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Features: DVD, Widescreen
Prisoner of Paradise is the startling true story of Kurt Gerron, a well-known and beloved German-Jewish actor, director and cabaret star in Berlin in the 1920's and '30's. Among his greatest accomplishments, he co-starred with the legendary Marlene Dietrich in the film classic The Blue Angel. Gerron also sang Mack The Knife in the original production of Threepenny Opera. Ultimately, he was captured and sent to a concentration camp, where he was ordered to write and direct a pro-Nazi propaganda film. Prisoner of Paradise follows Kurt Gerron's career and remarkable odyssey, offering a unique prospective on this extraordinary period.
"Gripping documentary. " Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
"A fascinating and painful account of an entertainer..." J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Editor's Note
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.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 5/9/2009 |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 705014 | | UPC: 00841887050142 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W and Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Ian Holm - Narrated By | | Luc St. Pierre - Musical Score | | Malcolm Clarke - Writer | | Malcolm Clarke - Producer | | Malcolm Clarke - Director | | Michael Hammon - Cinematographer | | Stuart Sender - Executive Producer | | Stuart Sender - Director |
| Awards |
Oscar (2003) | | | Malcolm Clarke, Stuart Sender, Nominee, Best Documentary, Features |
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| | Professional Reviews | Hollywood Reporter 7 of 10
What distinguishes Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender's film from the many similarly themed efforts th - Frank Scheck
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