Lanzmann, then 87, was very much still at the centre stage of life and intellectual discourse, and an extremely busy man.
Murmelstein was the first interview of hundreds that Lanzmann carried out for Shoah between 1974 and 1980, before embarking on a five-year editing process.
Polish antisemitism was so starkly demonstrated by Shoah that Warsaw demanded the film be banned after its premiere in Paris.
I eventually found out that Lanzmann was not much interested in reminiscing about his youth or the past.