Adam Resurrected (2008)

In the aftermath of WWII, a former circus entertainer who was spared from the gas chamber becomes the ringleader at an asylum for Holocaust survivors.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers:

Yoram Kaniuk (novel), Noah Stollman (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Goldblum	...	Adam Stein
Willem Dafoe	...	Commandant Klein
Derek Jacobi	...	Dr. Nathan Gross
Ayelet Zurer	...	Gina Grey
Hana Laszlo	...	Rachel Shwester
Joachim Król	...	Abe Wolfowitz
Jenya Dodina	...	Gretchen Stein (as Evgenia Dodina)
Tudor Rapiteanu	...	David
Veronica Ferres	...	Frau Fogel
Idan Alterman	...	Arthur
Juliane Köhler	...	Ruth Edelson
Dror Keren	...	Dr. Uri Slonim
Shmuel Edelman	...	Dr. Shapiro (as Schmuel Edelman)
Yoram Toledano	...	Tarshish (as Yoram Tolledano)
Mickey Leon	...	Golomb

Storyline

"Adam Resurrected" follows the story of Adam Stein, a charismatic patient at a mental institution for Holocaust survivors in Israel, 1961. He reads minds and confounds his doctors, lead by Nathan Gross. Before the war, in Berlin, Adam was an entertainer--cabaret impresario, circus owner, magician, musician--loved by audiences and Nazis alike until he finds himself in a concentration camp, confronted by Commandant Klein. Adam survives the camp by becoming the Commandant's "dog", entertaining him while his wife and daughter are sent off to die. Years later we find him at the Institute. One day, Adam smells something, hears a sound. "Who brought a dog in here?" he asks Gross. Gross denies there is a dog but Adam finds him--a young boy raised in a basement on a chain. Adam and the boy see and recognize each other as dogs--and their journey begins. "Adam Resurrected" is the story of a man who once was a dog who meets a dog who once was a boy.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | circus | holocaust | entertainer | israel | 

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Taglines:

In a world gone mad, being insane was just a way to fit in.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing behavior, sexuality, nudity and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de]

Country:

Germany USA Israel

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adam Ben Kelev

Filming Locations:

Castel Film Studios, Bucharest, Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

July August Productions, 3L Filmproduktion, Adam Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Moni Moshonov was cast as Arthur but had to drop due to schedule conflict and was replaced by comedian-actor Idan Alterman.

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Goofs

The medal Commandant Klein wears around his neck is an Iron Cross first class with oak leaves and swords. This medal, awarded for merits on the battle front, was only given if the recipient already had the second class iron cross, which is nowhere to be seen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Adam Stein: I had once the beautiful Father Land. The oak tree grew so high there. Silence nodded softly. It was a dream. It kissed me in German. It spoke in German. You would hardly believe how good it sounded. The words, Ich liebe dich, I love you. It *was* a dream...

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Soundtracks

"Nachtviolen"
Written by Franz Schubert
Soprano: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (as Elisabeth Schwartzkopf)
Piano: Edwin Fischer
By courtesy of EMI Music Germany GmbH & Co. KG

User Reviews

Surreal Sleeper

Intriguing and surreal movie with an outstanding performance by Jeff Goldblum, whose name should have been in the mix for any number of acting awards for this film. Holocaust-related movies generally don't get deliver box office results, but this is a strikingly good treatment that deserves a wider audience. Watch it and get the word of mouth out there.

Paul Schrader, whose had a hand in more than a few films about human darkness, creates an intriguing film here. The "arms" scene at towards the end of the film is worth the price of admission on its own. Right up there with "I am Spartacus" or the "I'm still here, you bastards" last line from "Papillon". Powerful stuff. Derek Jacobi, Willem DeFoe, Ayelet Zurer, a frighteningly good Romanian kid named Tudor Rapiteanu, and the rest of international cast do yeoman's work.

Always been a fan of Jeff Goldblum's read on a line...and he's at the top of his game in "Adam".