Out of the Ashes

the actress playing the role of Dr Gisela Pearl should be nominated for her performance. the film showed the courage of the human spirit in the face of hate and tragedy. after looking at the film, I was humbled by the courage of this woman who lost all her family but decide in spite of what happened to her to survive and help other fellow humans. she also had to go through the pain of defending herself after being accused of collaborating with the Nazi. Anyone in the same position had little choices but to try to remain alive. She did more than that and for that reason she should be honoured for her heroism. I am full of admiration for the Jewish people time and time again when I see films such as this one.

It is a TV movie based on the memoirs of a gynecologist from Auschwitz. This film is a linear and has two parts. The flashbacks to Auschwitz are nice and powerful, but the film's present-day sequences and the scenes where "Perl" questions his citizenship are contrived and tacky. The film wants to expose the viewer to judgment and position him, but it is not successful in this task and remains on the surface and is limited to sloganing dialogues. In general, the movie has nothing new to say, and reading the book it is adapted from is much more interesting And it is acceptable for broadcast on TV.

This portrayal of Dr. Gisella Perl is the greatest movie about life inside the fences of Auschwitz. As a history major, specified on the Holocaust, I believe the cast and crew of this movie really knew what they were doing. Every time I watch it, tears form in my eyes as Lahti portrays Perl in the scene where she pulls her sleeve up to the U.S. men explaining how she was not a collaborator, how she was a prisoner, and that she had the identification number to prove it. I hope that this movie did Dr. Perl justice and her family see's what a tremendous woman she was. Now every time I do any research project or paper for a history class concerning the Holocaust, Nazi era, or Hitler, I bring up Dr. Perl, and explain how it takes more than courage to save all the lives she saved... it takes love, compassion, and devotion to her fellow inmates and all the persecuted victims. This movie deserves more than one award.. it deserves to be in some kind of Hall of Fame.

The true story about a woman named Gisella Perl, a jewish doctor whom lived in Sighet (Hungary) during WW2. After the 1944 german occupation of Hungary, the family of the doctor was first interned in the Sighet ghetto after which they were deported in May 1944 to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The story is told through flashbacks that the doctor experiences from the moment she arrives in New York, just after WW2 ended. In these flashbacks, we will see some of her experiences in the concentration camp and what she did to survive. And this is not only about surviving herself, but also to help pregnant prisoners survive.

For a TV movie, the quality is pretty decent. It is unfortunately not comparible to an average feature film production. This can for instance be seen back in the limited set of the concentration camp. But overall, I think this TV movie is for sure one of the better TV productions.

Concluding, I think this movie deserves a score of 6.4/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 6 stars.

It is worthwile noting that the famous jewish survivor Elie Wiesel - whom in 1956 published his first book on his experiences in Auschwitz - also came from the hungarian town Sighet. Elie Wiesel received the 1986 Nobel Peace Price.

"Out of the Ashes" is very nearly the best story brought to the screen, among the many I've seen. At issue here (which many may not realise) is the life-story of one Doctor Gisella Perl--a Hungarian Jew who, along with her entire family, was captured from the family's home-town of Sighet and sent by boxcar to Auschwitz--while the holocaust itself provides the backdrop for the story. Like "Sophie's Choice", this film involved the difficult 'choiceless choices' that were made by some of the survivors of the Second World War's most infamous extermination camp.

In order to truly appreciate the story and the portrayal, one must know something of Hungarians and of Hungary, as well as their role in World War II. Actress Christine Lahti turned in such a marvelous and unforgettable performance, I actually thought I was seeing a Hungarian actress playing the role (to begin with), and then a really fine performance it was, to boot! I found myself on the edge of my seat with a film that, being a product of cable television, didn't garner such advance expectations. And but for one very glaring and avoidable error, which happens early in the film (only one scene), the final product was really quite well done. Bravo to Showtime!

Lahti's performance was award-winning, to say the very least, whether or not she was ever properly recognised. Add: a wonderful supporting cast, recruited in the US, Canada, and Eastern Europe. The scenery is lovely (filmed mainly in Lithuania; the film-makers were able to find a beautiful town not destroyed during the war). For those who have not seen this film, please do! It's a remarkable autobiography (i.e. the book on which its based) and life story. I think the actual Dr. Perl would have been proud of, and pleased with Lahti's performance and portrayal of her. Rent the DVD rather than wait for Showtime to rerun it (even though I'm sure it will be run again and again). Rating: 4,5 stars on 5.