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Prisoner of Paradise

Play trailer Poster for Prisoner of Paradise 2002 1h 36m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Nazis force actor and filmmaker Kurt Gerron, incarcerated in a concentration camp, to make a propaganda movie.

Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Curiel San Francisco Chronicle 11/05/2004
4/4
A good example of a film that lets one person's life tell higher truths about a major time in human history. Go to Full Review Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 04/15/2004
3.5/5
An engrossing documentary about one of the least known and most unexpected aspects of the Nazi war against the Jews. Go to Full Review Ella Taylor L.A. Weekly 04/15/2004
An extraordinary documentary about the German entertainer Kurt Gerron. Go to Full Review Robert Denerstein Denver Rocky Mountain News 02/11/2005
B
Chris Hewitt St. Paul Pioneer Press 12/16/2004
3.5/4
One of the more bizarre Holocaust stories comes to light in the impressive, handsomely made Prisoner of Paradise. Go to Full Review Luke Y. Thompson New Times 10/28/2004
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 Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Fong Kok Hoong F 09/11/2014 A very sorrowful documentary about an extremely gifted Jewish entertainer whose talents are last used in a concentration camp, directing a propaganda film for the Nazis and then sent away to be executed. See more 09/08/2013 Gripping documentary. See more 07/21/2013 Interesting and sad biography of Kurt Gerron, Jewish actor and filmmaker who missed several opportunities to escape the Nazi occupation of Europe and ended up being forced to make a film depicting the Nazi lie about concentration camps. See more 02/11/2012 After seeing "Way to Heaven" at The New Jewish Theatre this past week, I took my buddy, Shannon's, advice and watched this documentary regarding Kurt Gerron, a German-Jewish cabaret and film actor who was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp during WWII, where he was commanded to write and direct a Nazi propaganda film (or lose his life). Way to Heaven was only "inspired by" the events of Theresienstadt and centers specifically around a successful hoax in which a visiting Red Cross representative is shown an alternate reality of the camp, and leaves to write (even if with misgivings) a report stating that those being held at the camp were being treated well. It was disturbing enough in a fictional account on the stage, but watching this documentary and learning the actual story of Gerron and those at Theresienstadt is maddening. Such an atrocious point and time in our history. Nonetheless, this documentary is a fascinating story of moral ambiguity, the fight for survival at all costs... and an excellent reminder for us all to cling to our humanity, fight for human rights, and learn to recognize and be wary of the propaganda that we're hit with at all times from all sides. See more 06/19/2010 This is extremely well done. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of old cinema or history...or both... See more 11/23/2008 Sometimes the show shouldn't go on. See more Read all reviews
Prisoner of Paradise

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Malcolm Clarke

Director

Stuart Sender

Director

Kurt Gerron

Self

Silvia Grohs Martin

Self

Robby Lantz

Self

Ela Weissberger

Self

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Prisoner of Paradise

Prisoner of Paradise (2002) A scene from PRISONER OF PARADISE, an Odeon Films Inc. release. A scene from PRISONER OF PARADISE, an Odeon Films Inc. release. A scene from PRISONER OF PARADISE, an Odeon Films Inc. release. A scene from PRISONER OF PARADISE, an Odeon Films Inc. release. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Nazis force actor and filmmaker Kurt Gerron, incarcerated in a concentration camp, to make a propaganda movie.
Director
Malcolm Clarke, Stuart Sender
Producer
Malcolm Clarke, Karl-Eberhard Schäfer
Screenwriter
Malcolm Clarke
Distributor
Odeon Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 11, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 11, 2020
Runtime
1h 36m