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That Mothers Might Live

Name: That Mothers Might Live
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Released: 1938
Duration: 10 min

Representation Score

2.1/10

Limited

1938

Approved

Director

Fred Zinnemann

Runtime

10 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

That Mothers Might Live is a focused biographical drama centered on the historical struggle of Ignaz Semmelweis. The film highlights the importance of maternal health and the conflict between individual integrity and institutional resistance. However, the narrative scope is narrow, operating within a culturally homogeneous framework that lacks depth in representing diverse identities. The work prioritizes scientific truth over social diversity, challenging professional hierarchies without attempting to subvert traditional demographic structures.

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Category Breakdown

Does That Mothers Might Live have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The social structure aligns closely with traditional family arrangements of the time.

How does That Mothers Might Live portray gender?

Fair

The story focuses on a male protagonist battling a patriarchal medical establishment. While it emphasizes the significance of maternal health, women are mainly portrayed as those in need of protection.

How racially and ethnically diverse is That Mothers Might Live?

Limited

The cast and setting are uniform, reflecting the 19th-century European context. The film adheres to the demographic specifics of its biographical subject.

How does That Mothers Might Live represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story criticizes institutional authority and the medical establishment's resistance to truth. It celebrates scientific empiricism and Enlightenment values.

Does That Mothers Might Live include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities used as central character drivers or plot devices.

Present on Screen

Highlights the critical importance of maternal health and welfare.
Provides a compelling critique of rigid, resistant institutional hierarchies.
Celebrates the pursuit of scientific truth and individual integrity.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of diverse racial or ethnic identities.
Centers ability to act almost entirely on a male protagonist.
Contains no narratives addressing LGBTQ+ identities.

Official Synopsis

That Mothers Might Live is a 1938 American short drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann. The short is a brief account of Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis and his discovery of the need for cleanliness in 19th-century maternity wards, thereby significantly decreasing maternal mortality, and of his struggle to gain acceptance of his idea. Although Semmelweis ultimately failed in his lifetime, later scientific luminaries advanced his work in spirit like microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who provided a scientific theoretical explanation of Semmelweis' observations by helping develop the germ theory of disease and the British surgeon, Dr. Joseph Lister who revolutionized medicine putting Pasteur's research to practical use. In 1939, at the 11th Academy Awards, the film won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel).

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