They survived three-and-a-half years in a Japanese prison camp in Sumatra during World War II.
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LENGTH: 70 Minutes
OUR PRICE: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20268
UPC #: 6-4603202689-4
ISBN #: 1-56839-195-1
RELEASE YEAR: 2004
PRODUCER: Veriation Films
But these courageous women had something special going for them: the great music of Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin. Having no instruments but the human voice, they recreated from memory the complex symphonic music they had loved. Even as disease and malnutrition thinned their ranks, these Australian, Dutch and British women – missionaries, teachers, nuns, wives and children – used their unique choir to sustain a spirit that refused to accept defeat. Here is their remarkable story, told by the survivors themselves, aided by rare archival footage. The Peninsula Women’s Chorus of Palo Alto, California, once again sings the rapturous music that made life endurable in a remote prison camp in Sumatra. Awards » American Film Festival Finalist CINE Golden Eagle
NOTES: The DVD contains a 33-image Photo Gallery as an extra feature. The book Song of Survival: Women Interned by Helen Colijn, and the music from the camp sung by the Women’s Choir of Haarlem, Holland (compact disc and cassette) are available from White Cloud Press, PO Box 3400, Ashland, Oregon 97520 Toll Free Phone: 1-800-380-8286
Reviews
“During WW11, some 30 Dutch, British, and Australian women held for three and a half years in a Japanese P.O.W. camp in Sumatra banded together and formed a choir. With voice their only instrument, these women performed the intricate orchestral arrangements of Beethoven, Brahms, and Chopin, among others. This is their courageous story…. Using historical footage, moving interviews, and absorbing narration, Song of Survival tells a little known human interest story, and tells it well…. Highly Recommended.” -Video Librarian
“Highly recommended… an excellently produced and affecting film.” – Choice Magazine
“Colijn tells the remarkable story of her family’s internment by the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies during World War II. Her account grips the reader from the very first pages, relating the events leading up to the family’s capture, the tragedy that interment brought, and ultimately their release at the end of the war….Song of Survival will bring new dimension to the courage that was the hallmark of World War II…. An interesting account of music and how it made somewhat more bearable a condition that few of us can imagine today. A monument to the human spirit. For history or women’s studies programs.” -Library Journal
“… In a hushed, reverential tone, the narration threads together the production’s smoothly fitting facets while native Southeast Asian instruments and ominously haunting piano strains lend enhancing accents. This affecting production’s portrayal of these women’s indomitably courageous spirit will touch public library , community, and religious group audiences.” -Booklist (Editor’s Choice)
“Song of Survival is their remarkable story, told by the survivors themselves, aided by rare archival footage. The Peninsula Women’s Chorus of Palo Alto, California. recreates the rapturous music that made life endurable in a remote prison camp in Sumatra.” -The Children’s Bookwatch This little known video beautifully chronicles the experiences of a group of women in a World War II prison camp, including the extraordinary music they sang to keep hope alive. …While not an overly Christian video, the story is inspirational none-the-less and a moving account of the spirit’s will to survive as well as a testament to the ingenuity of women. CBA Magazine
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