Lorenzo's Oil [DVD]

I had seen this excellent movie before and luckily found it on Amazon. The movies shows how people in a dire medical crisis - in this case parents without "degrees", operating outside the "contraints" of Gov policy (put there for good reason often) but as well can be a process that stymies CREATIVITE "urgency". And thus going through reams of library research to find clues!(I have a background in health care (nutrition and other sciences), mother in medicine and long ago turned to "alternative and natural therapies" (and decades of studie) to find solutions when regular medicine found not hope! I even have my mom's older 1953 Merck Manual which list more "natural therapies" that work.) Some states in America have Medical Freedom laws while others do not!

I can't remember the exact quote but towards the end, Nick Nolte says maybe they were doing all this for others, and not just their son. I'd been thinking of that quote for 20 years.

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.

LORENZO'S OIL is an interesting film for a few reasons. First, it's based on a true story and second, the director George Miller (MAD MAX) used to be a medical doctor, so this project was probably personal for him in a way that his others weren't. Before someone gets the wrong idea, I do think this is a good film. All of the performances were realistically done, the technical details are all artfully done, and the story itself is highly inspirational. That being said, the film is a bit hard to sit through since you are relentlessly bombarded with scene after scene of a child struggling for his life against a disease that (at the time) wasn't fully understood. There was also a steep learning curve when it came to all of the medical terminology that gets tossed around, although there was some attempt to explain the more fundamental concepts related to the disease at the center of the story. And what a disease! Lorenzo Odone was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a disease that affects how certain fatty acids are processed and leads to serious neurological problems. Keeping in mind that George Miller is a former doctor, the narrative unfolds and is presented in a very clinical fashion, with an acute focus on time. To its detriment, occasionally this bleeds over into the emotional impact of what is happening onscreen. While it might be hard not to be moved by much of what is shown and discussed, there was a preparedness and calculation which undermined the more emotional moments (for me, at least). And about a third of the way into the film, after seeing scene after scene of suffering and hearing several cues of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, I just became numb. All of that aside, I thought the film brought up some very important points of discussion, such as how slow the medical establishment moves and the role of compassion in medical care. There are several scenes in which parents of ALD children are pitted against the foundation and doctors simply because they feel things aren't moving fast enough. Still, as the film makes quite clear, there are proper procedures and protocols to be followed. despite the maverick efforts of the Odones to find a cure/treatment for their son's illness at all costs. Hopefully, the less scientifically inclined won't take this film as evidence that parents can just do what they want willy-nilly without regard for established science. To their credit, the Odones did their own research and worked with scientists to develop the titular oil that helped to save their boy's life. Thematically, I think the film's main message can be summed up in the opening quote which, summarized, basically says that living is struggle while the end result is up to a higher power. Maybe the film hammers this a little too hard, what with endless soundtrack cues of choral and symphonic music, but the idea that science and faith don't necessarily have to be diametrically opposed is a compelling one. There are certainly other issues/topics which are touched upon, but I feel like I've covered the most significant ones. While it isn't a perfect movie, and is shameless in its emotional manipulation, in the end it is an uplifting story that I can easily recommend. Just be aware that the journey though it isn't easy.

This is a review of the standard Region 2 DVD from Universal Pictures UK, released in 2004; it is of acceptable, rather than brilliant, quality.This 1992 biographical drama is based on the true story of the Odone family ~ father Augusto an Italian-born senior executive with the World Bank; mother Michaela a fiery Irish-American; bright and lively young son Lorenzo. Aged 5, Lorenzo is diagnosed with a genetically-linked disease leading speedily to a wide range of serious degenerative effects, then death. The film follows the family from shortly before the onset of the illness, through diagnosis and then how the family tackles the challenge of trying to deal with it, both practically and also psychologically and philosophically.Inevitably, with such a traumatic subject, this film is a hard watch at times. It asks all the hard questions too, in some considerable detail. This is a long film ~ 129 minutes. It is difficult to think of any worse diagnosis to receive. What parent would not be heart-sick at receiving such news? What parent would not be overcome by overwhelming feelings of sorrow, denial, guilt, desperation? How do close family react? Friends? Work colleagues? Who can you turn to for help? Who SHOULD you be able to turn to? The film considers all this, and turns over several rocks to expose some really difficult issues.Susan Sarandon as Michaela was nominated for both an OSCAR and a Golden Globe. She puts in a blistering performance as the mother tiger at the heart of this unthinkable tragedy. Nick Nolte was a slightly bizarre choice for Augusto; he is from Omaha, and he truly struggles to find his inner Italian, though he is persuasively determined, exhausted, angry. Child actor Zack O'Malley Greenburg is a sweet and engaging Lorenzo. There are other well-known faces in supporting roles. British actor Sir Peter Ustinov is Professor Gus Nikolais, actually the late Hugo Wolfgang Moser, Professor of Neurology and Paediatrics at John Hopkins University. Professor Moser was deeply unhappy at the film’s portrayal of his role: he called it "an abomination”.I find myself slightly conflicted about the film. The Odones, particularly Michaela, are the stars, and there are a number of very clear villains. Given the appalling circumstances, the Odones were fortunate, especially in light of America’s lack of publicly-funded health care, to be literate, eloquent and reasonably wealthy. Not all of those they meet, including some who are vilified, are quite so lucky. Others disagree with them for very valid moral reasons. And those in the scientific community, who appear to be difficult and obstructive, generally have valid reasons for behaving so. For clear dramatic impact, the film is perhaps overly partial at times.However, this is an intelligent, worthy and worth-while film. It deals compassionately with an impossible topic.

This film will make even the hardest shed a few tears. Truly an amazing film, that shows a mothers love for her son, and that fight she fought with not only the unknown, but with science and her belief that there is a god.

Good

Was hasty reviewing after few mins sound came on impressed with seller got a full refund and watch a beautiful film thankyou

Good.