Out
of the Ashes
Description of Film:
Out of the Ashes, made for cable television,
was directed by Joseph Sargent (Bojangles, Miss
Ever’s Boys). The film was based on the
real-life discrimination, hatred, and brutal
abuse faced by a Jewish Hungarian woman trying
to survive the Holocaust. Christine Lahti (Jack
& Bobby, Swing Shift, Running on Empty)
stars as Dr. Gisella Perl, a gynecologist faced
with moral dilemmas at the Auschwitz death camp
during WWII. She gives the audience a vivid
description of her attempts to survive the Nazi’s
abuse while trying to convince an American immigration
board to grant her citizenship. Dr. Perl is
being questioned about the ethics of her actions
and moral reasoning because she collaborated
with German doctors. To gain citizenship and
continue to work as a doctor, she must relive
the horrible memories of those times as she
answers questions for the board.
The film, written by Anne Meredith, also stars
Bruce Davidson, Richard Crenna, Beau Bridges,
and Jonathan Cake. This film is rated R for
violence/cruelty and some nudity.
Why I Recommend This Film:
This is a must-see film. It includes many
extremely clear and fresh pictures of hate that
put you in the shoes of the victims. Some graphic
scenes of the treatment of women caused its
R rating. The most attractive feature of Out
of the Ashes is its descriptive, colorful background
and imagery. The film won an Emmy Award in 2003
for its cinematography. This high quality film
satisfies the imagination and paints a powerful
picture of war times. In almost every scene,
you can gather an understanding of how hate
can be the root of unfair treatment, privilege,
discrimination, and death.
Why This Film is Important:
This film can be used to teach people
how to confront hate. It encourages privileged
people, whomever they may be, to at least recognize
the point of view held by less privileged people.
For example, in one of my favorite scenes, Dr.
Perl is being challenged for hours with questions
about her morality. She asks the board …”America
knew! You all knew and you sat here and did
nothing?” Most underprivileged people
don’t get the chance to challenge a privileged
group to do something to help. This film suggests
that if privileged people do nothing to help
less privileged people who are in crisis, they
have no moral ground upon which to question
the ethics of the underprivileged.
Favorite Quotation: The
horrors of the Nazi era are clearly evident
when Dr. Mangela speaks about replicating the
process of birthing twins to Dr. Perl: “Could
we replicate that process in other women; specifically
in Arian women? … What an ingenious way to quickly
multiply a pure Arian race…First we must eliminate
all contaminants of pure Arian blood, yeah?”
Reference: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/out_of_the_ashes/ |
