Trailer: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Posted on March 5, 2014 at 8:00 am

One of the most touching moments of the Oscars was the award for a documentary short called “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life.”  It is the story of Alice Herz-Sommer, the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor, who died at age 110 just before her story was celebrated at the Oscars.  She was born in Prague.  Her parents’ friends included Kafka and Mahler.  After the Nazis invaded, she was sent to Theresienstadt with her son.  That camp was notoriously used to mislead Red Cross inspectors and others and she performed in over 100 concerts for visitors.

Her husband died in Dachau.  After the war, she emigrated to Israel, and later lived in London.  “I am Jewish,” she said, “but my religion is Beethoven.” A book about her life, A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World’s Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor, was published in 26 countries.

Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed accepted their Oscar for the film on Sunday night and spoke movingly of their admiration and affection for Herz-Sommer.  I  hope this award helps make their film widely available.

 

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Documentary Spiritual films Trailers, Previews, and Clips

Contest Winners: Legos and Grace Unplugged

Posted on March 4, 2014 at 3:59 pm

Many thanks to all who entered!  I wish I had a prize for everyone.

Winners:

“The Lego Movie” minifigs: Zach J., Jefferson City, MO

“Grace Unplugged” DVD and CD: V Franz, Haysville KS

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Contests and Giveaways

Contest: Bible Secrets Revealed

Posted on March 4, 2014 at 8:00 am

The History Channel’s Bible Secrets Revealed premieres on DVD today and I have three copies to give away!

The series covers the history of the Bible and its translations and editors over the centuries, from the moral codes of the Old Testament to the apocalyptic predictions of the Book of Revelation. Over the course of six episodes, scholars, archaeologists and religious leaders share their knowledge about the Biblical text on sex, prophecies, the life of Jesus, the portions of the original documents that have been removed, and the state of Israel, with on-location photography and compelling reenactments.  Professor Robert Gargill, consulting producer of the series, understands the sensitivity of the material.  He says that “the show isn’t attempting to ‘debunk’ anything. The show is attempting to show how scholars read some of the more significant texts in the Bible. The divinity of the Bible is up to the reader to conclude or not. What we’re trying to show is that the text isn’t always as simple as it appears, especially in multiple translations.”  If, as some people of faith believe, the various translations and amendments to the text were divinely inspired, it is all the more reason to study the changes and ponder the reasons.  The series features scholars from conservative Christian schools, as well as state schools, private Christian and Catholic colleges, and private secular colleges, including Bob Mullins (Azusa Pacific), Jeffrey C. Geoghegan (Boston College), Bryan Givens (Pepperdine), Chris Keith (St. Mary’s University College), Candida Moss (Notre Dame), as well as Muslim, Jewish, atheist, and agnostic scholars, to provide a broad spectrum of how scholars of different viewpoints read the texts.

If you would like to win a copy of this thought-provoking series, send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Secrets” in the subject line and tell me a teacher who inspired you.  Don’t forget your address!  (US addresses only).  I’ll pick a winner on March 10.  Good luck!

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Contests and Giveaways Spiritual films

What’s the Deal with Swords and Sandals?

Posted on March 3, 2014 at 10:00 pm

It’s only the first week of March and already we are getting our third sword-and-sandal movie.  In January, there was The Legend of Hercules.  February was Pompeii.  This week is the follow-up to 300, based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, “300: Rise of an Empire.”  “Son of God” is the story of the life of Jesus, set near the same time period.peabody egypt

Oh, and “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” the story of a time-traveling dog and his adopted human son, ends up in sword-and-sandal days, too, with trips to ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.  Coming up, the Biblical stories “Noah” and “Exodus” take us back thousands of years as well.

Those days continue to play a vital role in our imagination and our literature.  Just as Shakespeare wrote about Julius Ceasar, Freud wrote about Oedipus, and PBS and HBO have had hit series set in ancient Rome, we will continue to be enthralled by the battles, the poetry, and the grand dreams (and grand mistakes) of people who lived more than two thousand years ago.

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