To Save A Life
In the spring of 1939, a Philadelphia Jewish lawyer and his wife carried out a bold plan to rescue 50 children from increasingly dangerous Nazi-occupied Vienna. Without official support from the American government and despite stiff resistance from major Jewish organizations, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus traveled into the heart of the Nazi empire – and left with an enduring legacy.
The Krauses never intended to be larger-than-life figures. Gil was a business lawyer in Philadelphia who loved to paint and play piano. Ellen, as she was known, was a housewife with a penchant for stylish hats and fashionable cocktail dresses. But in 1939, as storm clouds were thickening over Europe, the Krauses left behind their comfortable lives – and their two young children – to carry out a daring mission: the rescue of 50 Jewish children from the oncoming horrors of the Holocaust. TO SAVE A LIFE is a documentaty film that tells the compelling story of a quiet act of decency and humanity on the eve of one of modern history’s darkest chapters.Propelled by a gripping and emotional story, and filled with a rich and colorful cast of characters, TO SAVE A LIFE weaves together the tale of the Krauses’ 1939 rescue operation and the life-altering impact that it had on 50 Viennese children and their families. The film combines present-day interviews and evocative modern footage with old family photos, documents and dramatic archival footage as a way of spanning the years and decades from the 1930s to the present. Along with narration from acclaimed actor Peter Riegert, the film weaves in readings from letters, manuscripts and other documents that help tell the story.
Who were these two Jews from Philadelphia and what motivated them to act so heroically on the eve of horror and destruction? Why did they leave the safety and comfort of their easy lives for the potential risks and dangers that confronted them in Vienna and Berlin? And finally, what is the legacy they left behind – both for their family and for the families of the children they rescued. These are the timeless and enduring questions that go directly to the heart of TO SAVE A LIFE.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
STEVE PRESSMAN, WRITER/DIRECTOR
Steven Pressman is a journalist who has worked for publications in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. He is a past recipient of grants from the Montreal-based Jewish Fund for Journalism (CRB Foundation), which supported his work on Jewish-related topics, including Russian émigrés in Brighton Beach and diverse Jewish communities in places such as Garberville, California, and Parkersburg, West Virginia. He is the author of “Outrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile” (St. Martin’s Press, 1993). TO SAVE A LIFE is his first full-length film.
Marcia Jarmel has been producing and directing documentaries for more than 15 years. Her best-known work is the ITVS-funded BORN IN THE U.S.A., which aired on the PBS series Independent Lens and was hailed as the “best film on childbirth” by the former director of maternal health at the World Health Organization. Marcia’s other films include COLLATERAL DAMAGE, a mother's lament about the human costs of war that has screened worldwide in theaters, museums, festivals and schools. Her RETURN OF SARAH'S DAUGHTERS examines the allure of Orthodox Judaism to secular young women. The hour-long documentary won a CINE Golden Eagle, National Educational Media Network Gold Apple and first place in the Jewish Video Competition. It screened on international public television, at the American Cinematheque, International Documentary Film Festival, Women in the Director's Chair, Cinequest and numerous other film festivals.
Ken Schneider has edited 20 feature-length films about war and peace, artists’ lives, American history and contemporary social issues. His films have won an Emmy, a Peabody, a Columbia-Dupont, an Indie Spirit and top awards at Sundance and at other major festival awards, and have been nominated for an Oscar and additional Emmys. Ken co-edited REGRET TO INFORM, a film described by The New York Times as “unforgettable…exquisitely filmed, edited and scored.” His films have appeared on PBS’ series American Masters, POV and Independent Lens and in film festivals worldwide.
Peter Riegert is an actor, screenwriter and film director who has appeared in some of the most memorable movies in recent history, including ANIMAL HOUSE, LOCAL HERO, CROSSING DELANCY, THE MASK and TRAFFIC. His television credits include The Sopranos and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and he also appeared in the final episode of Seinfeld. He received an Emmy nomination for his featured role in the HBO drama BARBARIANS AT THE GATE. Peter wrote and directed BY COURIER, a short film based on an O. Henry story that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Feature. He narrated the audiobook of Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, which was nominated for a 2008 Audie Award for literary fiction.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
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Donations are tax deductible. Gifts over $250 will receive a letter for tax purposes.As a fiscal sponsor, The National Center for Jewish Film serves as a non-profit tax-exempt umbrella organization that accepts and administers contributions made to select film projects. Fiscal sponsorship allows filmmakers to solicit and receive tax deductible donations from individuals and gifts from foundations without having to create a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.
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