GOD ON TRIAL

GOD ON TRIAL - 2008

RATED - NR but probably PG for adult themes. Total rear nudity of male prisoners being 'examined' by the doctor to determine who dies and who lives.

RATINGS - 12 Amazon (5/5), 4,476 Netflix (3.4/5), 360 IMDB (7.3/10).

THEMES - Spirituality, justice, character of God.

STORY - This outstanding PBS Masterpiece Theater film recreates what was possibly an actual event that took place at Auschwitz. Some of the prisoners, including a group of new arrivals still in shock, were discussing (not unlike the debate Job and his friends had) whether God had broken His covenant with them as His chosen people by allowing them to be exterminated by the Nazis. They decided the only way to decide was to put God on trial. A panel of three 'judges' was selected, one of whom actually taught criminal law in real life. . What follows is a passionate discussion of whether God has abandoned His people and, therefore, is guilty of the atrocities happening there. The discussion is well reasoned and intelligent. How can a loving God allow this evil, especially with those He is supposed to have such a special relationship with? You may find yourself asking the same questions. How is this possible? What kind of God would allow this? A father and son, one slated to die the next day, vigorously disagree. It's one thing to talk about evil in the abstract. It's quite another to talk about when you are facing the death sentence the next day. You may be surprised at which one defends God and why. The debate is vigorous and stimulating. You may be surprised at the 'verdict'. For many people, this is the ultimate question. How do we deal with evil and a loving God? The acting is terrific and realistic. Watch this and 'you be the judge'. A wonderful contribution to quality programming on television. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 09/12/09.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ELIE WIESEL BOOK -TRIAL OF GOD

INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS

INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS - STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT (2000)

RATED - PG for thematic elements.

RATINGS - 28 Amazon (5/5), 60,111 Netflix (3.8/5), 781 IMDB (7.9/10).

AWARDS - Academy Award for BEST DOCUMENTARY. Another 5 wins and 4 nominations.

STORY - Imagine being a young child and your parents put you on a train to England to live with people you've never met in a place you've never seen. This is the story of 10,000 children who lived in German-held lands and whose parents sent them to Great Britain with the hopes and prayers that they would have a better chance of surviving the terror and horror the Nazis were already inflicting on Jews and others. Mixing interviews with some of these children and their 'foster' families with rare archival footage, this Oscar winning film for BEST DOCUMENTARY, is a powerful story of the courage of not only these children but their parents who were willing to sacrifice for them. Almost all of these children lost their parents to Nazi atrocities. Some of them were able to help get their parents liberated after they reached England. One girl was pulled out of the window of the train as it was leaving because her father couldn't bear to see her go. She survived eight concentration camps to tell her story. Her parents did not. 1,500,000 children were exterminated by the Nazis. These 10,000 lived because of the compassion and kindness of the citizens of Great Britain. According to the film, a bill in the U.S. Congress died in committee because it was determined that 'adopting' the 25,000 children being proposed was a violation of God's law by separating parents from their children. While many of the films rightly emphasize the horrors of the holocaust, this one shows the goodness of those who gave of themselves so 10,000 children could live. A fascinating and moving film, not like other holocaust films. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06/27/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB.

CONSPIRACY

CONSPIRACY - 2001

RATED - R for language. Not the worst I've heard but take it seriously.

RATINGS - 113 Amazon (4.5/5), 62,678 (3.6/5), 4,997 (7.8/10)

AWARDS - Many awards & nominations including Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody. AWARDS

THEMES - Evil, pure and simple.

STORY - This film is another relatively unknown HBO made for TV gem. It is based on the minutes of an actual meeting in 1942 of Nazi Department Heads. All the notes were to have been destroyed but one copy survived. This was a meeting convened by Adolf Eichmann in a suburban mansion outside Berlin. The agenda: what to do about the Jewish storage problem. With the Nazi war machine devouring the German treasury, they had to make a decision about all the Jews in work camps that were becoming very expensive to maintain. Until this point, there had been no overall German plan for dealing with the 'Jewish problem'. This meeting determined the fate of millions of Jewish citizens. The film does not try to sensationalize or over dramatize this event. In many ways, it comes across as a corporate board of directors meeting or cabinet level meeting for government. Evil can be so cold and calculating and seemingly rational. This is a reminder that evil does not always or often come in frenzied, worked up packages but often through the distorted worldview of 'normal' people like all of us. A well done, tightly scripted movie with excellent performances by the cast that will give you chills when you consider the ramifications of one hour of time with these 15 men. The setting (basically one room) and intensity remind me of 12 ANGRY MEN. Watch a piece of history that changed our world forever. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 03/14/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

AFTER THE TRUTH

AFTER THE TRUTH - 1999

RATED - NR but probably PG for some language and a shadowy image of an elderly man getting out of the shower.

RATINGS - Amazon - none, 2 Netflix (4/5), 476 IMDB (7.6/10).

STARRING - Gotz George (Dr. Josef Mengele), Kai Wiesinger (Attorney Peter Rohm)

AWARDS - Many nominations including EUROPEAN FILM AWARD for Best Actor (George).

THEMES - Justice, truth, eugenics, social Darwinism.

STORY - The Holocaust continues to haunt the world with the unbelievable evil and atrocities that occurred. This is the 'what if' story of Dr. Josef Mengele, the Auschwitz 'Angel of Death'. What if Mengele had turned himself in and was tried for his crimes. Who would defend him? Attorney Peter Rohm (Wiesinger), who grew up in Mengele's home town and is fascinated (obsessed?) with his story must decide whether to accept that challenge. He has wanted to write a book about Mengele but has been holding off because he can't understand why someone who was a former neighbor could be responsible for the deaths of some 400,000 individuals. He wanted to title the book 'One of Us'. In addition to believing everyone is entitled to legal representation, he wants to find out the truth so he accepts. What follows is a sobering and fascinating look at the mind of Mengele as he stands trial. First, we learn he was not alone. In 1920 the book The Permission to Destroy Life Not Worth Living was published and set the course for German medicine for the next 25 years. This is part thriller, part courtroom drama, part moral question. Was Mengele a psychopathic monster or just your neighbor gone wrong? In his closing argument Rohm says, 'The road to Auschwitz isn't so long, as long as you take it one step at a time.' As the end of the film is fading out, Mengele looks directly at the camera and asks, 'Do you see at least a bit of yourself in me?' Don't answer too quickly. A powerful film about evil that still haunts us today. Very highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 11/15/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, WIKIPEDIA, CHILDREN OF THE FLAMES, IGNATIUS PRESS

THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH

THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH - 1975

RATED - PG probably for adult issues and emotional intensity.

RATINGS - 10 Amazon (4.5/5), 3,242 Netflix (3.2/5), 268 IMDB (7.6/10).

STARRING - Maximilian Schell, directed by Arthur Hiller.

AWARDS - Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Schell).

THEMES - Guilt, forgiveness, prejudice, persecution, hatred.

STORY - The film begins on the balcony of a luxurious penthouse apartment in New York City overlooking Central Park. An obviously wealthy, Jewish businessman, Arthur Goldman (Schell) is pontificating about seemingly random subjects to his loyal assistants. At first, he seems just eccentric but then you being to question his sanity. The line between sanity and eccentricity blurs even further as he sees his father (murdered in Auschwitz) working a food cart on the street below and as he begins to act paranoid over a blue Mercedes he believes is watching his apartment. Then, suddenly, two men (Israeli agents) break into his apartment and arrest/abduct him for being Adolph Dorf, the SS Colonel in charge of the concentration camp where Goldman's parents were killed. The scene moves to a jail cell in Jerusalem where the prosecutor fills Goldman/Dorf in on the charges and where he announces he will defend himself. The trial begins and Goldman/Dorf is put in a soundproof, bulletproof booth for his protection. I won't tell any more of the story but hang in there during the first half hour because here's where the story really gets interesting and Schell puts on a powerful performance worthy of his Oscar nomination. Who really is Goldman/Dorf. Is he the killer the Israelis believe or have they made a tragic mistake? What is the mental state of someone who has survived the holocaust while their family has been exterminated? Can the real truth be known? Originally, this was a stage play, and was adapted for the big screen as part of a project to bring the theater to the masses. It will leave you thinking much more deeply about the holocaust experience of the Jewish people. Not a light film by any means but worthwhile watching. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 05/26/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS - 2007

RATED - NR

RATINGS - 3 Amazon (4.5/5), 59 Netflix (3.4/5)

THEMES - Forgiveness, spirituality, justice.

STORY - What does it mean to forgive someone? How do you go about forgiving? Does it mean that we forgo justice? Is forgiving simply a spiritual experience between an individual and God or does it play out on many different levels? These and other questions are addressed in this look at forgiveness by filmmaker Martin Doblmeier (Bonhoeffer). It looks at real life examples of forgiveness such as the Amish in the wake of the killing of five Amish schoolgirls that ripped their community. It shows the speech Elie Weisel made to the German Bundestadt challenging them to ask forgiveness of the Jewish people and then two months later, the speech made to the Israeli Knesset by the President of Germany asking forgiveness on behalf of Germany. It looks at forgiveness on many different levels including the physical level and how forgiveness (or lack of it) affects us physically and shows examples of forgiveness being taught in elementary schools as well as being offered in colleges. It shows three women who lost loved ones in 9/11 who travel to Lebanon to experience the Garden of Forgiveness established by the Lebanese and wonder why there is so much opposition to establishing a Garden of Forgiveness on the WTC site. While many might want to limit forgiveness to a theological discussion (and it certainly is a major if not THE major theological doctrine), this film shows the power of forgiveness beyond just the theological implications and how our world could be different if forgiveness were taken seriously and practiced by everyone. At the very least, this should be a wonderful conversation starter for those serious about studying forgiveness. Think of the political ramifications if candidates running for office would stand up and ask forgiveness of their opponents when they say something in error or intentionally malign them or if corporate leaders would ask forgiveness of shareholders for the mistakes they made in the name of corporate profits and greed. Perhaps, like most things, it works best if it starts from the individual and community level and works upward. That means it starts with you and me. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 03/30/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON