Storyline

When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school. Despite the ban on Christian students, Rob goes there, disguising himself as a Jew to gain admission. Gordon has written an adventurous and inspiring tale of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice.

Plot Keywords

medicine, middle ages, journey, based on novel, surgeon, christian, jew, muslim, disguise, apprentice, reference to pubic hair, two word title, englishman, reference to jesus christ, london england, turk, barefoot male, bare chested male, reference to allah, reference to aristotle

Short Review

For those who miss the substance and scope of films like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Man Who Would Be King," Philipp Stoelzl's "The Physician" restores one's faith in the medium - if not necessarily one's faith in faith.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : From $3.99 to rent, From $12.99 to buy