Synopsis

In 11th-century England, orphaned Rob Cole discovers an unusual talent for sensing illness and trains under a traveling barber-surgeon. Determined to learn genuine medicine, he journeys to Persia, where he disguises himself as a Jew to enter the renowned medical school of Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna. There, Rob confronts religious intolerance, political upheaval, and the limits of medieval knowledge.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on Noah Gordon's 1986 historical novel of the same name, which became especially popular in Germany and Spain.

• Gordon had hoped for a screen adaptation for years. One of his conditions was that the film be made in English, despite being a German production.

• The original German title is "Der Medicus." The film premiered in German theaters on December 25, 2013, and received its United States release on December 5, 2014.

• Production took place between June and September 2012, with filming in Morocco and Germany. German locations included Berlin, Ruedersdorf, and studio facilities in Cologne.

• Thuringia supplied several settings for the England and Jewish-community sequences. Sets were built around Querfurt and Hanstein Castle ruins, including a medieval market, synagogue, tavern, bathhouse, and village.

• The production was designed for high-definition photography, requiring unusually detailed sets as well as hundreds of costumes.

• The historical physician Ibn Sina is better known in the West by the Latinized name Avicenna. His presence connects Rob's personal quest with the scientific and medical achievements of the Islamic Golden Age.

• The film became a major German box-office success and received two Bogey Awards, recognizing strong attendance during its opening period.