna. The original 16mm negative was scanned using an ARRISCAN film scanner, and the restoration was performed in 2K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata with tools like Image Systems' Phoenix and DaVinci's Revival to correct issues such as image stabilization, flicker, dirt, debris, and sparkle. Under the supervision of assistant camera person Caroline Champetier, each shot was meticulously regraded with minimal reframing or sharpening.

This remastering has delivered remarkable improvements in image depth and clarity, particularly noticeable in the close-up interviews that populate much of the film. Scenes previously marred by flatness or fuzziness on earlier DVD releases now show substantial enhancements in visual detail and color stability. While color saturation is variable due to diverse shooting conditions, the overall palette remains authentic to the source material. All dirt, scratches, and debris have been expertly removed, ensuring a pristine viewing experience devoid of compression issues, banding, or motion blur.

The meticulous work extended to sound restoration as well. The monaural soundtrack was scanned from the original 16mm negative on a Chase Optical Sound Processor. Gerald Lamps supervised this aspect, ensuring minimal noise reduction and addressing occasional audio dropouts. This comprehensive restoration effort ensures that this latest release is not just visually superior but also preserves the integral audio elements intact. For aficionados and new viewers alike, this Blu-ray stands as the definitive presentation of "Shoah," capturing both its historical gravitas and cinematic nuance with unparalleled fidelity.

The Blu-ray release of "Shoah" is equipped with a single audio track: French LPCM 1.0, which includes segments in Italian, Hebrew, English, Polish, and German. Criterion has provided optional English subtitles for the entire feature, ensuring clarity for non-French speakers. The new lossless audio track is a marked improvement over the previous lossy DVD version. Notably, background noise has been effectively minimized and overall stability is enhanced. Despite occasional depth fluctuations, the dialogue is significantly better balanced and much cleaner. The English translation is notably precise and well-timed.

This lossless French LPCM Mono audio mix may not cater to those seeking intensive, bass-heavy sound effects typical of action films, but it excels in its clarity and balance, ideal for a dialogue-centric documentary. The restoration process has remarkably refined the audio, removing hissing, pops, and cracks, resulting in pristine dialogue delivery. Although the mix predominantly occupies the center channel and lacks ambient or rear-channel sounds, the quality of the translation and subtitle synchronization ensures a seamless viewing experience. The meticulous audio restoration enriches the documentary’s intense interview-driven narrative.

The Blu-ray release of "Shoah" provides a robust set of extras that enhances the understanding of Claude Lanzmann’s monumental documentary. These supplements, rich in historical context and personal testimonies, delve deeper into the narratives partially explored in the main film. The inclusion of detailed interviews, such as Maurice Rossel's recounting of his 1944 visit to Theresienstadt and Yehuda Lerner's portrayal of the Sobibor uprising, offer crucial expansions on seminal Holocaust events. The technical presentation of these extras, predominantly in 1080i/1080p with optional English subtitles, ensures a high-quality viewing experience. Caroline Champetier and Arnaud Desplechin's dialogue on the film's production, alongside insightful interviews with Lanzmann himself, provide a behind-the-scenes look at the intricate process of making "Shoah." These features collectively enable a profound comprehension of historical subjects and filmmaking techniques.

Extras included in this disc:

• A Visitor from the Living: Maurice Rossel discusses Theresienstadt’s conditions.
• Sobibor, October 14th, 1943, 4 P.M.: Yehuda Lerner recounts the Sobibor uprising.
• The Karski Report: Jan Karski on meeting President Roosevelt and its significance.
• Claude Lanzmann Interviews: Lanzmann on Shoah’s production history.
• Caroline Champetier and Arnaud Desplechin: Discussion on Shoah’s structure and history.
• Booklet: Essays by Kent Jones and Claude Lanzmann.
• Trailer: Original promotional trailer for Shoah.

Claude Lanzmann's "Shoah," a monumental 566-minute documentary, presents an unvarnished exploration of the Holocaust through various interviews, surpassing typical historical recounting by eschewing archival footage in favor of raw, personal testimonies. The film features three types of interviews: Holocaust survivors, witnesses, and former SS officers. Survivors recount harrowing experiences, often reduced to tears or silence by the trauma of their memories; these moments are both profoundly human and extraordinarily painful to watch. Witnesses, including villagers from Poland, provide disturbing accounts of watching deportations to death camps like Treblinka, initially living in naïveté but later forced to acknowledge the horrifying reality.

Lanzmann’s approach with former SS officers is particularly striking; he captures their testimony covertly, revealing chillingly detached recollections of their roles in the systematic extermination processes. One such secret interview with SS officer Franz Suchomel offers a cold, clinical description of operating gas chambers, leaving an indelible impact. Throughout these interviews, Lanzmann’s method can appear unflinching and relentless, sometimes bordering on manipulative as he seeks to extract the most painful details.

Technically, Criterion’s Blu-ray presentation is remarkable. The release includes extensive supplemental features such as new video interviews with collaborators and Lanzmann’s additional documentaries like “The Karski Report” and “Sobibor,” accompanied by a 60-page illustrated booklet with critical essays. The film is presented in French with optional English subtitles and is Region-A locked. The decision to present “Shoah” without archival footage and employ only direct interviews allows an unprecedented depth of engagement, ensuring the survivor’s voices resonate powerfully. This film remains an indispensable historical document and a sobering reminder of humanity's capability for both resilience and cruelty.

The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Claude Lanzmann's "Shoah" is an-essential and comprehensive presentation of an extraordinary documentary. Spanning 566 minutes, this film intricately details the horrors of the Holocaust through first-hand testimonies and on-location footage. The restoration work on this release deserves special praise, with its impeccable video and audio quality that bring out the grim realities captured by Lanzmann in stark detail. The extensive extras included offer deeper insights, making it an invaluable historical resource.

The emotional weight and profound sorrow embedded in "Shoah" make it a challenging yet vital watch. Lanzmann's filmmaking meticulously preserves the rawness of survivors' accounts, though some may find certain interview questions unsettling out of respect for the participants’ suffering. Despite this, the film stands as a definitive account of the Holocaust, unmatched in its depth and scope. It's a disquieting experience but necessary for understanding the magnitude of one of history's darkest chapters.

In conclusion, while "Shoah" is difficult to recommend for casual viewing due to its intense and painful content, its historical significance cannot be overstated. Criterion's Blu-ray release appears poised to remain the ultimate offering of this monumental work for years to come. Given its gravity, it might be prudent to rent it first. However, for those who seek to comprehend the full extent of the atrocities committed and appreciate unparalleled documentary filmmaking, "Shoah" is mandatory viewing—a must-own piece that earns the highest recommendation.