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MOVIES / ON DVD / PRISONER OF PARADISE
Prisoner of Paradise

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Prisoner of Paradise (2004)

82%
85%
0%
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82 %
Reviews Counted: 28 Fresh: 23  Rotten:5 Average Rating: 7.1/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

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

Director: Malcolm Clarke

DVD Info

Release:

Apr 12, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 16.9

Interactive Features:

  • Scene Access

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/11/05
Denver Post
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B

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02/11/05
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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3.5/4

One of the more bizarre Holocaust stories comes to light in the impressive, handsomely made Prisoner of Paradise.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/16/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
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4/4

A good example of a film that lets one person's life tell higher truths about a major time in human history.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/05/04
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
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N/A

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

Full Review | comment Comment
10/28/04
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times
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4/4

Directors Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender tell this story dispassionately, letting it evoke pity without asking us to see Gerron as a hero.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/08/04
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
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3/5

Excels is in its interviewees and the range of its historical images and information.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/16/04
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine
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3.5/5

An engrossing documentary about one of the least known and most unexpected aspects of the Nazi war against the Jews.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/15/04
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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N/A

An extraordinary documentary about the German entertainer Kurt Gerron.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/15/04
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly
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3/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/06/04
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
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2/5

Unsatisfactory documentary that leaves too many questions unanswered.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/07/04
Phil Hall
Film Threat
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/31/03
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
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2/4

The history is frustratingly conveyed and the emphasis is out of whack in this disappointing effort.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/19/03
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald
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N/A

As a tragic example of supreme denial, Gerron, the man, will resonate with artists and laymen alike, as will this troubling documentary.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/16/03
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
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3.5/4

Ggripping documentary.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/13/03
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
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1.5/4

Frustratingly superficial.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/13/03
Megan Lehmann
New York Post
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3.5/5

This is one story that must be seen to be believed.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/12/03
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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3/4

Chilling and provocative.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/12/03
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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B

”Prisoner of Pleasure” is a different look at the victims of the Holocaust through the story of a talented, popular actor and director...

Full Review | comment Comment
12/12/03
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
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B+

Completely captivating.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/12/03
E! Online
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
PRISONER OF PARADISE . . . captures an Oscar nomination (Best documentary feature)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 4/3/05


REEL_REVIEWER
PRISONER OF PARADISE . . . captures an Oscar nomination (Best documentary feature)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 4/3/05


REEL_REVIEWER
PRISONER OF PARADISE . . . captures an Oscar nomination (Best documentary feature)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 4/3/05


REEL_REVIEWER
PRISONER OF PARADISE . . . captures an Oscar nomination (Best documentary feature)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 4/3/05

Around the Network

• Prisoner of Paradise at Rotten Tomatoes
• Prisoner of Paradise at AskMen
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