Claude Lanzmann's epic 9-hour Holocaust documentary, Shoah has finally been released on DVD. I had never seen the film, so I added it to my NetFlix queue. I received the first disc of the film yesterday and popped it in the DVD player just to check it out for a moment. About an hour and a half later I decided it was time for bed so I turned it off, only to return to finish this first (of four, apparently) part up when I got home this evening.

Lanzmann's film is subtly, but deeply riveting. There are no action scenes here. There is no stirring score. It's just people talking and views of the places as they exist now - no reconstructions. People talk - the survivors, their kids, the guards, the men who drove the trains, the people who farmed the fields around the camps and the residents of the towns. It's difficult to turn away. The editing is simple and effective. The length is fine. This is an important subject and the viewer wants nothing left out. I can always skip around later if I choose, but I want to know every little bit has been recorded, and I want to determine for myself what parts are important and what could be cut. Believe me, the clock flies as you watch.

I think that everyone should have the experience of watching such a film. I'm anxious to receive the next disc.