Prisoner of Paradise (2004)

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... 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]

Director: Malcolm Clarke

Director: Malcolm Clarke
Studio: Menemsha