Article

Reconstructing Memory Through Time: A Temporal Analysis of Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog (1955)

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Abstract

This article explores the temporal, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions of Alain Resnais’ seminal short documentary Night and Fog (1955), analysing how it reconstructs Holocaust memory through cinematic form. Focusing on the film’s innovative interplay between past and present, it argues that Resnais disrupts linear historical narration by employing fragmented temporal structures, contrasting visual styles (colour versus black-and-white), and poetic narration.

Through close analysis of visual and auditory techniques, such as archival juxtaposition, slow panning shots, dual-tense narration, and the strategic use of silence, the research dissertation demonstrates how Night and Fog challenges the boundaries of historical representation and fosters an active, morally reflective engagement with collective trauma.

The methodological approach integrates formalist film analysis with memory studies, drawing upon scholarly perspectives from Matthew Boswell, Andrew Hebard, and others to contextualise the short documentary film within broader discourses concerning Holocaust representation. Resnais’s collaboration with poet and Holocaust survivor Jean Cayrol further reinforces the ethical imperatives of cinematic testimony and the profound moral invocation for audiences to assume the role of witness, thereby confronting historical trauma not as passive observers, but rather, as ethically engaged participants in collective memory.

Ultimately, the study concludes that Night and Fog remains a profoundly relevant cinematic work, collapsing temporal boundaries and resisting historical closure. It compels viewers to confront the enduring legacies of atrocity, positioning memory as a fluid, evolving process rather than a fixed historical record. Thus, this article contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding ethics, trauma, and the role of film in shaping cultural remembrance.

Keywords: Alan Resnais, Holocaust, temporality, memory, ethics, documentary

How to Cite:

O’Hara, Ellen. ‘Reconstructing Memory Through Time: A Temporal Analysis of Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog (1955)’. Policeman’s Helmet Soup [Dublin, Ireland], vol. 1, no. 1, 2026, pp. 72–86, https://phsjournal.ie/article/pubid/50/.