This documentary was recently produced and is available for viewing at film festivals.
along with the appearance of Dr. Wagner so he can tell stories from his remarkable life as a plastic surgeon….
The video is available. What arrangements can be made to show it at your festival?
FOr English Speakers -- here are teh short tributes assembled together.
Here is the English Version Script
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1
VOICE OVER
In 1597, a surgeon
named Gasparo Tagliacozzi (pronounced
“tah ly a cozzi”) wrote: "We restore, repair and re-do those parts of
the body that nature gave but misfortune has taken, not enough to delight the
eye, but enough to lift the spirit and help the mind of the afflicted."
2
Gasparo Tagliacozzi was
convicted of interfering with God's creation, and his body was buried in
unconsecrated ground (the music stops).
3
VOICE OFF: four
centuries later another doctor in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery followed
Tagliacozzi's words. Many people question the arrogance of doctors like Kurt
Wagner who reshape parts of the human body given by God.
 |
When we look into the mirror |
5
Narrator: We are in the
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center (www.SMACBOCA.com) located in Boca Raton, Florida.
In this facility, cosmetic surgeries, laser and varicose vein treatments,
weight loss, and other services are offered, making people feel good about
their physical appearance.
 |
we see a little person with whom we have a dialog as we get older |
6
Narrator: Among
specialists here, we find Dr. Kurt Joseph Wagner, visionary of plastic surgery.
 |
we see that we are getting closer to the end of our lives. |
 |
We tell the little person to calm down and relax. We have a contract that we signed when we were younger |
 |
as we get older, and we separate to |
 |
become the true guardian |
 |
we are going to take card of the little person |
Narrator: We are in the
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center (www.SMACBOCA.com) located in Boca Raton, Florida.
In this facility, cosmetic surgeries, laser and varicose vein treatments,
weight loss, and other services are offered, making people feel good about
their physical appearance.
6
Narrator: Among
specialists here, we find Kurt Joseph Wagner, a visionary of plastic surgery.
After 30 years of
successful practice in Beverly Hills, he is still working to bring youth and
options to his patients.
================
VIDEO
#4
Dr. Wagner is a life
member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Board of
Cosmetic Surgery,
7
Narrator: He believes
in reconstructive surgery as an aid to attain personal and social realization.
====
Narrator: In the
mid-1960s, when being young and handsome in the U.S. was important
to hold a job, Wagner wrote the book: "A plastic surgeon answers your
questions", which brought to ordinary people the benefits of plastic
surgery.
=======
9
Narrator: He
popularized cosmetic surgery in the doctor's clinic: a practical way to reduce
costs without affecting the quality of the procedure,
Hollywood’s stars-to-be
soon learned about Dr. Wagner's work in Breast design.
10
The Phi Beta Kappa
graduate of New York University was becoming a celebrity in Beverly Hills.
One day, a future
patient lacked the necessary funds to pay for the service. She was a press
agent and Kurt Wagner saw an opportunity to expand his business:
talk shows on TV. Soon Dr. Wagner would understand the
price of taking cosmetic and reconstructive surgery to ordinary people.
===
11
Narrator: From the
relationship that emerged between the ambitious surgeon and the press agent,
the world's first televised "Extreme Makeover" was born. The show was
seen by millions in New York, Chicago and Europe. Next came an article in
"Look" magazine, and two appearances on the Merv Griffin show,
accompanied by his wife Kathy.
================
Video
9 10
Wagner suffered the
consequences of this new fame. He was accused of
"self-aggrandizement”.. and he eventually quit the Los Angeles County
Medical Association.
14
 |
The Look Magazine profile and Kurt's first book "A Plastic Surgeon Answers Your Questions" |
His controversial
experience not only disrupted his life, but it would change the public
perception of cosmetic surgery forever.
==============
But to know the essence
this man, who was the first surgeon to talk on late night T.V. about the advantages
of cosmetic procedures, we need to make a journey in to Vienna in 1934
15
Kurt Joseph Wagner made
his appearance in the world on March 6, 1934, the same year that Adolf Hitler
became chancellor of Germany. The world was suffering under a global economic
crisis. On March 14, 1938, just over a week after the fourth birthday of
little Kurtie, the Fuhrer declared the annexation of Austria to Germany before
250,000 local supporters, during his triumphal entry into Vienna.
End of 12B VIDEO
 |
Kurt with his grandfather Oskar |
==============
16
Narrator: Little Kurtie
came from a wealthy Viennese family who were descended from Wenzel Anton
Kaunitz-Rietberg, the Chancellor of State under Maria Theresa of
Austria.
17
 |
Kur's mother Sonia with her husband Wahrhaftig |
Oskar Kaunitz, Kurt's
grandfather, was an obstetrician and the third generation of
doctors. Oskar's daughter Sonia agreed to marry a young Jew named
Bernard Wahrhaftig, a future psychiatrist … Their family name
"Wahrhaftig" was changed to Wagner, more Teutonic and suitable for
those difficult times .
==========
Video number 15
18
Narrator: At only 14
months "Kurtie" could speak in complete sentences; at age two, he
could read and write, and when he was three, his grandfather gave him a small
doctor's coat embroidered with, "Dr. Kurtie".
19
Narrator: A somber air
swept over life in Vienna: Curfews, identity checks, control of all financial
activities, and open attacks on Jewish families. People rushed to leave the
country.
==============
20
Narrator: On November
11, 1938, with the sound of broken glass in the streets, Oskar Kaunitz
and his wife accompanied their daughter and grandson to the station for a
sad farewell. Before saying goodbye, the old Doctor, left his grandson a
commitment that would accompany him, like a sentence, all his lifetime.
section 20B
OR OTHER VERSION
Before saying goodbye,
the old Doctor, left his grandson a mission that would follow him all his life.
OFF (It will be heard
in German, as the child is drawing on the floor) Kurtie, God has given little
to a few, much to some, but you. My dear Kurtie, you’ve got it all. You must
help every person you meet.
Child Off in German:
"If you say so, Dad."
22
Off (act out, not just
read…)
"Keep, ancient
lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send
these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
SECOND 22 C
Narrator: On the 22nd
of November, 1938, the little boy and his parents were among the 95,000 Jews
who emigrated to the United States
(Clear audio in which Kurt talks about his difficulties
as an immigrant, and his relationship with Sonia at this stage.)
23
Narrator: Finally,
after a frustrating year for the Wagners, Harry, Kurt's father, managed to get
a medical license to begin his practice.
ALTERNATIVE...
Narrator: Finally,
after a frustrating year for the Wagners , Harry, Kurt's father, managed to get
the medical license he needed to practice.
24
 |
Kurt was told by an insurance company to "cease doing this procedure to remove fat through a small incision." Years later, the procedure, known as "liposuction," would become popular |
Narrator: The last days
of 1939 pointed to 'the wonders in store for the future'. With the theme:
"Building the world of tomorrow", a group of businessmen planned the
Second General Exhibition in New York, with the intention that it would become
the most important event since the First World War.
24.5 ADDED
24B
While visiting the New
York World's Fair of 1939 with Kurt, his mother saw a friend from Vienna.
The meeting brought back memories of home and after the friend went on his way,
Sonia broke down in tears …
How much had been lost
in one year! as his mother sat and sobbed on a park bench, Kurt stood by,
unable to comfort her. Kurt recalled in his memoir that "A
man-sized mouse appeared. seeing the woman's sadness, the
large-eared creature grasped her hands and started a merry dance with a song.
Tears soon turned into laughter and from that time on, a magic talisman came
into my life." … Dr. Wagner continues to wear a mickey mouse
watch today
25
 |
Kurt is profiled in the Super Doctors book |
Narrator: In
1958, Kurt Wagner's life was running at high speed. After finishing as a
Phi Beta Kappa at NYU. The 24 year-old Dr. Wagner, has graduated from the
College of Medicine of N. York City, he's doing his internship at Long Island
Jewish Hospital (LIJH) in New Hyde Park. He is now the fifth generation of
physicians.
26
Narrator: After
completing the yearlong stint as an intern, in June 1959 DR. Wagner was
on Route 66, headed to California.
30
Narrator: at 26
year old Kurt is now married to Barbara Jean Wallace with a child,
and starting his practice of surgery at Cedars of Lebanon,
alternative
By the time he was 26 years old, Kurt was married to Barbara...
31
At that time, the
institution had contracts from the Screen Actors Guild, so it was not
uncommon to see movie stars, past and present, in public hallways or as
patients.
32
Narrator: After three
years at Cedars of Lebanon, Dr. Wagner felt it was time to go after his dream.
Narrator: Determined to
become a plastic surgeon, Kurt moved to Oklahoma City, Hospital of San Antonio,
where he would be a resident,
33
Narrator: In 1964 After
surviving anti-Semitism from his superiors,
Dr. Wagner moved to provide his cosmetic
surgeries in the United States Air Force (USAF), with his new post at Wright
Patterson AFB, in Ohio, where he became chief of plastic surgery
34
During a visit to a
nearby Dow Corning factory, he made an interesting renovation in the design of
one of Dow's products, which came to be known as "Wagner's breast
implant",
35
Narrator: In 1966, DR.
Kurt Wagner received his certification as a plastic surgeon, number 743
in the world.
seven hundred forty
three.
36
Narrator: At 32 years
old, with two young daughters and three months after becoming a widow, the new
Doctor moved to Los Angeles, California. There he met the woman who would soon
become his new wife, Kathie Kelley, a schoolteacher. A year later, Wagner's new
family moved to Mulholland Drive, with a panoramic view of the San Fernando
Valley,
=======
Beverly Hills received him with open arms...
50
Narrator: In 1995. Kurt
Wagner decided to leave Kasa Kontenta, and rented an apartment in Century City
where the renaissance man made movie trailers for the entertainment
industry
Later in need of a
break from increasing pressures, he and his wife Kathy, went to Costa Rica for
a while.
51
Narrator: In 1998, the
Wagners moved to Florida
The new millennium
found Kurt with renewed vigor. ", providence put him in touch with Jason
Pozner, a young surgeon who was starting a cosmetic center in Boca Raton. This
is where we find him today, overseeing the non-profit organization he founded
in 1975 ASTARR
the American Society of
Aesthetics and Therapeutic Rejuvenation and Regeneration (ASTARR), The
main objective of ASTARR is to support research, and to provide information to
medical professionals, and the general public about the psychological benefits
of plastic survey.
52
Narrator: Now in his
eighth decade, Dr. Wagner rejoices with the legacy he will leave to Sophia, his
granddaughter, who regenerates the hope and joy for life.
Dr. Wagner concludes
that each day brings a new dawn, and that the positive side often
outweighs the negative.
53
Narrator: Holocaust
Survivor, life member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, designer,
Movie Trailer maven, promotional innovator, and a visionary of Cosmetic Surgery
as a tool for beauty. Dr. Wagner grew up with a mission, and he has never
gotten away from it…
You must help everyone…
 |
Dr. Jazon Pozner |
You must help every person you meet.
(the commandment)
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internet link or the dvd or the video file to another person. Thank you...
 |
This dancing scene at the end of the video was shot by Bahman Azarm. Thank you! |
Write
to us with your comments and if you want to get a video file version of this
presentation.
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The Video is also available in Spanish