Prisoner of Paradise (2004)
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 90 mins
Theatrical Release: Dec 5, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: Unearthed from the annals of history, the biography of Kurt Gerron is a strange, conflicted, and unsettling story that illustrates the tragedies and absurdities of life under the Nazi regime in new ways. One of the most popular actors in Germany during the 1920s and 30s, the Jewish Gerron... Unearthed from the annals of history, the biography of Kurt Gerron is a strange, conflicted, and unsettling story that illustrates the tragedies and absurdities of life under the Nazi regime in new ways. One of the most popular actors in Germany during the 1920s and 30s, the Jewish Gerron co-starred with Marlene Dietrich in her breakthrough film THE BLUE ANGEL, and sang "Mack the Knife" in the original production of Bertolt Brecht's THE THREEPENNY OPERA. He was known for his distinctive singing style, and his numerous filmic appearances eventually gave way to directing; in love with his work, Gerron refused multiple opportunities to escape to Hollywood with colleagues Fritz Lang, Dietrich, and Peter Lorre. Even when the Nazis banned Jews from work in the entertainment industry, Gerron stuck around to tour and perform with the gypsies. Eventually interred at Theresienstadt, Gerron was presented a choice by his captors: he must either direct a pro-Nazi propaganda film, depicting the concentration camp as a Bohemian paradise of flourishing art and culture, or face death. The result was THE FUHRER GIVES A CITY TO THE JEWS, an exercise in deception written and directed by the imprisoned Gerron. Directors Malcom Clarke (SOLDIER'S IN HIDING) and Stuart Sender's exploration of this delicate subject resists the temptation to judge, treating their subject with compassion and subtlety, and forcing viewers to ask difficult questions about the lengths humanity will go to in order to survive. [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
DVD Info
Release:
Apr 12, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 16.9
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
One of the more bizarre Holocaust stories comes to light in the impressive, handsomely made Prisoner of Paradise.
A good example of a film that lets one person's life tell higher truths about a major time in human history.
It can be hard to conceptualize mass murder, but using the media to lie is a concept we're all quite familiar with in this day and age
Directors Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender tell this story dispassionately, letting it evoke pity without asking us to see Gerron as a hero.
Excels is in its interviewees and the range of its historical images and information.
An engrossing documentary about one of the least known and most unexpected aspects of the Nazi war against the Jews.
An extraordinary documentary about the German entertainer Kurt Gerron.
It's a testament to the power of the documentary that we're still rooting for him, even when Gerron has sold his final few shreds of decency to the devil.
Unsatisfactory documentary that leaves too many questions unanswered.
The history is frustratingly conveyed and the emphasis is out of whack in this disappointing effort.
As a tragic example of supreme denial, Gerron, the man, will resonate with artists and laymen alike, as will this troubling documentary.
”Prisoner of Pleasure” is a different look at the victims of the Holocaust through the story of a talented, popular actor and director...
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