House Of Life – The Old Jewish Cemetery In Prague (2008/First Run Features DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: B-
Allan
Miller’s House Of Life (2008) tells
the story of a very old cemetery that has an estimated 100,000 buried, was the
only place Nazis let Jewish children play and has become this sacred place of
life, death, defiance and legacy of survival that no one can wash away. There are huge stones all over the place,
some worn down by time. I thought it
would be just another look at a historic cemetery, but there is something more
profound about this.
Claire
Bloom does a great job of narrating, in what is very sensitive material and as
I understand Judaism, sacred ground is a very serious thing considering the
beliefs. Running 54 minutes, it is a
powerful work and makes us realize that cemeteries are not all the same, exist
for more than just burying people and help us remember the past no matter how
painful. That is how this work earns its
title by understanding that.
The 1.33
X 1 image originates on analog level video and some remarkable images come
through, though others can be soft and blurry, but color often saves the
day. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is
simple stereo at best and has its share of location recording limits, yet
Bloom’s voice is nicely recorded. Extras
include stills, text filmmaker bios and trailers for five more similarly themed
First Run DVDs.
- Nicholas Sheffo