February 09, 2010
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The Fifty Best Catholic Movies of All Time |
| by William Park |
| 8/15/09 |
|
The best religious films, and therefore the best Catholic films, convey the great truths of Christianity implicitly rather than explicitly, not unlike the mystery of incarnation itself, in which the Word became flesh in the person of an obscure carpenter from a hick town in a minor province. In addition, this list consists primarily of films that deal with Catholic characters, Catholic society, and the Bible in ways that are not hostile to the Church. Most of them were made by Catholic directors.
It is interesting to note that the three best directors who ever worked in Hollywood, Frank Capra, John Ford, and Alfred Hitchcock, were all practicing Catholics. So much for the detrimental effects in these times of the Church upon art.
[Editor's note: This piece -- one of the most talked-about in the history of Crisis Magazine -- is now ten years old, and there a few new titles that should be added to the list. We encourage you to share your suggestions in the comments section. ]
♦ ♦ ♦
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993) Directed by Martin Scorcese: Here Scorcese transforms Edith Wharton's satire on New York during the Gilded Age into a compassionate tale of love and sacrifice. It's a woman's film in that the hero (Daniel Day-Lewis) just doesn't get it; he's not morally up to the divorcée (Michelle Pfeiffer) with whom he falls in love, neither does he fully appreciate the wisdom of his seemingly naive wife (Winona Ryder). The women, however, understand all and agree (though they never speak to one another about it) to aid him in keeping his matrimonial vows. The opening at the opera, appropriately Faust, and the following ballroom scene are among the greatest ensemble pieces ever filmed in Hollywood, worthy of Capra and Fellini. Presently underrated, this work is a masterpiece.
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938)
Directed by Michael Curtiz: Why Curtiz is not more admired remains one of the mysteries of film history. Among his credits one finds Robin Hood, Four Daughters, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Mildred Pierce. In Angels, good gangster Cagney, at the request of his old pal, the priest Pat O'Brien, pretends he's yellow so as to warn the Dead End Kids against a macho life of crime. Cagney is at his mannered best, and the play of light, the pace, and rhythm of the editing remind us once more of the greatness of the Hollywood studio system.
THE ASSISI UNDERGROUND (1984)
Directed by Alexander Ramati: It is always a pleasure to find a film dealing with the Holocaust that is not hostile to the Church. Shot on location in Assisi, this film shows the work of Father Ruffino (Ben Cross), one of the "Righteous Gentiles," in sheltering Italian Jews and transporting them to safety during the Nazi occupation. Unlike many World War II melodramas, this one rings true because it is true, and its good acting (James Mason is the bishop) and simple direction add to the authenticity. As a sign of the film's charity, Maximilian Schell plays a sympathetic German officer who is also trying to be a Catholic and who deliberately interferes with the atrocious work of the SS.
AU REVOIR, LES ENFANTS (1987)
Directed by Louis Malle: Based on Malle's own experience of Pere Jacques Bunel's school, Au Revoir tells the story of several Jewish boys being hidden in a French Catholic boarding school during World War II. The opposite of sentimental, it shows not only the arrogance of the boys but the harshness of the prevailing class system. It is a school employee, a lower-class lackey ridiculed by the wealthier students, who turns informer. Conscious of the ironies that wars produce, the film in one scene has a German officer protecting an upper-class Jew from being hassled by the French police. But it is just this honesty and complexity, as opposed to a simplistic good guys vs. bad guys scenario, that give the film its punch when the priests and the Jewish boys are led off to the camps.
BABETTE'S FEAST (1987)
Directed by Gabriel Axel: The delightful story of two Danish spinsters who hire a French cook (Stephane Audran). Though bearing their unjust suspicions, Audran decides to reward them with her love and goes about preparing, at her own expense, a sumptuous banquet. As the film develops, we realize this is nothing less than a eucharistic celebration, consisting of an enormous sacrifice for those unworthy of the price.
BACHELOR MOTHER (1939)
Directed by Garson Kanin: Among the great comedies of the '30s, Bachelor Mother should be better known. In it Ginger Rogers is mistakenly assumed to be the mother of an abandoned baby, and accepts this role in order to keep her job. In one of the niftiest comic scripts ever written, David Niven, the playboy heir to the department store where Ginger works, begins by preaching to the "fallen" Ginger, only later to assume the fatherhood of the child. While promoting male responsibility, the film also serves as a wonderful antidote to the pro-choice ethic of "reproductive rights."
BICYCLE THIEVES (1947)
Directed by Vittorio de Sica: Perhaps the greatest of all "Neo-realist" films, it tells the all-too-human story of a family, particularly a father and his young son, who suffer unemployment in postwar Italy. When on the first day of his new job his bike is stolen, the bike on which the job depends, he in turn steals another and is caught. A simple story, yet so movingly told that it evokes, even from the most hard-hearted of us, the sympathy for others that the Church and our Lord desire.
BLUE (1992)
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski: This film is part of a trilogy, the other two being White and Red. Beautifully photographed and supremely intelligent, it tells of a woman (Juliette Binoche) who, after losing her husband and child, attempts to withdraw from life. But suffering and truth bring her back, with greater understanding, to a more meaningful existence.
CASABLANCA (1942)
Directed by Michael Curtiz: Let's be honest. Although this is a typical studio work, reluctantly acted, improvised as it went along, it's one of the most enjoyable pictures ever made. It's not just Bogie at his best, Ingrid Bergman at her most appealing and vulnerable, and Claude Rains at his wittiest; it's not just Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, and a superb cast; it's not even World War II and "As Time Goes By." No, what makes Casablanca a great film is that all of these contribute to a story of conversion and sacrifice, in which the big, cynical ego of Rick surrenders itself to a higher cause. In any roundup of suspects for great cinema, Casablanca must be included.
BEN HUR (1959)
Directed by William Wyler: My favorite scene: As Jesus gives water to the enslaved Ben Hur (Charlton Heston), a Roman guard starts to say, "Who do you think you..." and looking into the face of God cannot finish his sentence.
THE CHAMP (1931)
Directed by King Vidor: If City Lights fails to make you cry, The Champ certainly will. An over-the-hill, drunken prizefighter (Wallace Beery) deliberately alienates his loving son (Jackie Cooper) so that the kid will have a better life with his upper-class mother, then wins his last fight for the boy, knowing his own life is at risk. Not unlike the theme of Vidor's later Stella Dallas, this film, while remaining positive, captures the ambivalence and problems in parent-child relationships. Many '30s films take on these Dickensian subjects, not the least of which are the early ones starring Shirley Temple.
CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981)
Directed by Hugh Hudson: In the spirit of Ut Unum Sint, we should acknowledge at least one
Catholic film with a Protestant orientation. Such is this epic of the 1924 Olympics, in which Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) overcomes anti-Semitism, and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) sticks to his religious convictions. Happily, the Flying Scot gives full credit to God for making him the fastest man alive.
EL CID (1961)
Directed by Anthony Mann: By far the best of the medieval epics.
CITY LIGHTS (1930)
Directed by Charles Chaplin: The Tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl and sets out to raise money so she can afford an operation. For his efforts, which include a supremely comic prizefight, he's falsely accused of robbery, but not before he gets the money for her cure. When he returns, down and out, ridiculed by nasty boys, she sees him from her prosperous new flower shop, laughs at him, and gives him a rose. In touching him, she recognizes that he, not a millionaire, is her benefactor. The last shot of the Tramp, with the rose in his mouth, is nothing less than a representation of divine love, a figure of one rejected by men who unselfishly saves us.
UN CONDAMNE A MORT S'EST ECHAPPE (1956)
Directed by Robert Bresson: All of Bresson's films qualify for a best Catholic list. This one stands out because it dramatizes the interaction of free will and providence as a man condemned to death escapes from prison. Austere and meticulous in its details, it becomes a breathtaking allegory of Christian life.
DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST (1950)
Directed by Robert Bresson: Austere and profound, like the Bernanos novel on which it is based, this film presents the daily struggles encountered by a sympathetic priest.
GOING MY WAY (1944)
Directed by Leo McCarey: A sentimental favorite. Earlier Hollywood films about priests worked, like this one, to show they are regular guys and good social workers. Here McCarey has not yet lost his comic touch, and he uses it to convey some genuine spiritual truths, aided by a fine performance from Bing Crosby. If Pope Pius XII enjoyed Barry Fitzgerald taking a snip of whiskey, who am I to complain? It was followed by an even more popular sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), also Directed by McCarey.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964)
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini: Simply the best of all the life of Jesus films.
GRAND ILLUSION (1937)
Directed by Jean Renoir: One of the great antiwar films, Grand Illusion illustrates the brotherhood of all mankind. Yet as Renoir presents a constant play of divisive boundaries-of class, of race, of sex-all of which can be broken down, he also shows how our fallen human nature reconstructs them. Thus as sexual barriers tumble in the all-male musical revue, national ones are erected when the cast stop the show to sing "The Marseillaise." Complex and profound, this film contains great performances by Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, and Eric Von Stroheim.
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
Directed by John Ford: Ford improved on Steinbeck and translated his sometimes didactic and heavy-handed writing into a great humanist work. It achieves what so many works of art in the '30s aspired to: the raising of the working man to heroic dignity. Instead of the all-too-common stereotyping and abstraction of the period, Ford invests each character with his or her unique individuality. Is it an accident that the most effective left-wing film of the decade, if not the century, was made by a Catholic?
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
Directed by Harold Ramis: Groundhog Day reverses the proposition of Ikiru. Instead of being informed that he will soon die, the protagonist, Bill Murray, a nerdy, narcissistic, condescending Pittsburgh TV weatherman, discovers that he cannot die, that he is trapped, seemingly forever, in February 2nd, Groundhog Day, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the site of the National Groundhog Festival. Murray, sent to cover this event, must continually relive it until such immortality as this provides him teaches him how to be mortal. Like the hero of Ikiru, Murray tries out, in a comical manner, the worldly pleasures of indulgence, sex, and money, and when they do not work, he turns to despair. But after hundreds if not thousands of attempts either to live a fun day or annihilate himself, he begins to sanctify the time. Whereas Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life discovers what Bedford Falls would have been like had he never lived, Bill Murray discovers how Punxatawney can be turned into a better place. I do not know the religious affiliation of Danny Rubin, the writer of this film, but I do know that his picture embodies the message taught and lived by many saints.
IKIRU (1952)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa: An older bureaucrat discovers he has terminal cancer, and in the last six months of his life also discovers how to live, which is what "ikiru" means in Japanese. The first half of the film shows his journey toward the truth; the second half, at his funeral, shows through flashbacks what happened when he found it. In case you don't already know, the truth is to love your neighbor. If only one film of the twentieth century could survive, this would be my choice.
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
Directed by Frank Capra: The original "screwball comedy," it belongs on the best fifty list of films of any category. Like so many class-conscious pictures of the '30s, it reconciles the "screwball" rich with the common people. It also reconciles father and daughter. Best of all it tames a spoiled brat (Claudette Colbert) and cuts down to size a self-centered male chauvinist (Clark Gable) and fits them both for a lasting marriage. One of the few films that actually deserved all its Academy Awards.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
Directed by Frank Capra: If any film can top It Happened One Night, this is it. Seldom has the pope's favorite theme of the importance of each person's life been so effectively dramatized. Perceived when it was released as too sentimental, it has taken its place as one of the most profound and beloved films of all time. Joseph Walker, the great cinematographer, filmed this so beautifully in black and white that it is a sin to watch the tacky colorized version.
THE LAST SUPPER (1976)
Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea: Unlike The Seventh Seal, which looks Christian on the surface but is actually existential, The Last Supper looks existential but is actually Christian. In it the great Cuban director Gutierrez Alea, who gave us Memories of Underdevelopment and Up to a Certain Point, presents an anatomy of slavery in eighteenth-century Cuba. When an enlightened and pious aristocrat attempts to celebrate the Last Supper with his slaves, all chaos breaks loose. Though on the one hand the film exposes the hideous relationship between the class system and the religious establishment, it also reveals Christianity as the true basis for human freedom.
LATE SPRING (1949)
Directed by Ozu: This film tells a story of the conflict of generations: of traditional Japan and westernization, of father and daughter. It's a wonderful antidote against those "essentialists" who believe in the relativity of cultural values. This film illustrates the natural (and divine) law of paternal sacrifice and love. In it an aging professor, a widower, feigns a romance so that his daughter, who wishes only to take care of him, will be free to marry. Every shot, every composition contributes to the beauty and poignancy of this great film.
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann: A superb account of the trial of St. Thomas More, brilliantly acted by Paul Scofield and better than Bolt's play of the same name. Zinnemann's The Nun's Story marks the beginning of Hollywood's negative portrayal of the Church. And Bolt's screenplay for The Mission looks at the Church from the point of view of Dostoevsky's "Grand Inquisitor," which makes this film a happier combination of their talents.
THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962)
Directed by Arthur Penn: Films that portray people overcoming handicaps or finding grace through them make up an important genre of Hollywood and TV movies. These range from Pride of the Yankees to Lorenzo's Oil. To my mind the best ever made is The Miracle Worker, the true story of Annie Sullivan's (Anne Bancroft) efforts to teach the deaf and dumb Helen Keller (Patty Duke) how to communicate.
MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (1969)
Directed by Eric Rohmer: In the third of his "Six Moral Tales," Rohmer daringly shows a middle-class protagonist (Jean-Louis Trintignant) in search of a good Catholic wife. En route he spends a night with the tempting divorcée Maud (Francoise Fabian), but does not consummate the relationship, much to the dismay of many critics, who see him only as a wimp. Marrying a more conventional woman (Marie-Christine Barrault) at the end of the film, he takes upon himself the burden of her guiltier past. Set in Clermont, the birthplace of Pascal, the film integrates the Pensées into the drama.
THE NAZARIN (1951)
Directed by Luis Bunuel: Although Bunuel was anticlerical most of his life, in this film, based on a novel by Galdos, he captures what it means to bear the cross.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock: Considered by the less astute as a potboiler thriller, this is actually one of the greatest "comedies of remarriage" ever made. The reverse of Vertigo made the year before, here the flawed hero and femme fatale save one another. Instead of romantic and obsessive love, it comically advocates an honest relationship and explores the notions of truth, identity, and the nature and purpose of art. When that impeccable villain James Mason remarks "real bullets, not very sporting," he announces the theme of the film, namely that through the play of art, we can discover our true selves and abandon the false fictions by which we erroneously live.
ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
Directed by Elia Kazan: For once in a Hollywood film, a priest (Karl Malden) does good for the sake of Christ and says so. Marlon Brando, at the height of his career, deserved his Academy Award in this literate, superbly directed film. Some critics claim that Kazan and Budd Schulberg, the screenwriter, made On the Waterfront to justify their own informing on the Communist Party, but this film is more remarkable in that Kazan and actors such as Lee J. Cobb, distinguished alumni of the leftist Group Theater of the '30s, should see as an enemy of the people not the banks, but a corrupt labor union.
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928)
Directed by Carl Dreyer: The austerity and intensity of Dreyer's work resembles that of Bresson's, and like Bresson, he centers his films on religious experience. In this silent film, Dreyer follows the text of Joan's trial, making his version of Joan the most accurate we have. Maria Falconetti as Joan conveys the anguish of the maid before her English inquisitors. As color is to the great black-and-white films, so spoken dialogue would be to the great silent ones.
PICKPOCKET (1959)
Pickpocket (1959) , Directed by Robert Bresson: Like Ford and Capra, Bresson excelled in making Catholic films. In Pickpocket, he provides his version of Crime and Punishment. In this case the hero is not a murderer, but an intellectual who picks pockets with Nietzschean rationalizations. The Sonia figure, a young woman who has helped his ailing mother, leads him, when caught, to the threshold of redemption. After a few exposures to the current Hollywood style of explosion and shattered glass, one appreciates the aesthetic and religious economy of Bresson.
PINOCCHIO (1940)
Directed by Ben Sharpstein and Hamilton Luske: Although Snow White has a better score, Pinocchio, the second of Disney's animated features, is the most beautifully drawn. In excitement and invention, the scenes in the whale's belly surpass anything ever done by the Disney studio, even with the aid of computer graphics. Like the story of Jonah, its distant ancestor, Pinocchio graphically portrays both the consequences of sin and the grace of redemption.
THE QUIET MAN (1952)
Directed by John Ford: Almost all of Ford's best films qualify for this list. Here he shows an Irish-American prizefighter (John Wayne) who, having killed a man in the ring, attempts to retire peacefully to rural Ireland. But having wooed and won Maureen O'Hara, he discovers he must fight her bully brother, Victor McLaglen, to liberate her and win the respect of the community. Filmed in a lyric, comic style, this film, like My Darling Clementine and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, explores a favorite Fordian theme: the uneasy relationship between civilization, or law, and violence.
QUIZ SHOW (1994)
Directed by Robert Redford: Countless films reveal the folly of the world, but among recent ones Quiz Show stands out. Its script by Paul Attanasio, who also wrote Donnie Brasco, accurately depicts the process by which all of us, however well meaning, are capable of sliding backwards on the plane of life.
ROME, OPEN CITY (1945)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini: Shot in part before the Nazis had even left Rome, this film poignantly shows partisan and priest in their efforts at resistance. The death of the pregnant Anna Magnani and the martyrdom of the priest remain two of the most memorable moments in all cinema.
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (1932)
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille: Max von Mayerling said that there were three great directors, himself, D. W. Griffith, and Cecil B. DeMille. When one sees this epic, one understands why. It combines the style of the best silent films with the intelligence of the newly imported Broadway writers, in this case Sidney Buchman, future creator of Mr. Smith and Mr. Jordan. It is so visually stunning that it might be mistaken for a work by Von Sternberg or Lubitsch, the other two creators of the famed Paramount style of the early '30s. Claudette Colbert's sensual bath in asses' milk seems decorous today, and the film has the virtue of rewarding its hero and heroine, Fredric March and Elissa Landi, with martyrdom. The prurience of the original version helped form the Legion of Decency, but the version shown on TV is the one cleaned up by the Production Code Administration and omits gratuitous sensuality while retaining the story's essential Christianity.
THE SONG OF BERNADETTE (1943)
Directed by Henry King: Hollywood's most Catholic film, a fact that I attribute to wartime suffering and austerity. As Bernadette (Jennifer Jones) goes off in a cart to the nunnery, her suitor kneels by the roadside, left at home to keep the faith, not unlike the reversed situation of women saying final farewells to their men going off to war.
THERESE (1986)
Directed by Alain Cavalier: Done in the style of Dreyer and Bresson, this film succeeds in presenting the essence of the life of the Little Flower.
THREE GODFATHERS (1948)
Directed by John Ford: This work by Ford is not as admired as it should be, perhaps because it is so obviously a Christmas story. In it Ford already pays homage to the whole history of the western, as he tells the story of two desperados who, joined by John Wayne, try to keep a baby alive as they cross the desert pursued by a posse, led by a non-killing sheriff (Ward Bond). Sophisticates may sneer, but it made me cry.
VOYAGE TO ITALY (a.k.a. The Strangers) (1953)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini: An English couple (George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman) travel to Italy in an attempt to repair their failing marriage. As Emerson warned, they carry "ruins to ruins," and the film captures, through the beauties of Naples and the surrounding countryside, the emptiness of their relationship and the reasons for it. At the end, when they witness a miracle, they rediscover their love for one another. Some critics think the ending ironic, as in La Notte. But Rossellini, unlike Antonioni, consistently made profound Catholic films. Bergman, possibly the greatest of all movie actresses, appears here at the height of her powers.
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938)
Directed by Frank Capra: Capra improves the Kaufman and Hart play, which reconciles class conflict through zaniness and the marriage of children. The scene in which Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold play "Polly Wolly Doodle" on their harmonicas may be the essence of "Capracorn," but the music conjures up the lost children and is the closest thing I know in film to the resurrection of Hermione in The Winter's Tale.
VERTIGO (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock: The best of all film noir, Vertigo acts more as a warning than as an example. Though Hitchcock has been accused of being a misogynist, in this film he deconstructs an all-too-familiar male obsession with women and reveals it for the destructive, hideous, and narcissistic thing it is. It's an exposé of that sort of false romantic love that seeks the ideal in a woman, then goes berserk when the object of love turns out to be a flesh-and-blood human being. Hitchcock perceived the dark side of Stewart and brought it out in this, their greatest collaboration.
William Park taught literature and film at Sarah Lawrence College until his retirement in 2000. This article originally appeared in the March 1997 issue of Crisis Magazine. Readers have left 91 comments. I don't dispute that "City Lights" is a "Catholic" film in the terms set out in this article. Watch the final scene closely. Yes, the Tramp's love for the girl is obvious, as it has been through the whole film. But I do not think Chaplin intended, or created, an image of Divine Love, or a film that affirmsthe reality of Divine Love. I don't think the Tramp is Christ. I think he's Adam. The final moment is about the man's pride in what he has done for her, and unspeakable shame at what he is, and the woman's heartbreak and shame at her response to the man. The man she was ready to run off with and marry at a moment's notice has arrived--but because now she can see him she knows (watch the very last shot of her face), despite the overwhelming gratitude she feels, there is no possibility that she is going to give herself to this man. I think Chaplin's art in this film consists in making us laugh, constantly, with no more than a couple of fleeting--really fleeting--touching moments, and then breaking our hearts in the last sixty seconds. I think this 1931 film's being the first silent out of Hollywood since 1929, there are many gags built around sight without sound, and sound without sight, or just partial seeing--the man in the sidewalk lift, the plate of paté, and of course the sound of the limousine door. The film seems to say, "You want to hear? Well, here's a story about a girl who wanted to see. See where it gets her." The film is "Catholic" in the sense that, thinking beyond The End, one quickly starts asking lots of very Catholic questions: Ultimately, aren't the two better off knowing the truth? The only hopes that have really been dashed were her rather shallow ones about the "millionaire." If she married the Tramp to "reward" him for his heroism, she would support him the rest of his life, degrading them both. The Tramp was never under the illusion that his love for her had earned her love. "Earned love" is an illusion--if you are a man, but not if you are God. God does merit our love. That's why it's an illegitimate, deadly, and often monstrous thing to see a man trying to merit the love of others. He is trying to be God. This is the central practical teaching of the Jewish and Christian faith. Which raises the glaringly obvious question: Why isn't CITIZEN KANE on this list? I would excise "The Song of Bernadette." If the real Bernadette had spoken with that dreamy, trancelike, breathy, voice, with Jennifer Jones's maddening overbite-lisp, she wouldn't have lived long enough to die of tuberculosis. Written by Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick Fr. Fitzpatrick, you have put your finger on the only criticism I had on this list when I first received it from Dr. Park over a decade ago. Song of Bernadette, really? I asked him. I wish I could remember what he said -- Dr. Parks was always pretty convincing. What distinguishes this list of Catholic films from most others is its inclusion of so-called "foreign films," which most people never bother to watch. I got over my aversion sub-titles after viewing films like "Seven Samarai" and "The Rules of the Game." They turned out to be as enjoyable as any classic Hollywood western or screwball comedy, respectively, that the language issue became incidental. In fact, watching as many international titles as I have has made me appreciate how little many great films rely on dialogue at all. Written by Deal Hudson It seems to me that there are only forty-five and not fifty in the above list?  Written by amor aeternus The other five are named "in pectore" Written by Marchmaine I remember the original article and the enjoyment it gave me. One of its pleasures was to join in the game and add suggestions to the list. I'll begin with a joke. Two professors of literature were chatting and one asked the other, a Catholic, why all Catholic novels seemed to end in a death. The other fellow replied, "I guess because we believe in happy endings." Au hasard Balthazar (1966). Again, the great Robert Bresson. It's simply the story, significantly, of the life of a poor country donkey. It ends with the most heart-breaking and beautiful scene in movie history, at least to me, as our poor Christ-figure burro dies, surrounded on a hillside by a flock of sheep, their bells ringing. What an austere, beautiful, perfect film. True Confessions (1981). A hard-boiled detective (Robert Duvall) solves a murder mystery while entangling his priest brother (Robert Deniro) in the mess. By ruining his ambitious brother's ecclesiastical career, the detective saves his brother's soul. To me, a vastly under-rated movie. La dolce vita (1960). Fellini's masterpiece rarely gets mentioned in this context but the film abounds in Catholic symbolism. Indeed, the ending on the beach could almost be considered too obvious as the downward-scuttling Marcello Mastroianni falls to his knees on the beach as the young saint (dare I say the Virgin Mary herself?) calls to him as she stands across a shallow stream, framed by steel construction in cruciform. Poor Marcello misses the opportunity,again, but one can't believe the hound of heaven will give up. Written by M.P. Ryan The Mission? Jeremy Irons, Robert DeNiro? Kinda sad to see my favorite film of all time didn't make the list. Written by Joe H I would love to see a movie about the heroic Catholic chaplains of WWII. There is so much material. Many of these brave and good men were decorated for carrying wounded men to safety under fire, and administering last rites to dying soldiers, Sailors and Marines, irrespective of the man's religion. There is an Italian-American priest, I cannot recall his name, who many want to be considered for sainthood, who served our troops in Vietnam. He was a brave and holy man who gave his life for his men. Can anyone tell me his name? I would like to hear more about him. Written by Austin To Mr. Ryan, so glad you mentioned Bresson's film about the donkey Balthasar, "heart-breaking" is just the right description, and "True Confessions" which holds up very well on repeated viewings, and especially after meeting a few young, ambitious monsignori. What about Bresson's meditation on the cause and effect of sin, "L'Argent," which may be my personal favorite among his films. "La dolce vita" is a moral tale, no doubt, but the Catholic sensibility, I fear, is more cultural than deeply believed. Written by Deal Hudson Father Vincent R. Capadanno, Medal of Honor Awardee, is the priest Austin asks about. A Navy ship was also named after him. Father Mode wrote "The Grunt Padre" about him. The Archdiocese for Military Service has opened the cause for his canonization. Written by Proud Navy Veteran There are always one or two films on lists of this sort that strike me as revealing more about the list-maker than all the rest of the films on the list put together. Mr. Park's side comment on why he considers A Man for All Seasons to be a better film for including on this list than Bolt's other famous work, The Mission, is very intriguing to me. His inclusion of You Can't Take It With You and North By Nothwest as opposed to a number of other Capra or Hitchcock films is equally intiguing, as is his decision to select Kieslowski's Blue over the other two Color films. (I'd have to go with Red myself, though it's hard to fault him for selecting any of the three.) Overall, this list strikes me as a wonderful starting place for those of us who enjoy a heavy/healthy does of spirituality in our films. A few additions: Ostrov, a "post-list" film from Pavel Lungin that ranks at or very near the top of most moving and spiritually significant films I've seen in the past 15 years: http://tinyurl.com/5hcfts Andrei Rublev, Tarkovsky magnum opus (perhaps) on the relation between the artist and his Inspiration that most definitely influenced Lungin's film. A tough film to watch for a number of reasons (including length and pacing), but thought-provoking and profoundly rewarding at the end of it all. Tôkyô Monogatari (Tokyo Story), an Ozu film that I found even more moving (and melancholic) than Late Spring, which Park mentions. Dreyer's Ordet is often included on lists of this sort; I'd love to find out if it's exclusion was a matter of "too many films for too few spots," or of it was more of a "Man For All Seasons vs. Mission" decision. Lastly, Mr. Park's comment on Ikiru -- "If only one film of the twentieth century could survive, this would be my choice" -- may be the most instructive and endearing one in the entire article. Written by Joseph Susanka - The Trouble With Angels - Black Robe - Rudy - The Exorcist If Joe hadn't mentioned The Mission, I would have included that as well. Written by Mark Now Vertigo makes more sense! It makes it all the more poignant that Stewart's character didn't see the love his lady friend, Midge Wood (played by Barbara Bel Geddes), had for him. He only sought her friendship. I'd like to include one or two recent releases to the list: - The Passion of the Christ I think it's easily the best portrayal of Jesus Christ's passion in film. It gives a whole new appreciation for the sacrifice and suffering Jesus underwent out of His infinite love for us, so that we may be redeemed. - Doubt Doubt may be less deserving, but it's well worth seeing, nonetheless. Written by Jerry L. L. The Passion of the Christ. God Bless, Written by David Murdoch I think Return to Me is a great film. To describe the plot, it sounds silly, but it really works as a comedy that portrays "real" blue collar Catholics who practice their faith in a positive light. Written by Lindsay I am so glad that others here appreciate the wonderful films of Robert Bresson, perhaps the most Catholic of all directors. Diary of a Country Priest is beyond moving - it is life changing. Balthazar is just beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The donkey's eye which follows you throughout the movie seems to be looking straight at you, pulling you into the story in a very personal way. But my personal favorite of his is Pickpocket, a mesmerizing tale of sin and redemption, told to absolute perfection. Written by Bob Why wasn't this 1983 picture starring Gregory Peck not included? This picture about the Vatican saving Jew in Italy deserves mention Written by James Patton What about Hitchcock's I Confess? Why wasn't it included? Written by Michael Healy, Jr. - The Trouble With Angels — MarkI LOVE that movie. I had a mother/daughter Trouble with Angels party for my 11 yr old daughter and several of our friends. I was shocked at how many of the other moms (all Catholic) had never seen it. The Sign of the Cross (1932) *possible SPOILERS* I'm wondering if I saw some of this film late one night a year or so ago while channel surfing. Does it have some really horrific scenes of martyrs in the Coliseum? A scene with a crocodile is forever seared into my brain. Granted, it was black and white and didn't ever show anything actually happening (aw the good ol days of cinematography), but the knowledge of what was going to happen, particularly because those things really happened, was so disturbing. It still bothers me when I think of it. The scenes I saw were very powerful and I hated them. ![[smiley=sad]](http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/components/com_jreactions/custom/templates/blog/smileys/smiley_sad.gif) I just saw Gran Torino and think it would fit on this list. Granted the language was atrocious, but it was a great movie. Modern Hollywood putting out a film with a priest who isn't a pervert, importance of Confession, and Clint Eastwood's last line...beautiful. Written by Pamela Return to Me - my favorite movie. Working class Catholics living a Catholic life in modern day America and a love story with a twist. Who could ask for more? Written by nan Remember in the movie "Casablanca," it is mentioned that Rick (Bogart's character) fought for the Republican Side of the Spanish Civil War. His service to the Republican Side of the Spanish Civil War is lauded in the film. The Republican Side was responsible for the deaths of "13 bishops, 4,172 diocesan priests and seminarists, 2,364 monks and friars and 283 nuns, for a total of 6,832 victims, as part of what is referred to as Spain's Red Terror." (http://tinyurl.com/pm9d9lr) Not exactly Catholic. Written by Salamanca Another Bolt film. Trevor Howard is a great and insightful cure of souls. Written by Richard A I don't think we saw the same film. What I remember of Gutierrez Alea's film is quite the opposite: it was a masterful critique of Christianity, showing that for all the talk about humility, it often turned out to be an instrument of oppression. We should remember that this was often the point of Gutierrez Alea's films, since he was a devoted communist. I still think the film worth watching, I just wounldn't consider it a "Catholic" film. Quite the opposite. His films Fresa y Chocolate and Guantanamera are pretty good too. Written by Arturo Vasquez Fellini's 8 1/2. An authentic, Augustine-style confession through film. Usually near the top of any "greatest movies" list. Written by John Return to Me is a huge favorite with my wife and me. The stupid ape thing and the date setup with the priest notwithstanding, especially love the old guys bantering after closing time. Amen on Gran Torino. Great portrayal of a priest. My dad is a First Cav Vietnam vet similar to Kowalski in some ways so it really resonated with me. Hard to top Babette's Feast. Written by Beehive ... — SalamancaThe Republican Side was responsible for the deaths of "13 bishops, 4,172 diocesan priests and seminarists, 2,364 monks and friars and 283 nuns, for a total of 6,832 victims, as part of what is referred to as Spain's Red Terror." (http://tinyurl.com/pm9d9lr) Not exactly Catholic. The tinyurl does not work. Please check/post the full link. Written by Ian N Quote(27) Your list left out many Catholic films; included many NON-Cathol August 17th, 2009 | 1:43pm Considering all of the many NON-Catholic films in your list, it is absolutely incredible that you did not include: Shoes of the Fisherman The Agony and Ecstasy Becket The Trouble with Angels Our Lady of Fatima Written by Art Kelly The LOTR trilogy The Iron Giant The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Fargo Batman, the Dark Knight Apocalypto Superman Returns Spiderman Written by Bruce Roeder Bella The Matrix (the first one) Written by Bruce Roeder "The Painted Veil"--the 2007 or 2008 Edward Norton version. Forgiveness, the transformation that can occur when working for something outside of yourself, the goodness of even very flawed human beings. "The End of the Affair"-- Do you think God laughed when he read the author's last sentence? A great illustration of the many aspects of love. And I vote in favor of "The Mission" as well. The release of the burden carried by the DeNiro character as an example of what it feels like to forgive and be forgiven can never be forgotten. Written by Tom Johnson The Green Mile if it qualifies as 'Catholic...also mentioned here---Bella, The Mission, and Gran Torino. Written by Dan that Clint Eastwood's last line of his acting career would be "Hail Mary Full of Grace". Gran Torino, opens with a shot of a Rosary and ends with Walt Kowalski's Hour of Death. Written by Dan LaHood How about "Our lady of Fatima" and "Hoodlum Priest" Written by Rsilane The Nun's Story w/ Audrey Hepburn and Into Great Silence Written by Walt I was surprised the epic movie King of Kings, wasn't listed.I will never get tired of seeing that movie. Has anyone seen The Nativity movie? Why wasn't that listed? Written by esta I just want to second the nomination of Lillies of The Field with Sydney Poitier. There is not an uninteresting scene in the whole film. It is sweet and uplifting and often comical. A young black man traveling through the south somehow gets involved in helping a group of German immigrant nuns build a chapel. Written by Mike What about Bella? Metanoia films is wonderfully Catholic as is this beautiful first film of theirs, which happens to have a pro-life message. Won the Toronto film festival, too. It is in a close race with It's a Wonderful Life for my personal all-time favorite. Written by Tina Besides "The Passion of the Christ", (the best religious film ever made) here are some others: The Hiding Place The Robe King of Kings We're No Angels (Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro) Written by Jay S Mr. Skeffington fimed in the 1940s is about a Job, Jewish Banker and his love for Fanny, who marries him after her family fortune has been squandered. Job's unconditional love for Fanny is central to this movie, as Fanny conducts her life as an ever-young society woman, dating younger men, with Job waiting in the wings for her to return to him. Job and Fanny have one daughter that she virtually ignores. Fanny divorces Job for a high end I guess you would call mobster and Job and his daughter move to Germany in pre-Nazi Germany. Fanny continues her affairs refusing to accept her on aging. She contracts diptheria after a boating trip and her looks immediately fade. Society now rejects her, which she basically can't handel. An old friend advises her that Job has returned to the US, penniless and ailing. Fanny doesn't want Job to see her due to her appearance but finally relents when the friend convinces her that none of that ever mattered to Job from the start, he always will love her. When Job comes to her home, which was originally their home, he is a battered man having been tortured by the Nazis. She eventually realizes he is blind so her vanity has been spared. The one phrase Fanny employs throughout the movie is "A woman is beautiful only when she's loved". Hopefully she realizes she truly is loved by Job. I always look at that phrase and realize that everyone, everyday is loved by God, so we're all beautiful. It might not fit this category overall, but it definitely is worth viewing. Written by Annie When In Rome (1952) starring Paul Douglas and Van Johnson. Written by John C Maybe not Catholic, but could be: "Apostle". I love it. Written by Violet Uliana Please....Two of the most inspirational movies I ever saw were Rocky and Rocky II. The catholic faith was all through out those movies of hope and "anything is possible with God". Written by A Vote for Hope You forgot "The Cardinal." Robinson wrote a great book; the movie was terrific, too. Tom Tryon was outstanding as Fr. Stephen Fermoyle. One of the things that lead to my conversion almost 40 years ago. Written by Katherine Hageland From before 1999, the time the list was made: I Confess Lilies of the Field Cheaper by the Dozen (even if just for the one scene where the lady from Planned Parenthood drops by the house!) Yours, Mine & Ours The Red & the Black A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Schindler's List Les Miserables The Mission Saving Private Ryan There are probably tons more and some of mine might be debatable... After 1999: The Passion of the Christ Bella LOTR and Narnia movies lose some of their religious perspective insofar as they were modified from the books but should probably be included. Spiderman Written by Mario " The Couple" is a story of a husband and wife who heroically help Jewish people during WWII. " Saint Therese" the newest- from a few years ago- is another excellent title. Written by Linda Freeburg 1) "Conspiracy of Hearts" was a gripping B & W "B" 1950's movie about the real story of Catholic nuns hiding Jewish children in their convent, and martyrdom when they are discovered. 2) "Whistle Down the Wind" is an astonishing post-war British B & W suspense film directed by John Mills; written by his wife Mary Mills, staring his pre-adolescent daughter Hayly Mills and local children in a picturesque rural Lancashire village. The North country accent takes a while for Americans to understand; but it helps to view the film twice, after you get used to the broad Lancashire dialect. Though "non-denominational" the theme of this little drama could be called a "Meditation on spiritual childhood" and I could imaging St Therese Lesieux enjoying it. Plot: An escaped convict hiding in a local barn is, through a comic misunderstanding, mistaken for Jesus Christ by village children. They attempt to hide him (stealing bread and wine to feed him) from parents & the Police man-hunt, since they know that "The last time He came, he was betrayed, and the adults killed Him. . ." This film is often funny, yet deeply imbued with the Caritas of ordinary Christian children-- and the tragedy of childhood's end and recognition of the fallen human condition, which often betrays our best efforts. The end is heart-stoppingly, starkly, beautiful not least because it is utterly without sentimentality. The B & W cinematography was stunningly artistic. I saw it as a child of 10 and recall both my mother and I were crying at the end. 3) Paradise Road, --the true story of a crowd of Dutch women and children (a couple of nuns, too) interned by the Japanese in the East Indies in WWII, this film highlights the transforming and redeeming grace of true art---in this case, music--as a gift of God in a concentration camp to help endure suffering and build community, and compassion for--and from-- their enemies. You can google all these titles to find what years they were made. These obscure films were not publicised as they deserved, but deserve classic status for their varied handling of complex and tragic themes according to an implicit or explicit Catholic world-view . Written by R Wenner How on earth can you list best Catholic movies and NOT name "The Passion of the Christ"???? That movie helped Catholics and non-Catholics alike to understand viscerally what we only before knew intellectually. It is responsible for countless conversions and reversions to the Catholic Faith...mine included! Written by Suzy I would love to see a movie about the heroic Catholic chaplains of WWII. There is so much material. Many of these brave and good men were decorated for carrying wounded men to safety under fire, and administering last rites to dying soldiers, Sailors and Marines, irrespective of the man's religion. — AustinThere is an Italian-American priest, I cannot recall his name, who many want to be considered for sainthood, who served our troops in Vietnam. He was a brave and holy man who gave his life for his men. Can anyone tell me his name? I would like to hear more about him. His name is Fr. Capodonno, not sure of the spelling. Ewtn sells a book about him. Written by Mary The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima [ 1952? ] Written by John Haas I remember when this first came out and I wondered if it was going to be yet another attack on the Church. It was a pleasant surprise to see the portrayal of the priest done so well... and "Emily's" acceptance of her suffering for the greater good. Written by Eileen Taffard "Gigot" 1952. Jackie Gleason doesn't say a word. You'll know why they called him "the Great One" when you see it. About to be released again after years of being out of print. You'll wonder how you've never heard of or seen it. Written by Linda Wonderful movie filmed in New York, set during World War 2 about a soldier (Van Johnson) and shy, young woman (Jane Wyman). Miracle occurs at the end of the movie in front of a Catholic Church the woman went to pray for her soldier husband. Written by p camalo Comments suggesting recent films that should have been included, i.e. Passion of the Christ, ignore the fact that the article was originally published in Crisis in 1997. They are good additions for consideration, though. Written by David H. What about "Beyond the Gates" a true story of a Catholic Priest's heroism in Rwanda; also "Sophie Scholl" true story of some German students' revolt against Hitler; also Hotel Rwanda, another true story of a man risking his life to save others; "Romero" was an incredible movie about an incredibly heroic Bishop in San Salvador...and 'Cry Freedom' about heroism against apartheid in South Africa..."Paradise Road"...a beautiful, heroic and inspiring movie based on a true story... Written by Sam Pinocchio is what I call junk. And this list didn't include "The Miracle of Fatima" or "The Man who Became Pope", a great movie about John Paul II. WHat a poor representation of "CATHOLIC" Written by Jenny Aubert I can't believe you did not include the movie 'The Mission' starring Jeremy Irons and Robert Deniro...the movie had a beautiful tribute to the old missionaries in South America as well as one of the greatest soundtraks ever written. There is a scene where after Robert kills his brother over a love affair, Robert carries a load of of heavy armor up a steep incline of a hill for repentance and is met by a tribe of indians who he also persecuted by being a slave trader. Robert collapses from fatigue and despair at the top of the hill and the indians come out to console and nuture him, forgiving him for the violence against themselves and Robert accepts their forgiveness...incredible movie, first class production and oh so Catholic. Written by Michael Tischuk How about "Becket" "Bells of St. Mary's" "Passion of the Christ" "Francis of Assisi" "The Messenger, the story of Joan of Arc" Written by c.j. LORD OF THE RINGS SHOULD BE ON THIS LIST! MUCH CATHOLIC THEOLOGY AND TOLKIEN WAS SOMEWHAT AN APOLOGIST! Written by Patrick Novak ![[smiley=think]](http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/components/com_jreactions/custom/templates/blog/smileys/smiley_think.gif) "Gran Torino" was an awesome film re: transformation and self-sacrifice, and although "Molokai-the Story of Fr. Damien" could have been better edited, the story of this saint using REAL lepers as many of the characters was a remarkable film! Written by Kathy Wrobel Cinema Paradiso. It contrasts the more carnal passions with sublimated love as expressed in the arts - in this case with cinema itself. And the tension begins in the pre-Vatican II alleged censuring of open displays of affection on the part of the clergy (a variant of the Legion of Decency). The music by Enio Marricone (?sp) is among my favorite. I recently purchased a CD of Yo Yo Ma playing Marricone - transporting! Written by Deacon Ed You should consider adding the Alfred Hitchcock classic I Confess to your list. It stars Montgomery Clift as a priest who values the secrecy of the confessional over his own life. It is set in Quebec; sure wish Hitch would have shot the film in color. Written by TWK The Mission, without a doubt and Les Miserables (The remake with Liam Neeson and Claire Danes). Both extraordinary and thoroughly Catholic films. Written by Raymone This is a great list, and all the comments are great. I'd like to post a caution about the 1986 French version of "Therese" which is on the list. Two of us watched this movie which was artistic, somber, French, foreign flair and we'd have to say well done in terms of cinamatography. But at the end of it we both looked at each other and said, "Huh?" It was like the movie tiptoed here and there but never got to the point, never told her life. The film is composed of certain scenes from her life (all filmed rather somber and stark), but it does not capture her essence, her spirituality, her following the Gospel, what the Little Way is about, and her great love of Jesus and what her life was all about. It so much missed the point; and left one wondering what they were trying to do with the film, that in the end I thought it was an insidious mocking of her life and the Church (or anyone who would think she was holy). I thought it was a real snear. I paid $40 for the DVD at a parish charity event, and threw it in the trash as I did not think it worthy of any one else's viewing either. C'est la vie. Apparently Dr. Park had a different view. Written by Dibs amazing that Jesus of Nazareth wasn't mentioned either. An excellent and star studded epic. Written by pamela tritten I've got to add a few more of my favorites: 1. Seabiscuit - a strong thread of the sacrament of Confirmation runs throughout this movie. 2. Oh Brother Where Art Thou? - Definitely a theme of the sacrament of Baptism. 3. Stand and Deliver - Wonderfully uplifting 4. Spitfire Grill - Sacrament of Penance Written by Joe The Cardinal should have made into the listing. Tom Tryon was great and the film depicted some great moral issues of the time. I hope I can find it on dvd. Written by Msgr. Tim What about The Sound of Music, The Ten Commandments, Quo Vadis, The Silver Chalice, The Passion of the Christ, Therese (2004), The Bishops Wife, The Bells of St. Mary, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, Miracle of Marcelino, The Story of Ruth, Spartacus, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows, The Trouble With Angels, Jesus of Nazareth, The Greatest Story Every Told, Becket, How Green was My Valley et al. Written by Anna Although this is more of a woman's movie, there is enough for men to thoroughly enjoy. If you don't at least shed a tear during this film, you have no heart. Written by Tim Hamel Good remembrance of some wonderful films. Hopefully, by the time a new list will be out, "One Nation Under God -- Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming" will have been made into a movie. This wonderful historical fiction novel threads the Catholicity of the main character, a Union soldier in the Civil War throughout the story, showing his devotion to the Blessed Mother, Her Holy Rosary, and Saint Michael. This historically correct novel is suitable not only for adults but for teens as well. Beautiful story covers Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, etc. through to Appommatox. Written by Millie Mang I would like to add 2 more great Catholic Movies that must be included on any Religious Movie List , They are - The Fishermans Shoes and The Scarlet and the Black , and hey what about the one and only QUO VADIS ? So make that 3 more movies. Written by Raoul 1955 film starring Alec Guinness as an Eastern European Cardinal arrested by the Communists. He is put under intense pressure to "confess" his crimes. A truly amazing film. Written by Charles Collins "The Keys of (or to) the Kingdom" about a missionary in China. ... I also vote for THE PRISONER which I remember seeing on tv when I was younger :) Written by Rai Hffbauer (Madang) Quote(75) Re: Your list left out many Catholic films; included many NON-Ca August 19th, 2009 | 8:35am Considering all of the many NON-Catholic films in your list, it is absolutely incredible that you did not include: — Art KellyShoes of the Fisherman The Agony and Ecstasy Becket The Trouble with Angels Our Lady of Fatima Written by Mary R. Bellino The Reluctant Saint (directed by Edward Dmytryk) is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is the story of Joseph of Cupertino, the village idiot, who becomes recognised as a saint. Although pressured by the people around him to assume various roles more socially acceptable, Cupertino is the kind of person who is so fundamentally honest and humble, he can't be anything but his true self and in the process reveals his holiness. This movie stars a young Ricardo Montalban as a skeptical superior but the best performance is by Lea Padovani, the saint's mother, who is the stereotypical manipulative mother who just wants the best for her son (and herself!). Written by cupertino My favorite double-bill of all time (back when they used to HAVE double bills) was Godspell and Brother Sun Sister Moon. I loved Godspell for its originality in breathing new life into the gospel, and Brother Sun Sister Moon for its sensitive portrayal of St. Francis of Asissi. (I studied for 5 years with the Franciscans, so it had special meaning for me.) I'd also nominate The Sound of Music as a great Catholic film. Written by Doug Hughes For pre-1997 films, I think not including Becket is a huge oversight. Brilliant and masterful performances by O'Toole and Burton. I was very intrigued by the Hitchcock choices. I Confess is obviously Catholic, though not as fine a film as eitherVertigo or North by Northwest. I like the juxtaposition of those two films. Ultimately, everything Hitchcock made is "Catholic" (I am reminded of the Lewis quote about the Sun and Christianity.) Anyway, a post 1997 film I would include is Stranger than Fiction. It is one of the funniest and most life-affirming films of recent years: Dr. Jules Hilbert: Hell Harold, you could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted. — SomeoneHarold Crick: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes? Dr. Jules Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led... and, of course, the quality of the pancakes. Also, while I like this list, it definitely needs more comedies. We are an Easter People. :) Written by Margaret E Perry May I suggest the beautiful animated film "Horton Hears a Who"; a multi-layered movie with a strong pro-life message: "A person's a person, no matter how small!" For all ages. Written by Linda MacDonald This lists and the ensuing comments are awesome! Thxs to all, re previous comment from Austin, plz recall Fr. Joeseph T O'Callahan's valor on the Franklin. The ship's Commanding Officer described O'Callahan as "the bravest man I ever saw". For his heroism on board Franklin, Lieutenant Commander O'Callahan was awarded the Medal of Honor. Plz, plz let us not forget one of the most talented Catholic artists Krzysztof Kieślowski; if his The Decalogue does not move you closer to Christ I doubt any cinema art will. Written by BC My Thanks to Walt for remembering "The Nun's Story", Being a nostalgic oldster taught by the Presentation Sisters, I have always have had a soft spot in my heart for our "Sisters". It seems that these days the only women we will soon have "in the cloth" and living their faith to the hilt will be the Nuns (cloistered, where few of us will ever see them. To get back to "Movies", it is obvious many people watch more than I do. The list is not recent, but, then, it seems to me that it is difficult these days to even hear the name of God, except in the act of taking His name in vain. The past few years, in my retirement, I have had the opportunity to view Turner Classic Movies, and have been frequently and pleasantly surprised to see Catholicism and our traditions portrayed freely and with accuracy. Seldom these days. Written by Paul I was glad to see someone mentioned "The Keys of the Kingdom" with Gregory Peck and "Becket" with Richard Burton. I would also add "The Left Hand of God"(1955) with Humphrey Bogart as a soldier of fortune in China who masquerades as a priest to escape an evil warlord and undergoes redemption. There was another movie with William Holden, "Satan Never Sleeps" (1962) also set in China during the revolution. Great older films with stories of loss, redemption, and the triumph of the spirit through the Grace of God. I would highly recommend them. Written by Bruce I can't believe The Sound of Music did not make the list! If ever there was a film which spoke of love, forgiveness, change, transformation, God and the Catholic faith, it's this film. Sometimes things are so obvious, they're right under our noses. And that's why we fail to see them. Written by David Pendleton What a great accumulating list, and what illuminating commentaries! Here are a few more: *Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison. *San Francisco (1936) -- and best all-time disaster movie besides. *African Queen -- Bogart's "Catholic" vs. Hepburn's Protestant -- hey, anything goes here. *Evelyn -- how can this have been overlooked so far?!? *The Dead -- John Huston's rendition of Joyce's best story. *Joan of Arc (1999, TV, with Leelee Sobieski) Also, Blackrobe should have been mentioned in at least seven comments already. Maybe eight. The Lord of the Rings trilogy should have been mentioned in 97 of them. And The Passion of the Christ in ALL of them. Hm. I'm beginning to think there may be more. :-) Written by Bob Sweeney Oops. Left out The Fugitive, John Ford's take on The Power and the Glory. I haven't seen it, but the book's pretty Catholic. And just now thought of Ian McClellan in A Performance of MacBeth (1979). A lot of Shakespeare qualifies in fact. Help. I can't stop. Written by Bob Sweeney ****ON THE WATERFRONT**** Yes, somebody mentioned it. But they didn't mention Eva Marie Saint. She's in it too. Also they didn't mention that it's the best movie ever. Written by Bob Sweeney I think TOKYO GODFATHERS is a Japanese animated rework of THREE GODFATHERS. I really loved the Japanese version; haven't seen the American. My apologies if this has already been posted!--a quick search of the comments suggested it hadn't. Written by Eve Tushnet I propose the movie "Annie" for it holds out the virtue of hope and our adoption as sons and daughters of God. ISn't Daddy Warbucks a type for God the Father? Written by Sandy So many films proposed for places a new list are very surprising to me. For instance, the two Joan of Arc movies mentioned, "The Messenger" and the TV miniseries w/Leelee Sobieski distort history, mock the Jesus and the Church and the motivation given both actresses in playing Joan is that she was quite insane. The Nun's Story, while quite beautiful on the surface, is, as Prof Park pointed out, the beginning of Hollywood's anti-Catholic phase. You recall Sister Mary Luke leaves the convent. The Left Hand of God, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Heaven Knows, Mr Allison are good movies to be sure - but let's face it, not the best. "The Little Flowers of St Francis" is better than BSSM. "The Song of Bernadette" is head and shoulders over "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima" in production values and acting. I very much love "Fatima" but it really is heavy-handed. And Richard Hale - a very good actor - as Father Ferrera simply pales beside Charles Bickford's supremely masculine portrayal of Pere Peyramale (which gave new life to Bickford's career). If any film about the Blessed Virgin qualifies it for listing as "best" why not include "Gospa" featuring Morgan Fairchild as a nun? Speaking of Bickford, his portrayal of Cardinal Mindzenty in "Guilty of Treason" is very well down - but the film is a product of the post-war anti-Communist propaganda effort. I can see the wonderful "Becket", "Keys of the Kingdom" and "Lilies of the Field" on the list. And. for sure, the list should include "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1945) another film directed by Elia Kazan. It is a lyrical fable of laughter, sorrow, self-sacrifice and love, along with showing how strong the bond of marriage ought to be. In Betty Smith's novel the family is clearly identified as being Catholic. It's left ambiguous in the film perhaps so as not to alienate non-Catholic audience members. James Dunn's performance is masterful and won the Best Actor Oscar for it. A Jewish friend of mine, a former professor of history at West Point, tests new Catholic friends by asking, "Why aren't there more Father Chisholms any more?" He and his wife, both believing Jews, simply love A. J. Cronin's "Keys of the Kingdom" and can't understand why it is so forgotten by Catholics today. By the way, I passed his test. I knew who Fr Chisholm was. Sean Written by Sean I just watched "The Chocolate War" again last night (reminded me somewhat of my own Catholic school experience) and I'm trying to remember the name of the movie that the church supposedly funded as an investment opportunity (an E.F. Hutton broker friend told me about it). I think it was a Catholic School teen comedy between 1975-1995. Couldn't find it on IMDB. Don't think it was "For Keeps" though it might have been. Any help? THX. Written by LanceThruster I don't understand why there are so many comments from catholic's to catholic's with anger here. The list is from 97, and i belive he tried not to put the well known catholic movies. It's a good list. You can watch a long list with catholic movies here: http://cineparacatolicos.blogspot.com/ But it's a spanish site. Written by Alfred Capra |
|
 |
