- Content: “Making a Difference Through Jesus Christ”
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What You Need To Know:
Part 1 of BE THOU MY VISION: IDA SCUDDER OF VELLORE is a well-made, uplifting movie with good illustrations and animated transitions and believable voiceovers. It tells a touching story with a motivating message about pursuing God’s call and never giving up on it despite trials and tribulations. BE THOU MY VISION: IDA SCUDDER OF VELLORE has a strong Christian, moral worldview with many positive references to Jesus Christ, faith, prayer, and persevering through times of struggle. The movie extols kindness and helping others. It also teaches reliance on God and trusting that the Lord will provide. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends media wisdom for some minor elements.
Content:
Very strong Christian, moral worldview with many positive references to Christ, faith, prayer, and smiling through times of struggle, kindness and helping others are extolled, the Christian title character prays and trusts that the Lord will provide, several church images, some footage of crosses on top of churches, “Be Thou My Vision,” a popular Christian hymn plays in the background as instrumentation during the movie and with lyrics during the end credits, title character has a heart for her community and wants to help those who are sick and teach other women to do the same;
No foul language;
Bullet shots are heard, footage of a cannon firing and soldiers getting shot, but there’s no blood, illustration of people in water who are at risk of drowning;
No sex;
Upper child and adult male nude illustrations, brief upper male nudity, image of a boy with bare legs and rear end, and illustration of a baby held upside down with bare butt;
No alcohol use;
No smoking or drugs;
The narrator recounts how a woman saves the life of a mother, but the baby died, which leaves it unclear for those not familiar with medical terms whether this could have been prevented, and the controversial World Health Organization is mentioned during the end credits as having collaborated with and given an award to the title character’s medical college.
More Detail:
The movie begins with archival footage of an elderly Ida Scudder addressing her young class of 1949 students and welcoming them into the medical program while expressing how happy she is to be there. Scudder says that when she first started the medical college, there was only one student, and the school has grown since. She also hopes she will live long enough to see them graduate, and she wishes the students will do great things for India.
The narrator, Peter Wig, describes how 200 years ago, modern-day medical services were not that common in India. Those that did practice in the nation were either military people (like Dr,. Watson) or missionaries, but they were all men. Although women have been involved in the field for thousands of years, they were not allowed to enter the modern medical education system.
In 1840s United States, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first American female doctor. After getting rejected in different institutions because of her sex, she finally got accepted at Geneva Medical College despite the hesitancy from some of the faculty. She excelled in her studies and graduated with flying colors in 1849. She became the first American woman to earn a medical degree.
In India, women were limited to practice on women, because of social taboos and not being allowed to visit a male doctor. Sometimes women would go to a doctor when it was an extreme emergency, but the doctors couldn’t do anything. Despite many years later and several uphill battles, it was not until Ida Scudder came into the picture that things in India started to change for the better.
BE THOU MY VISION: IDA SCUDDER OF VELLORE – PART 1 is a well-made, uplifting documentary with good illustrations and animated transitions, including believable voiceovers. It also tells a touching and inspiring story with a motivating message about pursuing God’s calling and never giving up on it even, and especially, amidst trials and tribulations.
Because this is a Part 1, the filmmakers explore only a little bit of Scudder’s life. However, they do a great job providing the background and history that led up to Scudder’s birth and game-changing involvement in the medical field. It’s also very encouraging to see her overcome these and relying on Jesus Christ during the hard times. People from two different Christian denominations commend her for her brilliant work in pursuit of the corporal works of mercy in caring for the sick.
Where this documentary falters is in an unclear statement in one scene about Dr. Scudder saving a pregnant woman’s life but letting her child die. Scudder pulls the baby out already dead. The narrator highlights Scudder’s good deed but brushes off the notion of saving the child. Why not try to do this for both the mother and child?
BE THOU MY VISION: IDA SCUDDER OF VELLORE – PART 1 has a strong Christian, moral worldview with many positive references to Christ, faith, prayer, and smiling through times of struggle. The movie extols kindness and helping others. For example, because Ida Scudder was Christian, there are a few mentions of her praying and trusting that the Lord will provide, several Church images/footage, and some images of crosses on top of churches. “Be Thou My Vision,” a popular Christian song, plays in the background as instrumentation during the movie, with lyrics added during the end credits. Scudder has a heart for her community and wants to help those who are sick and teach other women to do the same. This is only slightly marred by the scene cited above and the fact that the Christian Medical College of Vellore collaborates with the controversial World Health Organization. MOVIEGUIDE® advises media wisdom for these minor elements.
