Claude Lanzmann (1925–2018) was a French filmmaker, journalist, and intellectual whose monumental 1985 documentary Shoah is regarded as being among the most – if not the most – important Holocaust films ever made.
Spanning nine and a half hours, Shoah is a profound exploration of the genocide of European Jews during the Second World War, composed primarily from firsthand testimony from survivors, witnesses and perpetrators. By eschewing archival footage and instead focusing on personal stories, Lanzmann created a deep, intimate and haunting account of an atrocity, profoundly impacting both filmmaking as a medium and the broader study of genocide.
Beyond the towering legacy of Shoah, Lanzmann’s cinematic oeuvre includes other significant works including 1973’s Pourquoi Israël (Israel, Why), his directorial debut examining the complexities of Israeli society; 2001’s Sobibor, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m., which details one of the only known successful uprisings at a Nazi extermination camp; 2013’s Le dernier des injustes (The Last of the Unjust), centred on an extensive interview with Benjamin Murmelstein, the last president of the Jewish Council in the Theresienstadt ghetto; and 2017’s Four Sisters, Lanzmann’s final multi-part film, which comprises a series of interviews with female survivors Paula Biren, Ruth Elias, Ada Lichtman and Hanna Marton.
The latter film premiered on French television the day before the filmmaker’s passing in 2018.
Lanzmann’s movies are characterized by a relentless and uncompromising pursuit of truth, collectively shining a light on history’s darkest chapters.
Born on November 27, 1925, in Bois-Colombes, France, Lanzmann grew up in a Jewish family of Eastern European descent. As a teenager during World War II, studying at the Lycée Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, he joined the French Resistance, fighting in Auvergne and demonstrating an early courage and commitment to combatting oppression. The trauma of those years deeply impacted Lanzmann, and clearly informed his later work and intellectual development.
After the war, he studied philosophy at the University of Tübingen in Germany, and lectured on French literature and philosophy at the Free University of Berlin.
In the early 1950s, Lanzmann began a career in journalism, contributing to publications such as Elle and Le Monde, and establishing himself as a commentator on political and social issues. His association with existentialist philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir would prove pivotal. Lanzmann became deeply involved with Les Temps Modernes, the influential French journal the duo founded, eventually becoming its editor-in-chief in 1986 – a position he held until his passing.
Lanzmann’s relationship with de Beauvoir was both personal and profound. Despite having a 17-year age difference, they shared a passionate love affair from 1952-59, with their time together significantly influencing his intellectual development. De Beauvoir dedicated her 1954 book The Mandarins to him, and they shared a bond characterized by mutual respect and a commitment to existentialist ideals.
Lanzmann later wrote on their relationship in his memoir, reflecting on the impact she had on his life and work. “She never let me lose hope,” he told me in 2013. “Never.” When Shoah was finally released in 1985, de Beauvoir proved a key supporter, penning a breathless and influential front-page review for Le Monde.
Lanzmann’s transition from journalism to filmmaking began in 1973. Pourquoi Israël explores the complexities of Israeli identity and society shortly after the Six-Day War, marking the beginning of what would prove to be a long-term engagement with Jewish history and contemporary issues. The success of the documentary set the stage for his magnum opus, Shoah, which comprised 12 grueling years of meticulous research, intensive interviews, extensive filming and demanding editing.
He traveled extensively to capture the testimonies of those connected to the Holocaust, often conducting interviews in multiple languages. The years were unhappy ones, and clearly took a toll. Finishing the film was “like a bereavement,” he told PBS’s Roger Rosenblatt in 1985. “I made the film, but the film made me.”
For many of the witnesses and death camp survivors featured in Shoah, it was the first time – and in some cases the only time – they sat to be interviewed about their experiences.
Beyond his cinematic oeuvre, the filmmaker also authored multiple books, including his 2009 memoir Le lièvre de Patagonie (The Patagonian Hare), in which he reflects on work, relationships, and the experiences that shaped his worldview. That memoir was followed by 2012’s La Tombe du Divin Plongeur (The Tomb of the Divine Diver), which collected articles, essays, personal reflections, and celebrity profiles from the 1950s and 1960s.
In addition to his oft-noted relationship with de Beauvoir, Lanzmann was married multiple times; first, to French actress Judith Magre from 1963 until their divorce in 1971, and then later to German-Jewish writer Angelika Schrobsdorff. He married a third and final time in 1995, to Dominique Petithory-Lanzmann, with whom he had a son, Félix Lanzmann.
Tragically, their son passed away from cancer in 2017 at the age of 23; a loss that deeply affected the Lanzmanns. Today, Dominique serves as the executor of Claude’s estate, and maintains The Claude and Félix Lanzmann Association (L’Association Claude et Félix Lanzmann) in their memory.
Throughout his career, Lanzmann received numerous cinematic honours, including BAFTA’s Flaherty Award for Best Documentary; an Honorary Golden Bear (for lifetime achievement) from the Berlinale; and an Honorary César Award.
He was also decorated as a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour – France’s highest civilian accolade – and given the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit. In Germany, he was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, bestowed for special achievements in political, cultural and intellectual fields.
Lanzmann remained active in said intellectual circles until his passing on July 5, 2018, at the age of 92. He was granted a state funeral with military honours.
His work continues to have an enduring influence on documentary filmmaking and studies of the Holocaust, and serves as testament to the power of memory, the importance of bearing witness, and the enduring need to confront the truths of our collective past, however difficult they may be.
In 2013, Lanzmann sat with me in Paris to discuss in depth the difficult years he spent making Shoah, along with other stories from his life. At 87, he was difficult, cantankerous, and world-weary – yet also reflective, insightful, and remarkably generous in sharing his time and memory, both of which he proffered freely.
These interviews form the emotional and narrative backbone of our 2015 documentary, Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah.
– Adam Benzine (May 2025)
FURTHER READING: My extensive National Post obituary for Claude Lanzmann, written in 2018, is available here.