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Product Description ------------------- IN SEARCH OF MEMORY is a blend of history and autobiography that recounts the life and work of Eric Kandel, one of the 20th-century's most significant neuroscientists. "Memory is everything. Without it we are nothing," says Kandel, winner of the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research on the physiology of the brain's storage of memories. As Kandel explains in the film-adapted from his own best-selling book of the same name (winner of a 2006 Los Angeles Times Book award)-memory is the glue that binds our mental life together and provides a sense of continuity in our lives. "Kandel is one of science's greatest treasures," wrote Scientific American Mind, "and [director Petra] Seeger does a masterful job at encapsulating both his brilliance and his captivating spirit." in addition to archival footage and dramatic re-creations of Kandel's childhood experiences in Nazi-occupied Vienna and his formative years as an emigrant in New York, the film features discussions with Kandel, friends and family, as well as his public lectures in Vienna and New York, which explore both his professional and personal life, especially his emotional ties to Judaism. IN SEARCH OF MEMORY reveals how all of our experiences change our brains, and even our genetic make-up, and can determine the focus of a life's work. Review ------ An engrossing portrait... a generous introduction to someone worth knowing who knows an awful lot. --A.O. Scott, The New York Times A passionate exploration of the life and work of Eric Kandel, the brilliant and irrepressible neurobiologist, whose pioneering work has illuminated the very workings of memory. But, like Eric, Petra Seeger's film resonates in all directions, illuminating not only the trajectory of psychology and neuroscience in the last century, but the nature of art and science, history and remembrance, work and love, inspiration and achievement. It is an unforgettable journey. --Oliver Sacks This is not just a dry doc about brain functions. Seeger makes a convincing connection between Kandel's work and his life as a Jew who escaped from Vienna during World War II. Kandel demurs early in the film that he isn t easy to live with, but he s certainly a pleasure to spend time with in a doc, and his story and his passion, which Seeger easily conveys, are, if you ll pardon the inevitable pun, memorable. --Hank Sartin, Time Out Chicago