Night and Fog is a documentary about the concentration camps in WWII. It features a narrator who describes the events that took place in these camps, and the hardships of those who were confined to them. The film consists of real footage from life in the camps, showing the lives of both the prisoners and the SS officers in the camp. It describes how in the early years of the concentration camps, a mini town was formed with different kinds of services, even though they were still greatly inhuman. Then when there was a new commander in charge of the camps, they turned into more of what we think of as death camps; there were literally piles of bodies around the camps. This film realistically shows the brutality and disregard for human life that took place during the holocaust. …show more content…
However, in the past they were still seen as an experimental film style. Rather than have a traditional story arch with a beginning, middle, and end, documentaries typically do not have a storyline. Instead, they focus on presenting information, which is often historical, about a particular thing or event. The message of a documentary tends to be more forward, sometimes with the film literally telling the viewer what they should do. These elements are present in Night and Fog, as it presents factual information and footage of the holocaust, and sends a message to the viewer of the atrocity of this event, and how we need to ensure this never happens again. Documentaries have been around since the 1920s, but they lived in the avant garde, it was not until well done documentaries like Night and Fog came out that the mainstream took inspiration from this film style. Night and Fog's documentary style is one of the main things that makes it avant garde, as at the time of its creation, this was still considered experimental