Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Protestant theologian and scholar who rejected Hitler's model of "patriotic" Christianity, insisting instead on the value of individual conscience and action over the demands of the state. Forsaking numerous opportunities to leave Germany, Bonhoeffer chose to stay and was eventually drawn into the resistance movement's attempts to save Jews and kill Hitler. Jailed and then hanged for "political high treason" in the closing days of the war, Bonhoeffer has been hailed as an influence in diverse civil rights and anti-war groups. Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace, a dramatic treatment starring Ulrich Tukur in the title role, offers a sketchy treatment of the last years of Bonhoeffer's life that's likely to confuse viewers who know little about the man's work. Beginning abruptly in 1939, the narrative opens with Bonhoeffer cutting short his American visit to return to Germany, where he continues his outspoken criticism of Nazi politics, eventually taking an active role on behalf of the Jewish people. Unwavering in his religious commitment, Bonhoeffer's Christian activism would lead to his incarceration and ultimate death as a martyr, leaving a young fiancée behind. While this PBS-aired film is a sincere and worthy effort, it doesn't compare to Vision Video's earlier magnificent Hanged on a Twisted Cross: The Life, Convictions, and Martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (VL-1/97), surely one of the best video biographies of the last decade. Optional. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)