Prisoner of Paradise

"The startling true story of a Jewish director ordered to make a propaganda film for the Nazis."

2003 1h 36m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 4

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film tells the true story of Kurt Gerron, a German-Jewish cabaret and film actor in the 1920s and 1930s who was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp where he was commanded to write and direct a Nazi propaganda film.

“The startling true story of a Jewish director ordered to make a propaganda film for the Nazis.”

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Cast

Ian Holm
Narrator (voice)
Robert Lantz
Self
Eleonore Hertzberg
Self
Lone Koppel
Self
Renée Saint-Cyr
Self
Kurt Gerron
Self (archival footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stuart Sender
Writers: Malcolm Clarke
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stuart Sender, shot by Michael Hammon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Luc St. Pierre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Glenn Berman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ian Holm and Robert Lantz and Eleonore Hertzberg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The startling true story of a Jewish director ordered to make a propaganda film for the Nazis.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0316013 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stuart Sender directs. Michael Hammon behind the camera. Luc St. Pierre scores. Glenn Berman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2International production across 4 countries: Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Stuart Sender, shot by Michael Hammon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Luc St. Pierre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Glenn Berman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ian Holm and Robert Lantz and Eleonore Hertzberg carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The startling true story of a Jewish director ordered to make a propaganda film for the Nazis.".
8IMDB entry: tt0316013 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.