Claude Lanzmann's 'Shoah' Outtakes: Holocaust Rescue and Resistance

As we approach the end of the 'era of the witness,' Claude Lanzmanns archive of 220 hours of footage excluded from his groundbreaking documentary Shoah (1985) offers a unique opportunity to encounter previously unseen interviews with survivors and other witnesses, recorded in the late 1970s. This book focuses on the interviews from which no extracts appear in the finished film or in any subsequent release, and argues that watching and analyzing this footage gives us new insights into the making of Shoah through what was left out. It also reveals the near-impossibility of rescue and the often suicidal implications of resistance, as inextricable from the process of genocide. The outtakes show the potential for new filmic forms to represent these crucial topics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 20 May 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

As we near the conclusion of the 'era of the witness,' particularly with the passing of the generation of Holocaust survivors, Claude Lanzmanns extensive archive of 220 hours of footage, which was excluded from his groundbreaking documentary Shoah (1985), presents a remarkable opportunity to engage with previously unseen interviews with survivors and other witnesses, recorded in the late 1970s. While the entire archive is freely accessible for online viewing and includes additional footage of individuals featured in Shoah, this book specifically focuses on the interviews that were not included in the final film or any subsequent releases. The material analyzed encompasses interviews with prominent figures such as former partisan Abba Kovner, wartime activist Hansi Brand, Kovno Ghetto leader Leib Garfunkel, rescuer Tadeusz Pankiewicz, and members of Roosevelts War Refugee Board. Throughout, the focus remains on the efforts of rescue and resistance by individuals both within and outside occupied Europe. Sue Vice argues that engaging with and analyzing this entirely excluded footage offers fresh insights into the making of Shoah through the content that was omitted. Moreover, she reveals that the near-impossibility of rescue and the often suicidal consequences of resistance emerge as inextricable from the process of genocide through these excluded interviews. In conclusion, Vice contends that the outtakes showcase the potential for new filmic forms envisioned by Lanzman to effectively represent the critical topics of attempted Holocaust rescue and resistance.

Weight: 580g
Dimension: 161 x 242 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350187078