Customer Reviews

Pray the Devil Back to Hell

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Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a captivating new film by director Gini
Reticker. It exposes a different story angle for the largely forgotten recent events
of the women of Liberia uniting to bring the end to their nation's civil war.

This film is amazing in the way it captivates your attention from the
earliest frames. It doesn't shy away from showing footage of the violent
events that took place during the Liberian civil war. But the main story
of the film is that of Leymah Gbowee and the other women uniting, despite
their religious differences, to force action on the stalled peace talks in
their country. Using entirely nonviolent methods, not only are the peace
talks successful, but Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, is forced
into exile leading to the first election of a female head of state in
Africa.

The women of this film are truly an inspiration and no one can fail to be
moved by the message of hope that comes through clearly in this film.
These are heroes that deserve to be remembered and with Pray the Devil we
are able to do that, gaining both a knowledge of the history we are
ignorant of through archival footage and an understanding of the leaders
of this movement through close-up interviews with the many women who lead
it.

The film also offers a great soundtrack & inspirational song- "Djoyigbe" by Angelique Kidjo & Blake Leyh.

I highly recommend this soul-touching film. Once you watch it, you'll want to share it with your friends because- "PEACE IS LOUD"!

This story is a fantastic testament to the power of community organizing, women's empowerment, non-violent peaceful protest, and faith in the face of incredible odds. The women in this film are modern-day saints, inspiring in every way, and the film is very well made. Its re-enactments are almost seamless, and the creative team's handling of the major events in relationship to the intimate stories of suffering and resolve is commendable. It's almost too good to be true to know that it really happened.

The women of Liberia, in serious of shockingly unknown events, were able to change the face of their nation's government. How? Not with guns. Not with politicians and diplomats. But by employing the ancient Greek techniques of Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Using every technique from sex strikes to striping naked and barricading hallways, the women of Liberia wage a successful campaign to oust their president and resume their country's stalled peace talks.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell is sure to inspire anyone who feels they do not have the power to make a change in the world. The women of Liberia united across religious and cultural boundaries in the face of a devastating civil war in order to bring peace to their countries. With these women as examples, no one ever needs to feel they aren't important enough to make a difference. This film has the power to touch hearts and move people to action.

Pray the Devil has also spawned the "Peace is Loud" campaign, which everyone should check out after watching the film [...]. It's a great way to move from inspiration to action.

I watched this DVD perched on the edge of the chair. At the end of it I felt exhausted and exhilarated. It takes the viewer on a voyage starting with the mind-numbing brutality of Liberia's horrific civil war. Then introduces us to the emergence of the growing sense of empowerment amongst the women of Liberian. We live through the ups and downs of the protests and subtle but steady influence that these brave women had on the psyche of all of those involved in that horrible war. Then we arrive at peace talks in Ghana and I dare you not to stand up and cheer by the end of what would become Liberia's new beginning. I lived in Liberia prior to the civil war and it will always be a part of my heart. My heart has been broken these many years, but seeing this film inspires and dares the viewer to not give up hope. Buy it and you won't be sorry!

In 1966, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the town of Butaw, Sinoe County, Liberia. I loved my students, the Liberian people and the country. During the time of fighting and turmoil, I read newspapers and watched television reports of what was happening. Until I saw the movie, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell", I was unaware of the magnitude of the suffering of the Liberian people. The power, perserverance and courage of the Liberian women, to stand up against Charles Taylor and the LURD forces is truly inspiring and heroic. I hope someday to be able to return to this beautiful country and its beautiful people.

An inspiring documentary of how one woman, tired of the endless bloodshed of Liberia's civil war, organized Christian and Muslim women in a nonviolent peace movement which finally brought peace to their country. In this documentary, we see Ms. Gbowee progress from a single woman with an idea to a powerful leader who gained the support and respect of world leaders, all the while enduring constant real threats to her safety. Anyone viewing this story can't help but be spiritually transformed, knowing that we all have it in us to make a difference.

A must see documentary showing the courage and power of women who wouldn't take no for an answer.
Thanks to these women, there is a female president on the continent of Africa!

This is a DVD about women and about the power of peaceful protest. The film footage is incredible. The results these Liberian women achieve serve as a lesson to world that women should be a crucial part of any peace settlements and reconciliation. See UN Security Council Resolution, 1325.

What a shame that none of the news media saw fit to report on these courageous women. Instead we got/get the daily focus on men and their guns.

The story as seen through amateur video and film is compelling and uplifting.
To see how their work continues is even more impressive. Kudos to Abigail Disney and Gina Reticker for unearthing and making this gem.

I recommend this movie wholeheartedly to anyone ready for a thoughtful and uplifting true story.
Film chronicles Liberian women's faith-based peace movement.(IN THE BEGINNING)(Pray the Devil Back to Hell): An article from: National Catholic Reporter

Who Has Real Power?
Liberia was in a state of war for years. Government forces fought rebels. Children were recruited and were forced to participate or witness murder and other atrocities, sometimes even members of their own families. The country was going downhill in all areas.

This award winning documentary collected videos of these women's outstanding success in turning around a whole country's descent into extreme violence. A group of women decided to band together and change this. They started in a church by praying together. Slowly they gained in numbers and effected some amazing results.

They did this with non-violent techniques and stood up to Government officials, police, soldiers and society in general who tended to ignore women. They demonstrated with unswerving tenacity. By meeting face to face with the president and other officials they restated their goal over and over "No more war". The story is told well. Director: Gini Reticke gets the viewer interested and fascinated to see the twist and turn of events by focusing the story through the interviews of one unlikely leader, Leymah Gbowee. Extra features show how the film was put together and also the actual presentation of the John F. Kennedy award Profiles in Courage. Yes, I was inspired to see how a group came to realize its real power. Often power is associated with force which eventually turns into violence. These women show us a different way.