The Conscientious Objector
{{Short description|2004 documentary film by Terry Benedict}}
{{about|the documentary film about Desmond Doss|freedom of conscience in the military|Conscientious objector|conscientious objection in medicine|Conscience clause in medicine in the United States|and|Conscientious objection to abortion}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Conscientious Objector
| image =
| caption =
| director = Terry Benedict
| writer = Terry Benedict
Jeff Wood
| producer = Terry Benedict
| starring = Desmond Doss
| cinematography = Suki Medencevic
Darko Suvak
Francis Kenny
| editing = Christopher Cibelli
Sean McCulley
Jeff Wood
| music = Bob Christianson
| studio = Chaparral West
D'Artagnan Entertainment
| distributor = Cinequest
| released = {{Film date|2004}}
| runtime = 102 minutes
| language = English
| budget =
}}
The Conscientious Objector is a 2004 documentary film directed by Terry Benedict about the life of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who received the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II. Due to his religious convictions as a Seventh-day Adventist, Doss refused to carry a weapon. He initially faced opposition, persecution, and ridicule from his fellow soldiers, but ultimately won their admiration by demonstrating courage and saving many lives as a combat medic.
In 2016, Hacksaw Ridge, a fictional film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield as Doss, was released to critical and commercial success, signaling Gibson's welcome-back to Hollywood. Benedict was one of the producers of Hacksaw Ridge, and the film features several excerpts from The Conscientious Objector immediately before the end credits.
Reception
The film has received more positive acclaim{{cite web|last=Propes|first=Richard|date=November 30, 2006|title='The Conscientious Objector' Review|url=http://theindependentcritic.com/conscientious_objector|work=The Independent Critic|access-date=November 19, 2016}}{{cite web|last=Stoda|first=Kevin|date=July 4, 2010|title=A great Story for This Fourth of July—DESMOND T. DOSS—a Hero of WWII|url=https://eslkevin.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/a-great-story-for-this-fourth-of-july%E2%80%94desmond-t-doss%E2%80%94a-hero-of-wwii/|work=Eslkevin's Blog|access-date=November 19, 2016}}{{cite web|author=Radical Catholic Mom|date=May 19, 2008|title=A War Hero Without a Gun|url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/voxnova/2008/05/19/a-war-hero-without-a-gun/|work=Patheos|access-date=November 19, 2016}} and has won multiple awards, including:{{cite web|url=http://www.indieplaya.com/VideoDetails.do?vid=56#|title=The Conscientious Objector|work=IndiePlaya|accessdate=November 19, 2016}}
- Long Island International Film Expo Festival Prize – Best Feature Film
- Santa Cruz Film Festival Audience Award – Best Documentary
- Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart Award – Best Director
- Cinequest Film Festival Audience Choice Award
- Cinequest Film Festival Director's Award
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=tt0302427|title=The Conscientious Objector}}
- [http://www.christianfilmdatabase.com/review/conscientious-objector/ The Conscientious Objector] at the Christian Film Database
- {{Cite web |url=http://desmonddoss.com/|title=Official Desmond Doss Website}}
- {{Cite web |title=The Conscientious Objector (2004) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10003868-conscientious_objector |work=Rotten Tomatoes }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conscientious Objector, The}}
Category:Documentary films about veterans
Category:Conscientious objection
Category:Documentary films about World War II
Category:2000s English-language films
Category:English-language documentary films
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