What is a moral person to do in a time
of great immorality? That question was
central to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German
clergyman of great distinction who actively
opposed Hitler and the Nazis at great
personal risk. His convictions eventually
cost him his life at the hands of the
Gestapo.
Bonhoeffer's last years, his
participation in the German resistance
and
his moral struggle are dramatized in
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. The
film
won the top honor at the Monte Carlo TV
festival in February 2000 and was
broadcast
in high-definition television (HDTV) on
selected PBS stations in June.
More than just a biographical film,
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace sheds
light on the little-known efforts of the
German resistance. The film, directed by
Eric Till and shot in the Czech Republic,
Berlin and Canada, brings to a wide
audience
the heroic rebellion of Bonhoeffer, a
highly-
regarded Lutheran minister who could
have
kept his peace and saved his life on
several
occasions but instead paid the ultimate
price for his beliefs.
The film is a testament to a man living
out his Christian beliefs and values while
caught up in events that defined the 20th
Century. "Bonhoeffer" is a positive
depiction of a person speaking the
Gospel
uniquely for today. It provides a role
model
of a faith-based man driven to difficult
ethical decisions.
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace is a
vital portrait of the man, the teacher, the
resistance fighter, the moralist, the
prisoner and, eventually, the martyr.
VHS 90 minutes
|