Could have been...
Added 1/4/2008
a better movie. There is nudity so it isn't a family movie. The subject of the movie is not too bad and could have been watched by most of the family if not for the nudity. I don't even know why it is in this movie. It did nothing for it except detract from it. The movie doesn't do a great job at explaining why the oldest son is so angry. The acting is fine but could use some fine tuning.
A couple and their children live with the deaths of their previous family members during the war. A sad, sad story.
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Poignant Movie about the Legay of the Holocaust! A MUST-SEE!
Added 6/9/2005
A Call to Remember, is a BEAUTIFUL made-for-TV movie about the long-term effects of the Holocaust, and its legacy on future generations.
I LOVE this Movie!! I taped it off of TV, a while back, but I have watched it over and over (and rewound it) so many times, that my VHS tape is getting almost completely worn out! Literally! :)
So I really hope that it comes out on DVD very soon! I can't WAIT to get a copy of this WONDERFUL movie!!
A Call to Remember is a poignant, and touching true story, that occurred to one of the movie's creators, during the Vietnam War era. It stars Joe Mantegna and Blythe Danner, as David (Mantegna) and Paula (Danner) Tobias, a Jewish couple living in the northwestern United States with their two sons, 18 year old Jacob (David Lascher) and 12-13 year old Benjamin (Kevin Zegers), during the late 1960's.
David and Paula Tobias are both Holocaust survivors whose entire families were murdered by the Nazis. They had also both been married before, and had, had children with their previous spouses. Paula lost her husband and two sons during the war, while David's wife and two sons were shot by the Germans.
After the war, David and Paula met in a D.P.(Displaced Persons) Camp, and got married - not so much out of love, but rather a fear of being all alone in the world, and the need to have someone with them in their lives. As in the words of Paula Tobias, "At that time people didn't think about love, it was better not to be alone." After their marriage, they moved to America, and David started his own toy store business. Eventually, he and Paula had two sons together, Jacob "Jake", and Benjamin "Ben".
At the start of this movie, the Tobias family are living a relatively normal and typical upper middle-class Jewish-American life in the northwestern United States. They are in the middle of planning their 13 year old son Ben's bar mitzvah, and though a little over two decades have passed since the end of the Holocaust, many remnants and reminders of the trauma and ordeal they endured during the war still remain, as vivid as ever.
For example, there is a scene where Jake and Ben accidentally discover $20,000 in cash stored in several mayonnaise jars, and hidden behind a secret wall in the basement, disguised by a rack of clothing. It's a clear reminder that even though it's the late 1960's and they're in America now, they are still in "basic survival instinct" mode - living in fear of another Holocaust, and the need to quickly flee.
Another obvious but understandable effect, is David and Paula's over-protectiveness, which results in their kids, especially their elder son, feeling completely smothered and suffocated. As in one scene, Jake complains bitterly about his mother to his girlfriend, Amy, "She breathes my air first, to make sure it's okay for me. Do you have any idea what that's like?"
Also, the Vietnam War and its military draft is intricately woven into this storyline, with David & Paula's terror that their 18 year old son, Jake will be called up in the draft and forced to fight in the war. They are petrified at the thought of anything happening to their remaining children. So much so, that Mr. & Mrs. Tobias enlist the aid of a psychiatrist, Dr. Green (Joe Spano) to write a letter to keep their son out of the draft through a medical exemption, which infuriates Jake, further reinforcing his feelings of being controlled and suffocated by his parents.
Another facet of David and Paula's overprotectiveness, is their total inability to not only discuss their experiences during the war, but also to share ANY aspect of their pasts or family history with their children. As elder son, Jake, remarks cynically to his brother, Ben, in regards to their father's family, "Don't expect him to tell you what happened. He won't even say what their names were."
Because of Mr. & Mrs. Tobias's reluctance to talk about their pasts, Jake and Ben are unable to fully understand and comprehend the depths of suffering that their mother and father have endured. As a result, the Tobias children, Jake, especially, minimize their parents pain, while at the same time exaggerating and overemphasizing the minor discomfort over the petty and insignificant trivialities in their own lives. Like in one scene, when Jake is arguing with his parents about moving out to live in an apartment with friends, he says, "I'm drowning!" to which his mother scoffs, replying, "What do you know about drowning? Drowning is when you have nothing!"
So, all these tensions, and long-buried traumas that are just simmering beneath the surface, all come to a head when, out of the blue, Paula Tobias gets a phone call informing her, that her son Alec, who it was presumed had been killed during the war, was found alive and well in Poland. This surprising and unexpected call creates a whirlwind of emotions for the entire family from excitement, and joy to skepticism, jealousy, and worry.
Later, when they receive some very tragic news, the entire Tobias family are thrown into a tailspin, and for the first time in their lives they are forced to truly look inside themselves, and reassess everything they have ever known - their values, priorities, relationships with family, friends, and acquaintances, indeed their whole way of dealing with life in general.
In the aftermath of their cruel twist of fate, David and Paula come to realize that if they want to heal themselves and their children, and strengthen their bonds as a family, they must face all the memories that they have been running and hiding from since the war. They slowly begin to accept that the only way for them to continue to survive and move on with their lives is if they deal with the grief that they have postponed for over two decades, and finally mourn for all the deaths and losses that they suffered at the hands of the Nazis.
Through coming to this realization, and working to recover from the long-buried traumas of the past, the entire Tobias family are ultimately able to come together happily at the end to celebrate the much-anticipated rite of passage of son Ben's bar mitzvah.
Far from being a dark, and depressing film, this is a beautiful movie about life in general. It has happy moments, sad moments, good times, bad times. Although the theme of the movie is about the Holocaust, and there are sad parts, "A Call to Remember", is not a gloomy movie. It is a touching and poignant tale about the legacy of the Holocaust and its effects on future generations. A MUST SEE!!
7 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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This movie about Holocaust survivors is a little gem, not to be missed. The entire cast, including Blythe Danner and Joe Mantegna, turn in fine performances. It is fascinating to see David Lascher, the handsome muscular supercool boot-wearing dudestud from "Hey, Dude", turning in a sensitive portrayal as the son.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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A moving and thought provoking story.
Added 12/10/2000
This film of holocost survivors, and if you like, survivor guilt, is well done with an excellent cast. It is a thought provoking movie and while it ends well, I can't call it a happy ending.In the opening scene, I think it is forced showing Ms. Danner's left forearm with a serial number tattooed on it. This could have been shown in a more natural manner during the course of the film. Where is Mr. Mantega's number? This a criticism of style not content. There is a scene where the two boys discover the secret place where $20,000 is kept in several mayonaise jars. This hits you hard because it reminds you that this is the early 60s, the war and "final Solution" are just a generation in the past, and you get reminded that even through the survivors are here in America, they feel a potential need may exist to move on for survival. .... This getaway money makes sense to me and is certainly a key point in the film. Survivor guilt is a strong issue in the film. It is brought to the fore front when Ms. Danner is told that one of her sons, whom she hadn't seen since some point in WOrld War II, has been found and is to be reunited with her. Later it turns out not to be so. This causes untold pain for both parents. Mr. Mantega's charecter lost a wife and two sons while Ms. Danner lost a husband and two sons. The use of the psychiatrist to bring this out in the case of Ms. Danner and her son is quite interesting and thoought provoking. It takes the two present day sons to bring Mr. Mantega to even talk about his two lost sons. It must be a terrible burden to carry and to try to find meaning from. .... Overallt this is a well made film with a cast that works well together. I highly recommend it both for the cast and also the subject matter of the film.
6 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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A call to remember
Added 7/10/2000
I want so see a trailer of this film,in Austria,i cant see,or buy it ,when did it start on TV-in Austria,or cable-TV-in Germany,via sattelit! Please remind me as soon as posible !
1 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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