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Filmmaker Tony Kaye, best known for "American History X," has been working on LAKE OF FIRE for the past fifteen years and has made a film that is unquestionably the definitive work on the subject of abortion. Shot in luminous black and white, which is in fact an endless palette of grays, the film has the perfect aesthetic for a subject where there can be no absolutes, no 'right' or 'wrong.' He gives equal time to both sides, covering arguments from either extremes of the spectrum, as well as those at the center, who acknowledge that, in the end, everyone is 'right' - or 'wrong.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I saw this film at a Toronto Int'l Film Festival industry screening and thought it was one of best documentaries I have EVER seen! I've read a couple of reviews that have called it the definitive film on the subject of abortion - I completely agree. I've never seen anything so complex, complete and emotionally wrenching as this epic work. It stayed with me long after the screening. In fact, it's been a couple of years since I've seen LAKE OF FIRE and it continues to haunt my thoughts. I weeped at the end. My only criticisms are it's length (far too long) and it's use of music, which often bordered on excessive and manipulative. But, those are relatively small concerns when weighed against the film's many positives.
I LOVE documentaries and have seen nearly every major work produced in the past 20 to 30 years (as well as not so major films). "Lake of Fire" may well be my favorite - I'm still deciding if any of the other films I've loved delivered the same unrelenting, yet profoundly emotional punch to the gut that this one did. This is the best film no one has ever seen! What a pity!!!!
I LOVE documentaries and have seen nearly every major work produced in the past 20 to 30 years (as well as not so major films). "Lake of Fire" may well be my favorite - I'm still deciding if any of the other films I've loved delivered the same unrelenting, yet profoundly emotional punch to the gut that this one did. This is the best film no one has ever seen! What a pity!!!!
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
****1/2
We've been taught to believe that the purest and best documentaries are those that take a definitive stand on an issue. Such a one-sided approach is supposed to bespeak a righteous passion on the part of a filmmaker - as if dogmatism, in and of itself, were an indisputable virtue. But what if the issue at hand is such a morally complex one that it simply doesn`t lend itself to the strident arguments and easy answers of a black-and-white diatribe? Might it not, then, be best to drop the "know-it-all" posture of the partisan zealot and, instead, attempt to look at both sides of the issue from a position of objectivity and fairness?
That is the approach that filmmaker Tony Kaye has taken in "Lake of Fire," a documentary on abortion that attempts to examine both sides of the issue in as unbiased and evenhanded a way as possible. For once, the impassioned spokespersons in both the "pro-life" and "pro-choice" camps are free to have their say and to make their case, without commentary or condemnation from a judgmental third party. In so doing, he has fashioned an unflinching and uncompromising look at one of the issues that most divides Americans today - and will surely do so for a very long time to come.
Watching "Lake of Fire" is a bit like being a ping pong ball in a high-stakes table tennis match. Just as we find ourselves agreeing with a representative from one side of the equation, we are bandied back to the opposing side by what appear to be equally compelling arguments emanating from a spokesperson there. And back and forth we go. For while there are "nutcases" and "screwballs" on both sides of the divide (and they certainly get ample opportunity to voice their views here), many of the people who are interviewed offer sound, reasoned arguments for the positions they take. At a lengthy two hours and thirty-two minutes, Kaye's film has plenty of time to take us into the emotionally-charged world of abortion politics, represented most vividly by the impassioned rallies and protest marches that all too often devolve into name-calling shouting matches that cloud the issue and further alienate those in the political center. Moreover, in what is essentially a new American "civil war," both sides come to the battlefield armed with gruesome images of those who have already perished in the conflict - the pro-lifers of dismembered fetuses, the pro-choicers of murdered doctors and victims of "back alley" abortions.
Kaye is to be particularly commended for not sanitizing or sugarcoating the actual abortion process, clearly assuming that we are grown up enough to face the truth without the need for coyness or comforting filters. Intriguingly, Kaye has opted to film his movie in black-and-white rather than color, a very shrewd and wise decision, since the stark imagery serves to underline the seriousness and gravity of the issue.
If there's a weakness to the film it is that there may be a bit too much emphasis on the movers and shakers in each of the groups and not enough on the ordinary, average citizens whose lives have been directly affected or severely altered by abortion (or the lack thereof). The movie does, however, end on such a note, taking us along with a young woman as she goes through the step-by-step process of an actual abortion. It reminds us that, after all the speeches and marches, all the clinic protests and killing of doctors, the issue finally comes down to an individual woman and the agonizing decision that she alone must make.
With his film, Kaye clearly wants to make us think, but he doesn't tell us HOW to think - and that`s what separates his work from that of so many of his filmmaking contemporaries. How people will react to this film is anyone`s guess. All I know is that, no matter which side of the struggle you may come down on - or even if you have somehow managed to remain scrupulously neutral about it up to this point - "Lake of Fire" will indeed make you think long and hard about the issue.
We've been taught to believe that the purest and best documentaries are those that take a definitive stand on an issue. Such a one-sided approach is supposed to bespeak a righteous passion on the part of a filmmaker - as if dogmatism, in and of itself, were an indisputable virtue. But what if the issue at hand is such a morally complex one that it simply doesn`t lend itself to the strident arguments and easy answers of a black-and-white diatribe? Might it not, then, be best to drop the "know-it-all" posture of the partisan zealot and, instead, attempt to look at both sides of the issue from a position of objectivity and fairness?
That is the approach that filmmaker Tony Kaye has taken in "Lake of Fire," a documentary on abortion that attempts to examine both sides of the issue in as unbiased and evenhanded a way as possible. For once, the impassioned spokespersons in both the "pro-life" and "pro-choice" camps are free to have their say and to make their case, without commentary or condemnation from a judgmental third party. In so doing, he has fashioned an unflinching and uncompromising look at one of the issues that most divides Americans today - and will surely do so for a very long time to come.
Watching "Lake of Fire" is a bit like being a ping pong ball in a high-stakes table tennis match. Just as we find ourselves agreeing with a representative from one side of the equation, we are bandied back to the opposing side by what appear to be equally compelling arguments emanating from a spokesperson there. And back and forth we go. For while there are "nutcases" and "screwballs" on both sides of the divide (and they certainly get ample opportunity to voice their views here), many of the people who are interviewed offer sound, reasoned arguments for the positions they take. At a lengthy two hours and thirty-two minutes, Kaye's film has plenty of time to take us into the emotionally-charged world of abortion politics, represented most vividly by the impassioned rallies and protest marches that all too often devolve into name-calling shouting matches that cloud the issue and further alienate those in the political center. Moreover, in what is essentially a new American "civil war," both sides come to the battlefield armed with gruesome images of those who have already perished in the conflict - the pro-lifers of dismembered fetuses, the pro-choicers of murdered doctors and victims of "back alley" abortions.
Kaye is to be particularly commended for not sanitizing or sugarcoating the actual abortion process, clearly assuming that we are grown up enough to face the truth without the need for coyness or comforting filters. Intriguingly, Kaye has opted to film his movie in black-and-white rather than color, a very shrewd and wise decision, since the stark imagery serves to underline the seriousness and gravity of the issue.
If there's a weakness to the film it is that there may be a bit too much emphasis on the movers and shakers in each of the groups and not enough on the ordinary, average citizens whose lives have been directly affected or severely altered by abortion (or the lack thereof). The movie does, however, end on such a note, taking us along with a young woman as she goes through the step-by-step process of an actual abortion. It reminds us that, after all the speeches and marches, all the clinic protests and killing of doctors, the issue finally comes down to an individual woman and the agonizing decision that she alone must make.
With his film, Kaye clearly wants to make us think, but he doesn't tell us HOW to think - and that`s what separates his work from that of so many of his filmmaking contemporaries. How people will react to this film is anyone`s guess. All I know is that, no matter which side of the struggle you may come down on - or even if you have somehow managed to remain scrupulously neutral about it up to this point - "Lake of Fire" will indeed make you think long and hard about the issue.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Lake of Fire" is an in-depth look at the Abortion issue. No matter which side you happen to belong, Tony Kaye gives both sides equal time. There are interviews of people off the street, as well as comments from Writers, Attorneys, Doctors, and Patients on the subject. There is no narrative, and Tony Kaye was wise to let these people speak for themselves.
There were many issues raised within the subject of Abortion, on both sides, that make one go HMMMMMM. There IS graphic footage contained in this film, so wait until the kids have gone to bed, to pop this film in the DVD player.
The most surprising thing is that the woman who is at the heart of the landmark Roe V Wade decision, is now in total opposition to the Law she was instrumental in creating. The subject of Abortion clinic bombings and the assassinations of physicians who work in Abortion clinics is not only touched upon, but the blurring of the Law vs. Morality argument is a case in point of how divided we are, when the right to life issue is raised. We see in the film, tapes of the bombers/shooters making their case to the police while in custody. I may be a bit biased, but the Pro-Lifers looked a little crazy to me. It's hard to see someone's point of view when Religion makes it's way into a conversation about this subject.
Whether you are Pro-Life, or Pro-Choice, this film is an education in what defines us as human beings. Does life begin at birth, or the Zygote stage of developement? How do we resolve the issue? I don't believe it really can be. I believe in the right to choose, to have control over one's body, financial security and education. There are many women today, who would have been marginalized, and possibly welfare mothers, were it not for Roe V Wade.
Women, as well as Men, owe it to themselves to see this film. There is no better film out there, that is this comprehensive. You will be changed after seeing it.
There were many issues raised within the subject of Abortion, on both sides, that make one go HMMMMMM. There IS graphic footage contained in this film, so wait until the kids have gone to bed, to pop this film in the DVD player.
The most surprising thing is that the woman who is at the heart of the landmark Roe V Wade decision, is now in total opposition to the Law she was instrumental in creating. The subject of Abortion clinic bombings and the assassinations of physicians who work in Abortion clinics is not only touched upon, but the blurring of the Law vs. Morality argument is a case in point of how divided we are, when the right to life issue is raised. We see in the film, tapes of the bombers/shooters making their case to the police while in custody. I may be a bit biased, but the Pro-Lifers looked a little crazy to me. It's hard to see someone's point of view when Religion makes it's way into a conversation about this subject.
Whether you are Pro-Life, or Pro-Choice, this film is an education in what defines us as human beings. Does life begin at birth, or the Zygote stage of developement? How do we resolve the issue? I don't believe it really can be. I believe in the right to choose, to have control over one's body, financial security and education. There are many women today, who would have been marginalized, and possibly welfare mothers, were it not for Roe V Wade.
Women, as well as Men, owe it to themselves to see this film. There is no better film out there, that is this comprehensive. You will be changed after seeing it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Until you walk in my shoes, do not judge me
I would have given this 5 stars except that it was overly long and some of the music scenes seemed unnecessary. Read more
Published 10 months ago by kaia canfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most difficult moral issue facing human beings.
Our evolution makes us want to reproduce. In fact, to twist an old saying, many of us consider sex the most fun we can have with out clothes off. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Modesty Press
2.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully filmed but definitely not the definitive film on abortion.
This film has a very particular focus on the abortion issue that eschews almost any contemporary opinions or documentation from any women or couples who are actually dealing with... Read more
Published 14 months ago by The Documentary Insider
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lake of Fire
Intense just as I suspected. I love this but only buy it if you know what it is about and are interested in discovering both sides of this sensitive issue. Read more
Published 21 months ago by donnamarie
3.0 out of 5 stars
provocative, yes - but falling short in synthesis
This is a film that is hard to take your eyes away from, and then, in a few places, one that actually makes you to avert your eyes. Read more
Published on March 10, 2011 by albarino
5.0 out of 5 stars
hauntingly real account
Not for the weak, very educational, real account of the nature of abortion. Good argument for abstinence, and birth control.
Published on December 21, 2010 by Regina Sizemore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard Topic
This documentary is hard to watch and very moving.
Regardless of your views on abortion this is a must watch. Read more
Regardless of your views on abortion this is a must watch. Read more
Published on September 22, 2010 by M. Mosley
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not exactly a balanced presentation
This documentary only rates 2 stars from me. It is overly long (more than 2 1/2 hours). There are a number of scenes that could have been trimmed down, as they were needlessly... Read more
Published on August 28, 2010 by John Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intense
Whatever your opinion on the topic of abortion, this film is worth watching. It focuses more on the subject of the controversey between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice more than on the... Read more
Published on January 9, 2010 by Dora
1.0 out of 5 stars
Extremists from both sides fight over abortion. Nothing new here.
Ok, I admit I'm biased. I watched the first 5 minutes and that's all I could take. Each side demonizing the other. Neither looking for common ground. Read more
Published on November 11, 2009 by mysticaltyger
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