Lanzmann Doc Gets Director's Cut

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Adam Benzine is releasing a director's cut of his documentary on Claude Lanzmann, the influential filmmaker behind the Holocaust epic Shoah. The expanded feature-length version, titled "The Death and Love of Claude Lanzmann," will premiere on VOD platforms this Sunday, a decade after the original film's release.

This new cut, which Benzine states was a frequent request from viewers wishing the original 40-minute film were longer, delves deeper into Lanzmann's tumultuous journey in creating Shoah. The release coincides with significant anniversaries: the centennial of Lanzmann's birth, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the 40th anniversary of Shoah's 1985 debut.

The director's cut incorporates newly restored, high-definition outtake material from Lanzmann's 1970s filming sessions, provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Lanzmann, who died in 2018 at age 92, was a key figure in documenting the Holocaust, bringing a personal and profound perspective to his work.