Paper Clips

Product Description

In 1998, a group of Tennessee schoolchildren embarked on a class project that would change their lives and impact those of countless others around the world. Responding to a history lesson about the Holocaust, the students began collecting 11 million paper clips (a Norwegian symbol of Nazi resistance) to commemorate each of the lives lost in the concentration camps. As news of the Paper Clip Project spread through the Internet, the children found themselves aided by total strangers in their effort to build a permanent memorial to tolerance and diversity in their schoolyard. Filmmakers Elliot Berlin and Joe Fab document the project in their documentary, PAPER CLIPS, for a moving testament to Margaret Mead's assertion that "a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world."

System Requirements:

Running Time 84 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Paper Clips is an inspiring 2004 documentary about a consciousness-raising project that blossomed into something beautiful at a rural Tennessee school. When the principal of Whitwell Middle School sought a program that would teach diversity to a predominantly white, Protestant student body, the notion of focusing on the Holocaust--specifically Hitler's extermination of six million Jews--seemed like an obvious way to go. But understanding what "six million" looks like became a challenge. Thus was born the idea of collecting that number of paper clips at Whitwell as a visual reference.

But then it turned out paper clips actually have, in historical terms, symbolic value where the Holocaust is concerned. In this moving film, one sees Whitwell students dig into research on Germany's genocidal campaign, solicit clips from a variety of leaders and celebrities, and make a name for themselves on the national news. In time, the world comes to Whitwell's doorstep, via unsolicited donations of clips from people around the world, and in a tearful meeting of students and Holocaust survivors. The dimensions of the project, the lessons about prejudice and intolerance, are stunning to watch grow beyond anyone's wildest expectations. This is a great film for families and classrooms to watch together. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Prepare to have your heart broken.......2007-08-20

I had no idea, when I borrowed this DVD from a friend, that it would have such an overwhelming effect on my heart, on my teaching. There is more here than the documentary of a school project. I have purchased a copy for myself, and for my daughter, who is also a teacher. There are many, many lessons to be learned here, including the one I believe is the most subtle, yet the most powerful: Even nice, loving, kind people, when they are honest, will admit to prejudice; but when they become aware of it, they can change. This is a great little film.

Paper Clips.......2007-07-23

Thanks to sure-handed direction from film-makers Elliot Berlin and Joe Fab, this incredibly moving and inspiring true story unfolds without unnecessary embellishment, allowing us to witness a worthy project from its nascent stages to what eventually becomes an extraordinary human phenomenon. "Paper Clips" is an important, life-affirming film, must-viewing for parents and older children. Don't miss this one!

Always the ones you least suspect.......2007-07-11

This powerful documentary explores the amazing project undertaken by Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee in 1998, first just to learn about the Shoah and then to collect 6 million paper clips, to have some kind of visual idea of just how many 6 million really is. They chose the paper clip to represent the murdered because it was invented in Norway in 1899, and during WWII, under the Nazi occupation and the dictatorial rule of the puppet ruler Vidkun Quisling, it was worn on people's collars as a secret symbol of resistance. But as more and more people nationwide and worldwide heard about their project, they soon far exceeded their original goal of 6 million and ended up getting over 30 million. The film itself, which also began as a story of how this seemingly unlikely school collected all of these paper clips and began having this class on the Shoah, to teach about tolerance and the dangers of prejudice and discrimination to a group of kids in an extremely homogenous small community, eventually evolved into something more. It became a story about how 5 Shoah survivors from New York came down to Whitwell and spoke at a local church and the school, with each respective group learning something new about the other, confronting and dissolving their former preconceptions. And then it turned into an entirely different story again, about the school's efforts to get an authentic railcar from Germany and to convert it into a mini-museum of sorts and a monument to tolerance and love, complete with housing 11 million (now more) of the paper clips, to represent each person who died, and the other victims whose names will never be known because they weren't all documented or accounted for, finally giving a resting place and respect to them in the least likely of all places.

Like many other Northerners, I've often bought into stereotypes about the South and Southerners, just like a lot of the people in the film fell victim to stereotypes about the North and Northerners. But as this story teaches us, it's very dangerous to stereotype entire groups of people, and to judge entire peoples instead of just singling out individuals who act in unfortunate ways. The people in this small town, in particular the children at the middle school, embody the ideals of love, tolerance, kindness, and respect, shattering the stereotype that all Southerners are ignorant racist hillbillies who fear or hate anyone or anything that's different. It also shows that most people will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing, and that children are children wherever one goes, full of curiosity and love, with the power to change the world one step at a time. It also shatters the stereotype that the younger generation doesn't care about anything or anyone but themselves. And after watching this powerful film, the viewer may never look at a paper clip the same way ever again.

Features on the bonus disc are interviews with two of the Shoah survivors who came to Whitwell, Rachel Gleitman and Bernard Igielski, interviews with the teachers, students, and some of the townspeople, extended scenes (the most notable of which being the dedication of the railcar museum on 9 November 2001, the 63rd anniversary of Krystallnacht), and a bonus scene, "A Sabbath Lesson at Ground Zero." There's also an interesting audio commentary on the main disc. Overall, it's full of important, powerful, and thought-provoking lessons for people of all ages and from all geographic regions.

An extraordinary documentary about loss, hope, and a desire to LEARN.......2007-06-21

I purchased this movie last December.

I usually purchase movies only after viewing them. However, I was fascinated by this story, and purchased the movie without prior viewing.

The documentary is an interesting look not only at the Holocaust, but at relationships between people, and the desire to understand events of history.

In an effort to further diversity education at their school - teachers and administrators at a Tennessee school, along with students, developedh a project to collect 6 million paperclips to represent individuals destroyed by the Holocaust.

The individuals in the film - students, teachers, the journalists who assisted the project - are all absolutely genuine. They are not afraid to show their own judgements and prejudices, and also express why they have felt this way. The innocent perspectives of the students is endearing, and genuinely inspiring.

Yes, this is a deeply emotional film. It is heartbreaking, and amazing. The holocaust surivors who came and shared their stories, shared their tattoo'd numbers...broke your heart and warmed your spirit. But in the same respect the desire of these students and educators to learn and UNDERSTAND - their desire to really GRASP JUST HOW MANY 6 MILLION PEOPLE would look like...is phenomenal. This is a brilliant documentary.

I was also fascinated by the symbolic choice of a paperclip...

I am very glad I purchased this film, it is an amazing story, enlightening. And it gives you a sense of what people can accomplish. Gathering paperclips seemed overwhelming in the beginning, but what the students do, with the help of journalists, family, etc. is phenomenal. I truly get tingles and goosebumps thinking about this film. And was breathless when the journey of the Train car from germany intersected modern history on September 11.

There is much to learned from history.

When one sets out on just such a journey, I believe often, the resources come to us. And I think this story displays how seeking out to accomplish the goal of education brought many people together, and created an example of just what the world lost during the Holocaust.

Each paperclip represented one life, a life with lost potential. Each paperclip was treated with such an endearing respect; handled by someone who thought about the person who might have been...

I believe we should all see this film.

Great Documentary.......2007-05-16

I used this video as an introduction to teach the Holocaust for my Junior Hight students and it was well received by them.

Average customer rating:

Society and Diversity
Very well-made and informative documentary
Very educational

Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
Starring: Gore Vidal
Director: Antony Thomas
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
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ASIN: B000HEVZ9Y
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Description

Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She sensitively explores the controversial subject of the blurring of gender as well as the serious social and family problems - even dangers - often faced by those whose gender may fall somewhere in between male and female. Narrated by noted author Gore Vidal and filmed in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, Middle Sexes examines the ways different societies and cultures handle the blurring of gender, sexual identity and sexual orientation. Through interviews with transgender, intersexual and bisexual men and women, as well as experts from the scientific and academic communities, the film considers the entire spectrum of sexual behavior, personal identity and lifestyles among people of different backgrounds and cultures. From this, a theme of tolerance and appreciation of diversity emerges in the film.

Customer Reviews:

Society and Diversity.......2007-07-23

Antony Thomas' Middle Sexes explores diversity within sexuality that makes all people unique. Focusing on transgender issues accross society that film helps to create the feeling that diversity is good and that one of the keys to peaceful coexistence is tolerance for all views.

The film's most powerful message is that there is no one real normal definition of human sexuality. All life is neither black nor white, male nor female. Everything and everyone is made up of shades of gray.

The film makes its point by intoducing the viewer to other cultures where the idea of transgender roles are more accepted than in our own. We travel to India to learn about the Hindu third sex and to Thailand to get the insights of the Ladyboy community.

This is a quite good documentary produced by Sheila Nevins for HBO. While it offers no stunning conclusions its message of diversity and tolerance is well appreciated.

Very well-made and informative documentary.......2007-05-10

This 75 minute documentary delves into the topic of sexual identity and sexual orientation across cultures, ages, and even into the animal kingdom. What is revealed is that the border between male and female isn't as cut and dry as we are led to believe in our western society.

Middle Sexes addresses many controversial topics, including the development of human sex organs in the first trimester, hermaphroditic animals, transgender lifestyles, violence against people with differing sexual identities and many other related points of interest. What this documentary really points out is that while human nature and biology thrives on variance, society frowns upon it. By showing different cultures and the way they address sexuality, this documentary really provides some eye-opening insight into human sexuality.

Very educational.......2007-02-21

A well put together documentary that looks at TG/TS from a scientific and from different cultures views. Also, a great studies on homophobia.

Average customer rating:

perfect for the classroom

ABC News Primetime Freedom Writers

Manufacturer: ABC News
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ASIN: B000J3EJSM
Release Date: 2007-05-14

amazon.com

A teacher, Erin Gruwell, finds a unique way to inspire her students to learn and who dramatically changed their lives, from hopelessness and despair to a future of limitless possibilities. This "Primetime" show also contains the following additional story: Buyer Beware

Customer Reviews:

perfect for the classroom.......2007-07-15

I use the movie in my classroom of 10th graders and we do a major writing project after we watch it. THis edition shows the real teacher and the real kids when they were doing the action and it even inspires my kids more. Great information too.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Live! Parenting - Learning and Teaching (Vol. 2)

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Live! Parenting - Learning and Teaching (Vol. 2)
Starring: Mark Hanson , and Jack Canfield
Manufacturer: Peter Pan
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ASIN: B000EULK78
Release Date: 2006-04-25

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Although Full Of Stunts Performed With Zeal, Little Care Is Taken With The Production As A Whole.

Zero Tolerance
Starring: Jed Allan , Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter , Michael de Lano , Jeff Doucette , and Mick Fleetwood
Director: Joseph Merhi
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
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ASIN: B0001WTVMK
Release Date: 2004-05-04

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Although Full Of Stunts Performed With Zeal, Little Care Is Taken With The Production As A Whole. .......2007-09-12

When FBI agent Jeff Douglas (Robert Patrick) journeys by automobile, along with two other operatives from his Los Angeles office, to fictional "La Ropa", Mexico, to assume custody of an American narcotics dealer incarcerated there, there is no cause for him to expect other than completion of a routine assignment, while looking ahead to a pleasantly familial evening at home with his wife and two children. However, the drug boss, whimsically named Ray Manta (Titus Welliver), is forcefully removed from the clutches of The Law by a large cluster of motorcycle riding desperadoes who capture Douglas and kill his two comrades. His life threatened by the daring rescue that has thwarted the Bureau detail, Jeff is impelled to undertake a galling task. After speaking with his wife by telephone, Douglas is promised by the villains that he will be freed if he will feign at ushering Manta toward FBI custody, whereas in actuality he will be delivering the felon to Las Vegas and into the company of the other four ringleaders of a cabal that calls itself The White Hand, and that has gained what amounts to primary control of liquid heroin trafficking within the United States. Jeff eludes his captors and after he has telephonically learned that his entire family has been slain by minions of The White Hand, Douglas commences upon a mission of retribution, his goal to assassinate the five criminal organization kingpins, including Manta. Therefore, the background has been properly established for an interesting tale of heated vengeance. Unfortunately, the narrative is composed for the most part of set pieces that utilize a large contingent of stunt men and demolition experts, to the detriment of the plotline. It seems that gunmen hired by The White Hand are selected largely upon their proven substandard marksmanship, with scene following risible scene depicting a fortunate Douglas being unharmed by numberless rounds fired at close range by numberless thugs, after which he predictably brings down one each per trigger pull. Plainly, if Jeff were in fact gunned down, the film would be at its end, this truth eliminating any possible creation of suspense. Additionally, when a viewer finds himself chortling at what are ostensibly harrowing circumstances for the hero, it becomes obvious that this production suffers from a shortfall of logic. There is scant opportunity for the display of acting chops here, although Patrick gamely tries to create his role, while playing honours go to Welliver for his consistently effective portrayal of a principal member of the Forces of Evil.

Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust

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Jewish Faith and Jewish Tolerance examined
Deeply Moving Part of an Ongoing Dialogue
Some Progress in Polish-Jewish Relations, But...
Documentaries don't usually make you cry!
inspiring documentary

Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust
Starring: Akiva Daum , Menachem Daum , Rifka Daum , Tzvi Dovid Daum , and Honorata Matuszezyk Mucha
Director: Menachem Daum , and Oren Rudavsky
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ASIN: B00067BBQY
Release Date: 2004-12-14

Description

This award winning film by the director of A LIFE APART tells the emotional and dramatic story of a Jewish father who journeys with his two ultra-conservative orthodox sons back to Poland to try and find the Christian farmers who hid his family from the Nazis. His hope is to instill in his insulated and narrow minded sons the power of interfaith tolerance and trust. DVD BONUSES ;Directors Q&A in Jerusalem,U.S. and Poland ; photo gallery, biographies . WINNER:GRAND PRIX:N.American Interfaith Film Festival ; WINNER: GRAND PRIX:Warsaw Intl Jewish Film Festival. 85 mins. color

Customer Reviews:

Jewish Faith and Jewish Tolerance examined.......2006-07-25

This is a documentary about an Orthodox Jewish father (the director), who is disturbed by anti non-Semitic views held by his sons and many people of his religion. To impart tolerance, the director brings his wife and sons to Poland to find the people who saved his father's life during the holocaust. The director and his family find an elderly woman and man who hid their father and two other Jewish men during the holocaust. The Polish farmers said they did it because they pitied the men. The old woman and man were happy to meet their Jewish guests, but wondered why none of the men who's lives they saved, sent a post card to say thank you.

There are scenes in the documentary showing a synagogue that was destroyed during the war and the disrepair of a cemetery where many Jewish people are buried. Yet as other reviewers of this documentary have pointed out, none of these images are placed in any kind of context concerning what the nation of Poland and allof its people went through during the war. Not only were synagogues destroyed but entire cities in Poland, including Warsaw, were completely burned to the ground.

As I had hoped, during the film, I saw a natural progression of tolerance by the director's sons toward non-Jews. Unfortunately one of the last statements made by one of the director's sons, is that the experience taught him that a "few" gentiles can be good although most are not. I found this comment very disturbing given most Poles, Americans, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims would not need such a profound experience to gain an understanding that other people besides themselves can be good. These grown men even asked their grandfather if he would have
saves a Pole's life if the situation had been reversed. He responded by saying no, since the act of hiding Jews was punishable by death. Are the young men in this film saying that to be a good Gentile you need to follow a moral standard which they themselves are not expected to follow?

I also wondered what Orthodox Jews are doing today to help others who find themselves in the same predicament that they were in during the holocaust. Do they rise to arms and place adequate political, financial, and military pressure on African dictatorships in Darfur or Rwanda? Have they ever stretched beyond their own persecution to protect people who are experiencing discrimination or genocide?

I know that despite a person's religion or race the answer is that most people care about the welfare of others. It is disappointing that the Director's sons do not seem to have drawn the same conclusion.

Deeply Moving Part of an Ongoing Dialogue.......2006-06-01

I dreaded watching yet another film that would, predictably, open with a pan of rolling Polish countryside, show an elderly peasant, clueless about why he is being filmed, shot in such a way as to make him appear threatening or simply primitive, and hear a indignant voiceover about Poland's "Dark, shameful secrets." Then I would squirm as genuine facts were presented in twisted contexts in order to distort history.

"Hiding and Seeking" is not that anti-Polonist film; it is not Marian Marzynski's "Shtetl," it is not Claude Lanzmann's "Shoah."

The film opens with Menachem Daum, a Jewish American father, playing, for his devout Jewish sons now living in Israel, a recording of a Jewish sermon in which the speaker encourages his hearers to cultivate hostility toward non-Jews.

His sons do not take an unambiguous stance against hatred. Rather, one, especially, struggles to justify prejudice.

Moments like this are always darkly amusing for me as a woman viewer. Every second of every day, men violate, torture, murder, enslave, and commit even more unspeakable crimes against women, and have done so for thousands of years. I wonder how the younger Mr. Daum would feel if I tried to justify hatred of men to his wife or daughter?

I adduce this absurd example merely to highlight: hatred is NEVER moral. Hatred is NEVER justified. Hatred is always a sin and an intellectual failure.

Menachem Daum reports that he grew up with the idea of Poles as the ultimate other, utterly beyond redemption.

The older Mr. Daum takes his sons to Poland. There he insists on leaving prayers at the site of a lost synagogue. One of his sons, especially, speaks openly of how foolish he finds such behavior. He sees no important Jewish heritage in Poland, the land of the evil other.

Mr. Daum points out to his sons that, were it not for Polish Catholics, they would never have come to be. Their grandfather was saved by Polish Catholics during WW II, who hid three Jewish brothers in their barn.

The family visits the Polish saviors, some of whom are still alive. Apparently no warning was given to the Polish family. A van just drives up and a bunch of strangers with a camera pour out. These Polish farmers are gracious and hospitable. They have a pointed question, though. Why, after they risked their lives, and perhaps the life of the village (Nazis often committed retaliatory massacres against entire villages), did the Jews they saved never contact them? "Even just a post card?"

It's an awkward moment. How do you thank people who saved your life under such circumstances? You can't. So, you delay writing the letter, and then you feel ashamed, and then you never write it. Or, perhaps they never wrote because they were afraid of being asked for monetary compensation. Or, as one of the sons points out, perhaps the saved Jews delayed because their experience of being hidden was so traumatic for them that they were no longer "normal." Or, perhaps they delayed because their saviors were, after all, Poles. The ultimate other.

Time passes, and there are new, and deeply moving, developments, which you will see when you watch the film.

The scenes in Poland communicate much: the looks of contempt, hostility, and fear on some of the faces of the Daums, and, then, as the story progresses, looks of thoughtful reflection, and then affection and ease.

Menachim Daum emerges as a towering figure. He is saintlike in his insistence on the full humanity of all persons, regardless of their religion.

In short, I really loved this movie.

And ... yet.

And yet.

Though the film superficially rejects the idea of Poles as others, the film itself treats Poles as others.

The Polish, non-Jewish experience during WW II is not mentioned. The millions of non-Jewish Poles killed in random mass executions, deported, tortured, gassed, experimented on, enslaved.

The Polish churches, museums, and other cultural artifacts deliberately and methodically destroyed by the Nazis.

The fact that Poland was just out from under a lengthy and destructive period of colonization when it was attacked by Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, simultaneously. That after the war, when many Jews were -- horrifically -- murdered by Polish non-Jews, as this film points out, there was a civil war, in which Jews also did kill non-Jewish Poles, and Poles killed Poles, etc.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

*Nothing* excuses any act of anti-Semitism any Pole has committed against any Jew. All decent Poles are ashamed of, and work to eliminate, such acts, and they do so as part of a proud tradition stretching back centuries. But we can't understand atrocities until we see them in context, and "Hiding and Seeking" doesn't even hint at that context.

One guesses that the filmmakers, who don't speak Polish, are not even aware of the context.

"Hiding and Seeking" shows Jews as the sole initiators of Polish-Jewish dialogue and reconciliation. This is simply inaccurate. Poles like Wladyslaw Bartoszewski faced prison terms under the Communists for working on better Polish-Jewish relations.

Too, Poles are others in this film. The camera never rests on them exclusively.

Just one example. One of the rescuers, an elderly woman, now lives her entire life bent double. Why? The movie never asks this terribly simple question, that, if you were curious, at all, about this woman's full humanity, you'd want answered.

As the film says, there are some "good goyim." But that schema, that insistence on seeing non-Jews as either "good goyim" or "bad goyim," that is, as seeing non-Jews exclusively as entities in relation to Jews, and missing something so obvious as a disease that turned a woman's body into a walking pretzel, misses the full humanity of anyone who is not Jewish.

Some Progress in Polish-Jewish Relations, But..........2005-09-07

Without a doubt, this film is much better than the usual anti-Polish films (e. g., Lanzmann's SHOAH, Marzynski's SHTETL) aired previously by PBS (the Public Broadcasting System). While it is gratifying to see, as the film unfolds, a moving away from the demonization of Poles and an appreciation of Polish efforts to rescue Jews, one is nevertheless struck by the depth of Polonophobic sentiment held by some sectors of the Jewish population. It is actually suggested that, if any people are beyond redemption, it is the Poles. Really? I thought that it was the Germans, as embodied by the Nazis, who planned and implemented the Holocaust. Polish contributions to the Holocaust, Jedwabne and the like notwithstanding, were negligible. Whatever wrong Poles did to Jews was trivial compared to what the Germans did to the Jews. One is therefore mystified as to why Jewish anger towards past wrongs continues to be strongly displaced from Germans unto Poles. Is it political?

There is also a veiled anti-Christian reference in the film when it is mentioned that Jews had been persecuted by "others" for 1,900 years. In actuality, Jews had been persecuted long before that. Remember the attempted genocide of Jews at the time of Queen Esther, centuries before Christianity?

While an elderly hunch-backed Polish woman is shown as a rescuer of Jews, it is not mentioned that more Poles are honored at Yad Vashem for the rescue of Jews than members of any other nationality. And no attempt is made by the film to gauge the numbers of Poles who aided Jews but who were never honored at Yad Vashem. The film correctly notes that there was a death penalty imposed on Poles by the Germans for any aid given to Jews. But no mention is made of the fact that sometimes entire Polish villages were destroyed by the Germans in reprisal for a single family's assistance to Jews. The suspicion shown by the Polish neighbor towards the Polish woman who was in the act of aiding the Jews thus finds ready explanation. He probably was not thrilled at the prospect of losing his life along with the rescuers of Jews if the Germans found them, which they almost did.

The film shows the desecration of the old Jewish cemetery without any contextualization, and the uninformed viewer is led to believe that it was an anti-Jewish act. But was it? In fact, it was common for the Communist authorities (which, BTW, the Poles had never chosen in legitimate elections) to convert unused cemeteries into such things as garbage dumps, and to allow neglect and vandalism to take its toll. That happened to not only the Jewish cemetery shown in the film, but also to Polish ones found on the territories seized by the Soviet Union, notably the Lyczakow Cemetery in Lwow (Lviv, Lvov). The film also has a scene of human bones sticking out of walls of what had once been the Jewish cemetery. The obvious implication is that the local Poles had dug out parts of the Jewish cemetery. Did they? It is more likely that the Communist mismanagement of the lands, common throughout the Soviet empire, had caused an acceleration of natural erosion, thus unearthing the cemetery.

For all its advances over previous treatments of Poles and Jews, the film remains firmly within the Judeocentric (Judaeocentric) paradigm of Holocaust materials. There is not so much as a hint of the privations suffered by the Poles in the hands of the Germans: The hundreds of burned Polish villages, the 2-3 million murdered Poles (including roughly half of the entire Polish intelligentsia), the systematic destruction of objects of Polish culture, the planned eventual extermination of much of the Slavic peoples, etc. The growing interest in Polish Jews by increasing segments of the Polish society, as shown by this film, calls for some reciprocity from the Jewish side. Perhaps one day educational materials used in the US will portray the deaths of millions of Jews, Poles, Belorussians, and Ukrainians with equal attention to all the victimized nationalities that had lost millions of citizens to the murderous Nazi German death machine. THAT would be the real breakthrough in Polish-Jewish relations.

Documentaries don't usually make you cry!.......2005-05-13

Documentaries usually are designed to make you think. This one makes you think AND feel. It starts with the protagonist, Menachem Daum lamenting that religion in general is in danger of being taken over by hate-filled extremists. We find that Daum's two sons are Yeshiva students who have no particular desire to associate with those who aren't Jewish.`Perhaps, through their grandfather, perhaps, through their studies, they've developed the mindset that non-Jews are basically dangerous and that it's best to erect a barrier between them. This is a journey as father reunites his children with the Polish couple who risked their lives to save the children's grandfather and uncles.

The story drags in part, but press on. The end more than accommodates the lack of professional editing, and it has a few life lessons.

inspiring documentary.......2005-02-11

The powerful and moving documentary "Hiding and Seeking" gets to the heart of what religion and faith are really all about.

Menachem Daum, although himself an orthodox Jew, is concerned that his two even more conservative sons - yeshiva students living in Israel - are becoming isolationist in their attitudes towards the gentile world. To prove to them that there are good gentiles in the world, he takes them and his wife on a trip to Poland to have them meet the people who risked their lives by hiding the boys' maternal grandfather and two uncles from the Nazis during World War II. In fact, the boys and their mother owe their very existence to the extraordinary compassion and heroism of this "goyim" family. Although Daum was raised to see virtually all non-Jews as enemies, his life experience has taught him that people are people and that good and evil do not break down along sectarian lines. It is this humanistic philosophy that Daum hopes to impart to his sons.

The "hiding" of the title - beyond the obvious reference to the secretion of Jews during the holocaust - denotes what the practitioners of all religions do when they see themselves as somehow separate from and superior to those around them, and, as a result, build up barriers between their own kind and the outside world. This attitude creates divisions that, paradoxically, end up destroying the very people they are designed to protect. The "seeking" comes in Daum's epic quest to prove to his children that all people have the potential for goodness if only they choose to act upon it. Daum's egalitarian spirit and implicit faith in human goodness - despite having himself grown up in the shadow of the holocaust - provide the inspirational beacon than shines forth from the film.

Near the end of the movie, the Daums finally get to meet two of the people who risked their lives to save the family`s relatives. The encounter is profoundly moving and compelling, and even Daum's sons seem transformed by the experience. But are they? "Hiding and Seeking" may be a "feel good" experience, but it isn't a fairy tale, and directors Baum and Oren Rudavsky are not afraid to end on an ambiguous note. Life, we are led to believe, asks a heck of a lot more complicated questions than an 84-minute movie - even a very good 84-minute movie - can answer. Not bad for a film in what is usually a know-it-all genre.

Filled with laughter and tears as well as a profound insight into the human condition, "Hiding and Seeking" is a rewarding and enlightening film.

Average customer rating:

racist garbage
another great family film
Professional, But Lacking
great family film
Surprised by a work well done

Friendship's Field
Starring: Melissa Moore , Marcia Dangerfield , Jonathan Hernandez , Maria Carr , and Nancy Riddle
Director: Bruce Neibaur
Manufacturer: Bonneville Ent.
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ASIN: B0001UNF4M
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Description

Ira and Oscar, two kids from different cultures, developed an enduring friendship which triumphed over tragedy and taught lasting lessons. An aged crayon drawing found in a trunk awakens memories from the unforgettable summer of 1965. Ira was 11 years old, enjoying her last year of freedom before working on her family's beet farm. When her father hired migrant workers to help in the fields, Ira didn't realize the experience would change her life forever. In spite of local hostility shown to the migrants, Ira befriended Oscar, a young Mexican boy. Their summer of carefree fun was tested by prejudice and taught Ira how to be a true friend and stand up for her beliefs.

Customer Reviews:

racist garbage.......2007-07-24

Anti-white extreme over-simplification of history and race relations. How can brown people all be good and wise while white people are all mean and/or cowards and/or simply in need of brown guidance?

another great family film.......2006-07-16

This was a well made, well acted film, with a quality story behind it. It is good for the whole family. It is the story of an inter-racial friendship forged during a time when prejudice was high and such things were frowned upon. The two kids were just two kids who became best friends. It was a good movie for explaining to my children that even though we have cultural differences with other people, they are still people just like us. My whole family enjoyed this film.

Professional, But Lacking.......2006-04-02

This movie was highly produced. A lot of time was put into the photography and the soundtrack. The acting was also quite acceptable. The problem is that the writers/director hit you over the head with the message of the film. They go to great lengths to portray stereotypical characters and predictable events which make it impossible for anyone to miss their intended message. While imparting the message of racial tolerance is laudible, it should be done with a little more subtlety (even if this is a movie aimed at an under ten-year-old audience). This movie is a perfect example of a mediocre story which has been raised beyond its potential through heroic efforts in its production.

The other major flaw of this movie is the way it ends. It seems that another ten minutes was added to the end of the movie just to provide sufficient length. Cutting it off a bit sooner would have been an improvement... also leaving out the horrendous song at the end would have been a great idea!

great family film.......2004-12-10

I have seen this movie several times, and I still love it. It is the story of a young girl in the 1960s whose family has a farm, and her father hires migrant workers from Mexico. The migrant workers face prejudice from the locals. The girl, Ira, befriends a young Mexican boy and has to decide whether to listen to the townspeople and reject him, or follow her heart and stay friends with him. It is a really well-done and beautiful film, and it is great for the whole family!

Surprised by a work well done.......2003-11-11

This film far exceeded my expectations. It's great for generating conversation amoung children and teens and even adults, for that matter. It's hard to describe. View it and tell us about it yourself. Kids like to watch it over and over again. It addresses many of the difficulties of growing up. The production quality is very high.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Movie!
Good Follow Up

The Iron Ladies II
Starring: Sujira Arunpipat , Surapun Chawpaknam , Anucha Chatkaew , and Kokkorn Benjathikoon
Director: Yongyoot Thongkonthun
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00068WRNY
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Description

The sequel to the smash hit about a gay volleyball team. This time out, the teammates experience difficulty adjusting to their lives of unexpected success and split over creative differences. After a series of misadventures, the team reunites in hopes of resuming their winning streak. The original cast returns and Youngyooth Thongkonthun reprises his role as director in this light-hearted, hilarious romp from Thailand.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Movie!.......2007-02-02

This is a very hylarious and Funny Movie. Really You should buy it and share the fun!
I hope the guys will produce also THE IRON LADIES Chapter # 3! :)

Good Follow Up.......2005-01-05

I had gotten the sequel because I utterly enjoyed the first Iron Ladies and I was not disappointed. The original cast is back and the storyline is the team is experiencing a fall out because a copy cat team has emerged and one of the players has switched allegiance and the rest is trying to unite them again. On the second part we see how each of the friends came together while they were in college, as told by Jung while travelling with Chai to Southern China to persuade Pia who is performing in a cabaret club to come back and play with the team again. I stll laughed at the antics and was still cheering the team on to victory and hoping that the copy cats would eat their dirt, it was fun to watch and another good gay film added to my collection, I sometime wish that American gay film producers could lighten up sometimes and just produce a film that will make you feel good about yourself, gay life is gloomy enough with the personal battles we face but films like this shows us that there is a good side too and once in awhile we need that.

Average customer rating:

It depends on what you're looking for -- this could be it.
drag king documentary

Venus Boyz
Starring: Diane Torr , Dréd Gerestant , Del La Grace Volcano , Queen Bee Luscious , and Mistress Formika
Director: Gabrielle Baur
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00020HBWI
Release Date: 2004-06-08

Description

Venus Boyz takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into the universe of female masculinity. Filmed in New York City and London, theis eye-opening documentary uses the performances of drag kings - women who perform on stage with an invented male persona - as a starting point from which we follow their different paths.

Customer Reviews:

It depends on what you're looking for -- this could be it........2005-09-15

The reviewer Jeffrey is a man and says that the camera moved jerkily, the movie was too slow, and some things are not explained. I am a butch woman and I loved the movie. I identified with the characters and was incredibly inspired by the characters, their performances, their ability. If genderqueer things are your things, if you are a butch woman who wants to see some butch women positively represented (for once) on the screen, then this movie is for you! You may be inspired to dream, expand your goals, and feel more confident about your potential (and the potential of other genderqueers) to achieve those goals. If you don't want to watch a movie on these issues tonight, rent something else.

drag king documentary.......2004-09-06

Not only is the drag king movement thriving, but it's being documented in various media. This documentary shows Judith Halberstam, author of "Female Masculinity" and Del Grace Volcano, photographer of "The Drag King Book." Here several drag king performers and butch women are interviewed. This film makes no division between kings, transsexuals, or butches.

Consistently, those interviewed say they want to blend genders or do away with the concept: they don't just want to experience "the other side." Many perform with drag queens or do avant-garde work with gay men. One transsexual referred to her body parts by both male and female terms.

There are a ton of foreign drag kings in this work. Does that mean Europe is a more accepting place or more condemning and thus kings have to fight harder over there? Does that mean American women don't have much to say about the movement? Does that mean the movement is really global? None of this gets answered.

This film moves slow. The camera has many jerky movements and the view is often blurred. Many may think of this documentary as a female version of "Paris Is Burning." However, PIB was funnier and moved faster. This just plodded along. I'm guessing the makers here lacked the funds and time that Jenny Livingstone had.

The title is never explained. They show some kings doing an excellent imitation of the Backstreet Boys, yet they only show it for a second. In the academic Drag King anthology, it is stressed that the movement isn't in just big cities like New York or London. However, in this documentary, only the big city shows and performers are brought up.

I'm happy that someone made this work. It just wasn't that great.

Average customer rating:

Interactive Sex with Jenna Haze

Manufacturer: Zero Tolerance
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Virtual Sex with Tera Patrick

Product Features:

FOR ADULTS ONLY

ASIN: B000TIIC4Y

DVD:

DVD

DVD