Shoah
Seen it?1985 | 566 min | Documentary, History
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it's still drawing plenty of interest, despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious and history buffs. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Harrowing, eye-opening.
- The pace
- Unhurried and epic, at 9 hr 26 min.
- What might put you off
- It's long: 9 hr 26 min.
- It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Director Claude Lanzmann spent 11 years on this sprawling documentary about the Holocaust, conducting his own interviews and refusing to use a single frame of archival footage. Dividing Holocaust witnesses into three categories – survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators – Lanzmann presents testimonies from survivors of the Chelmno concentration camp, an Auschwitz escapee, and witnesses of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, as well as a chilling report of gas chambers from an SS officer at Treblinka.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 99 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
8.2 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 BAFTA: British Academy Film Awards: Best Documentary.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$20K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 142K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Claude Lanzmann
- Claude LanzmannSelf - Interviewer
- Simon SrebnikSelf
- Michael PodchlebnikSelf
- Motke ZaidlSelf
- Jan KarskiSelf
- Paula BirenSelf
- Abraham BombaSelf
- Inge DeutschkronSelf
- Ruth EliasSelf
- Richard GlazarSelf