Plain Truth
by Paul Shapiro
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DVD details
Actor: Alec McClure, Alison Pill, Jan Niklas, Kate Trotter, Mariska HargitayDirector: Paul Shapiro
Producer: Alys Shanti
Producer: Michael Mahoney
Producer: Michael Prupas
Producer: Philip K. Kleinbart
Producer: Robert Greenwald
Writer: Jodi Picoult
Writer: Matthew Tabak
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Unknown
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Lifetime
DVD Reviews of Plain Truth
DVD Review: I was horrified that LifetimeTV would show a movie like this
Summary: 1 Stars
I was absolutely shocked and outraged that Lifetime TV would even consider showing such an inaccurate and ethically-biased movie. Lifetime TV is supposed to be impartial, REALITY-BASED television designed to entertain and educate women and their families. This movie, while excellently filmed and directed, is a travesty of truth and a blatant case of prejudice, not just against the Amish people but against old-world lifestyles, teachings, and values in general. I agree that there are definitely some serious mistakes in the old-fashioned ways of living (such as mandatory male dominance and the use of physical discipline), but that is no reason or excuse to say that ALL of the old world is flawed. Nor should we disregard and condemn rigid moral values, or pretend that such rules would be likely to cause a girl to behave as she does in the movie. Besides, from what I know, the Amish people do NOT really live or act the way they are portrayed in this movie --- they are not chilly narrow-minded individuals, as the actors in this movie characterize them. And I speak from experience --- I happen to know some Amish and Mennonite people quite well, and while I wholeheartedly agree that they could certainly stand to ease up a little on a few of their strict rules and on their heavily religion-based lifestyle, they are definitely NOT like the bitter hypocritical people portrayed here. They are actually very gentle kindly people who care deeply about each other and have strong family values. They do not banish or disown someone just because, as in the case of this girl's brother, he chooses to depart from some of the ways he was originally taught, especially if the difference in philosophy involves a harmless and relatively minor issue like this (it's not as if the young man decided to live an irresponsible life of debauchery or crime --- all he wanted to do was get a college education). In fact, as I understand it, the Amish actually have a long-standing policy of always giving each of their offspring a CHOICE of how he desires to live --- once a child reaches a certain age, he is asked whether he wants to continue living under the values and practices of his community, or if he wishes to leave the community and live in a manner of his own personal choosing. And if he decides to leave, his decision is accepted peaceably and amicably by all. The young person is permitted to go off and live his (or her) own life without stigma or resentment, either from his family or the community in general. And he is still loved and cared about by his fellow Amish, and he is completely welcome to come back and visit anytime he pleases.
I also took strong exception to the movie's apparent implied assertion that the Amish people are careless or unaware about proper hygiene. As a matter of fact, the Amish homes and farms I visited appeared remarkably clean and fresh-smelling, and the people were almost all trim and fit and calmly cheerful. So it is obvious that the Amish lifestyle apparently actually promotes GOOD health, and from what I know, their incidents of infant mortality and irresponsible behavior are actually very low. Virtually all the Amish children I have seen have been unusually healthy and well-behaved, and the adults live a very long time, too.
So in conclusion, I feel that this movie is a despicable portrayal of one of the most harmless and sensible sectors of our population. As the lawyer in the movie herself stated, Amish people simply do not do things like this (not usually, anyway), so why make a movie claiming that they do? I am a great fan of Lifetime TV, but in this case it should be ashamed of itself.
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