MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Toute la mémoire du monde" or "All the Memory of the World" is a French black-and-white film by Alain Resnais from 60 years ago. It's interesting that two of the three people involved with this documentary became over 90 years old and the third also made it past 80. Admittedly, most of the books in this documentary are much older still. And that's basically what it is: a 20-minute documentary about a gigantic library in the French capital. I have to say it was never really interesting and even to people who often go to libraries I'd rather recommend to read a good book than to watch this one here. It's really only worth a watch for nostalgic reasons, maybe especially for French or even better Parisian citizens. The rest can really do without it. Not recommended.

Red-Barracuda Toute la mémoire du monde is a short documentary that Alain Resnais made before he became one of the giants of the New Wave. In some ways it does prefigure some of the ideas he would explore in his future feature films. For instance, while this may be a documentary about the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, it is also interested in exploring the mazes of the mind; in this respect it has much in common with Resnais most famous film Last Year at Marienbad. We look at this famous library and liken it to a physical representation of a mind. We see how knowledge is organised within it, with the purpose of storing it away for some future reference not yet known. The library is depicted as a growing entity; almost alive. As more books are published it burrows deeper into the ground to accommodate them and to ensure that the memories of our culture are never lost.Aside from this, it works as an interesting look at a famous institution. When you watch it now, it's difficult not to think that the smallest of computers could now store the entire contents of the library back then. Advances in technology have changed things irrevocably. But I like to think that this old library is still growing and evolving to accommodate physical media and always will do. Some things are worth preserving and to never be forgotten.

FilmCriticLalitRao France is one of the few nations in the world where books and literature are held in very high esteem. This is an extremely propitious sign which symbolizes the vitality of the true 'book culture'. This culture finds its reflection in French documentary film "Toute La Mémoire Du Monde" which has been directed by Alain Resnais-one of French cinema's greatest directors. Apart from books, Resnais also discusses all forms of printed information. Although this film was shot in 1956 at Bibliothèque Nationale De France (BNF), French National Library, one could still find intact many of the places shown in the film. This is because even after an interval of 57 years, BNF continues to grow at an amazing pace without sacrificing even an ounce of its resources. One should not wonder if one is told that the use of technology to do all activities related to books have increased significantly at BNF. Toute La Mémoire Du Monde has been shot like a feature film with a mellifluous background score, taut narration and highly professional camera work. As a film, it is an extremely important work of art for students, librarians, information seekers, cultural enthusiasts and anybody who is interested in the enigmatic world of books.Lastly, it must be mentioned that Resnais has used memory as knowledge for this film as it is through knowledge that human beings would be able to overcome all their differences.This is the reason why "Mémoire" is as important as "Connaissance".

MARIO GAUCI Celebrated documentary short by soon-to-be “New Wave” film-maker Resnais about the mausoleum that is the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris: whether consciously or not, it’s photographed in a way as to seem like an alien building from some sci-fi piece (a genre with which the director’s ensuing cerebral, maze-like work would be inextricably linked); indeed, it’s the stunning direction and indelible strains of Maurice Jarre’s music which elevate this one above being a mere documentary about a public library.This fascinating film makes a case for both the intrinsic value of literature of any kind – back in a time when books (rather than the Internet) were the main source/store of information – and the often painstaking conservation of same for future reference, even by generations to come (the inference here being that an analogous consideration should be applied to film as well, involving a relatively similar process with respect to its maintenance).Incidentally, ALL THE WORLD’S MEMORY is available on the R2 DVDs of both Resnais’ own LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD (1961; released by Optimum) and Jacques Rivette’s playful but no less didactic CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING (1974; a 2-Disc Set from the BFI)!