I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life And Legacy Of Simon Wiesenthal
posted July 6, 2007 1:03 AM
Biographical portrait manages objectivity and a fresh take on a familiar subject against all odds
During his tenure running the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier has also forged a rather impressive resumé as a documentary film producer, overseeing seven features through the Center's Moriah Films unit, two of which went on to win Academy Awards. With that kind of a track record, it's probably fair to say that Hier and his The Long Way Home director Richard Trank could be on their way to yet another win with I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal.
There's no mistaking the Moriah imprimatur here—the film is a straightforward, reverential and highly polished documentary in the classic, no-risk style. The Austrian-born architect and engineer's ordeal at the Malthausen concentration camp, the loss of his entire family in the Holocaust, his evolution into impassioned, tenacious Nazi hunter and his stunning successes at tracking down more than 1,100 renegade Nazis over the course of his 96 years are detailed through an artful blend of archival footage, stills and extensive interview footage with Wiesenthal. Toss in a narration track by Nicole Kidman and a subtle, moving score by Lee Holdridge, and the result is a film so thorough and elegant that it's easy to overlook what a delicate balancing act Hier and Trank have managed in terms of objectivity and historical familiarity. Trank's solution to the latter problem is to skillfully relate all such details from Wiesenthal's point of view such that even the familiar takes on the fresh vitality of firsthand experience.
The objectivity matter is dodgier issue as there simply is no way to claim true objectivity when the film is financed and produced by the institution bearing the subject's own name. But this, too, is familiar territory for Hier and Trank, and they acquit themselves here by simply letting Wiesenthal himself respond—countless times, as he did repeatedly over the course of his life whenever he was confronted by contrarians or skeptics.
If there's a nagging distraction here, it's that Hier and Trank have become so good at this kind of material, it almost starts to seem formulaic and mass-produced. But the emotional impact is so strong and the impact of the archival material so forcefully honest that the impulse to cavil about excessive quality is almost immediately dispelled. Even those inclined to believe they've nothing left to learn about the 20th century's most horrific tragedy will find themselves edified and enlightened for having made the effort.
Distributor: Moriah
Narrator: Nicole Kidman
Director: Richard Trank
Screenwriters/Producers: Richard Trank and Marvin Hier
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13 for disturbing violent images and descriptions of the Holocaust
Running time: 112 min.
Release date: July 6, 2007 LA
There's no mistaking the Moriah imprimatur here—the film is a straightforward, reverential and highly polished documentary in the classic, no-risk style. The Austrian-born architect and engineer's ordeal at the Malthausen concentration camp, the loss of his entire family in the Holocaust, his evolution into impassioned, tenacious Nazi hunter and his stunning successes at tracking down more than 1,100 renegade Nazis over the course of his 96 years are detailed through an artful blend of archival footage, stills and extensive interview footage with Wiesenthal. Toss in a narration track by Nicole Kidman and a subtle, moving score by Lee Holdridge, and the result is a film so thorough and elegant that it's easy to overlook what a delicate balancing act Hier and Trank have managed in terms of objectivity and historical familiarity. Trank's solution to the latter problem is to skillfully relate all such details from Wiesenthal's point of view such that even the familiar takes on the fresh vitality of firsthand experience.
The objectivity matter is dodgier issue as there simply is no way to claim true objectivity when the film is financed and produced by the institution bearing the subject's own name. But this, too, is familiar territory for Hier and Trank, and they acquit themselves here by simply letting Wiesenthal himself respond—countless times, as he did repeatedly over the course of his life whenever he was confronted by contrarians or skeptics.
If there's a nagging distraction here, it's that Hier and Trank have become so good at this kind of material, it almost starts to seem formulaic and mass-produced. But the emotional impact is so strong and the impact of the archival material so forcefully honest that the impulse to cavil about excessive quality is almost immediately dispelled. Even those inclined to believe they've nothing left to learn about the 20th century's most horrific tragedy will find themselves edified and enlightened for having made the effort.
Distributor: Moriah
Narrator: Nicole Kidman
Director: Richard Trank
Screenwriters/Producers: Richard Trank and Marvin Hier
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13 for disturbing violent images and descriptions of the Holocaust
Running time: 112 min.
Release date: July 6, 2007 LA
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