Lorenzo's Oil [DVD]

Good movie but sad

I had to watch a movie dealing with some sort of special needs scenario for my Education online class. I googled possibilities for movies to watch (as I'm not a big movie person) and this one was among the top choices. I rented it via amazon and it was a very good movie. Based on a true story with several touching moments (including the ending credits) that's very inspiring to anyone who watches it. It does feel drawn out at times, but I think it is necessary for the view to understand all the terminology and medical terms and pictures that are played out through the movie. There are some scenes that could be deemed a little disturbing for children, so I be on your best judgement for viewing. (PG-13)

George Miller is an Australian physician who took advantage of his medical background to create this one-of-a-kind movie. We are taken behind the headlines of medical research to see some of its inner workings in a true story about a rare and deadly disease, Adrenal Leukodystrophy. Sir Peter Ustinov plays the role of one of the leading researcher in the study of this disease, the basis of which scientists were just beginning to unravel Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon play role of the parents of a boy, Lorenzo, who has the disease. They are not passive regarding his illness but decidedly proactive to the point of sponsoring a meeting to helping the scientists work together to find a cure. At that meeting scientists discuss their findings and Lorenzo's parents realize that one of them, working in cell culture, has discovered a potentially curative oil. Shrugging off the warnings by the scientists that it would be difficult if not impossible to produce this oil and to use it in their son, they call around the world until they find someone capable and willing to purify enough to try the new treatment in Lorenzo. The rest of the movie is the unfolding of the triumph and tragedy of the disease in Lorenzo and other affected children. This movie is unusual, not only in its focus on medical research, but also in the fact that director Miller cast all of the scientists in the movie with actual scientists, except Ustinov only. Also of interest is the fact that the chemist who purified the first batch of Lorenzo’s oil, is played by himself. This is not a light-hearted feel-good movie, but a deep and moving portrayal of the real-life struggle of two parents to fight in cooperation with, and at times against, the medical research establishment in an effort to save their son.

I bought this to use in my high school science classroom to study the scientific method. Usually students are taught the scientific method as a series of steps that are followed and then it's over. This movie showed them how science really works, and also provided some important discussions. The entire scientific method unit was taught using this movie and included the following: - In the real world, the steps of the scientific method are often repeated. Augusto Odone tests a hypothesis, and when the results don't back his hypothesis, he does more research and develops a new hypothesis. - When research on actual organisms/substances isn't practical, scientists use models to conduct their research. Augusto Odone develops 2 models, one using a kitchen sink to describe the action of long-chain fatty acids in the human body, and another using paper clips to describe the formation of these acids. - Collaboration and communication between scientists isn't as common as we think, and sometimes research simply involves putting the work of several scientists together. Michaela Odone finds research done on pigs that yields a missing component to her husband's research. - Scientific research operates within the confines of government. When the Odones come up with a therapy that works, they find that they can't offer it up to others without following FDA testing and approval laws. - Scientific research operates within the confines of funding. The Odones learn that scientific experimentation isn't cheap, and finding funding isn't easy because they had to find someone who believed in their discovery, and those who fund research are mainly interested in whether they will be able to mass produce the results for financial gain. Additionally, on the myelin project website you can download lessons to use in biology, including lab activities. Your students can also ask questions on the site, as well as get information as to what happened to Lorenzo after the movie was released the movie was released in 1992, but Lorenzo lived much longer. You can download and check out the lesson plans to see if this will work for you in your classroom. Lastly, there is no foul language or sex scenes, so you won't have administration and parents on your back.

I never watched this movie when it came out, because I read just a little bit about it and was certain that it would be a sappy tearjerker--my least favorite kind of movie. I finally watched it as an assignment for a college class and now realize how wrong I was. This is a great movie at so many levels--the acting, the true story, the inspiring determination of the parents, the study on obedience to authority in spite of harm to their own children of the parent support group the (not surprising) arrogance of the doctors. I googled an update on the status of this disease, and was stunned (but shouldn't have been) that many physicians resisted prescribing [hopefully not too terrible a spoiler alert] Lorenzo's Oil because they were (ironically) offended by the portrayal of physicians in this movie. Shame on them. Watch this movie and prepare to be amazed.

Un film più che discreto, molto commovente e interessante sulla storia della lotta di una famiglia per aiutare il proprio bimbo colpito da una crudele e rara malattia. Unica pecca, a mio avviso, il personaggio del padre interpretato da un patetico Nick Nolte che si sforza (poco e male) di farci credere di essere di origine italiana riuscendo solo ad essere ridicolo....vabbé!

Ich habe den Film "Lorenzos Öl" seit 1992 mehrfach gesehen (Kino, TV, DVD) und er rührt mich immer wieder aufs Neue zu Tränen. Man vermag sich kaum vorzustellen, was es bedeuten mag, wenn Eltern sich nicht damit abfinden können, dass ihr Kind an der seltenen und unheilbaren Erbkrankheit ALD (Adrenoleukodystrophie) sterben wird und welcher Kraft es bedarf, sich dagegen - und auch gegen die etablierte Meinung der Fachwelt - aufzulehnen und alles dafür zu geben, dass ein neues Medikament gefunden und zur Verfügung gestellt wird. Der Film dokumentiert eine herzzerreißende Geschichte ohne echtes Happy End, und die Eltern, Augusto und Michaela Odone, die auf der Suche nach einem Medikament für ihren Sohn Lorenzo jahrelang unvorstellbare Kräfte und eine unvergleichliche Energie mobilisiert haben, hinterlassen wohl bei jedem Betrachter einen bleibenden Eindruck. Die Leistung der Schauspieler (Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Peter Ustinov und auch der Darsteller des kleinen Lorenzo) ist überwältigend. Der Film fesselt und reißt mit. Für mich ist es einer der besten Filme, die ich je gesehen habe. Als ich diesen Film, dessen Handlung auf einer wahren Begebenheit beruht, zum ersten Mal sah, hatte ich noch die Hoffnung, dass Lorenzo irgendwann wieder ganz gesund werden könnte. Diese dramatische Geschichte hat mich auch in den folgenden Jahren und Jahrzehnten nicht mehr losgelassen, und so habe ich mich in dieser Zeit immer wieder per Internet über den neuesten Stand der Dinge informiert, und für eine Weile hatte ich sogar die Hoffnung, dass Lorenzo ins Leben zurückfinden würde ... Wie wir heute wissen, hat Lorenzo seinen Kampf am Ende verloren. Er konnte weder sehen noch kommunizieren, und er lag lange im Koma, bevor er am 30. Mai 2008 im Alter von 30 Jahren an einer Lungenentzündung starb. Seine Ärzte hatten ihm 1985 eine Lebenserwartung von nur noch zwei Jahren prognostiziert. Man vermag sich kaum vorzustellen, was seine Eltern alles in Bewegung gesetzt haben, weil sie den Glauben und die Hoffnung nicht aufgeben wollten, dass es etwas geben müsse, das ihrem Kind helfen könnte. Das Mittel "Lorenzos Öl", das sie letztendlich gefunden haben, hat die von den Ärzten prognostizierte Lebenserwartung ihres Sohnes um ein Vielfaches verlängert, aber für eine Heilung war es zu spät. Ihr eigenes Kind konnten sie nicht mehr retten, aber hunderten, wenn nicht tausenden von anderen Kindern, von denen ohne dieses Medikament heute keines mehr am Leben wäre, haben sie eine zweite Chance und die Hoffnung auf ein normales Leben geschenkt. Der Film bekommt von mir 5 Sterne, aber eigentlich hätte er mehr verdient...

A classic fave movie Arrived on time in good condition, thank you

An old movie but a good one!

Super