The guys over at Korrektiv have put together a sort of viewing guide for the Year of the Priest: 52 movies -- one a week -- "in which a priest or priests take center stage or at least play a pivotal role in the development of the films' concerns."

The list is arranged chronoligically, according to when the movie was released, in part to trace the depiction of the priesthood in film over the years. As a result, it's a pretty wide-ranging list, running from San Francisco (1936) to Gran Torino (2008). A small taste (the date in brackets is the date they suggest watching each film):

1. San Francisco (1936) [view the week of 6/19/09]
2. Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) [6/26/09]
3. Boys Town (1938) [7/3/09]
4. The Fighting 69th (1940) [7/10/09]
5. The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1941) [7/17/09]
6. The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) [7/24/09]
7. Going My Way (1944) [7/31/09]
8. The Bells of St Mary's (1945) [8/7/09]
9. The Fugitive (1947) [8/14/09]
10. Monsieur Vincent (1947) [8/21/09]
11. Fighting Father Dunne (1948) [8/28/09]
12. The Miracle of the Bells (1948) [9/4/09]
13. Diary of a Country Priest (1951) [9/11/09]
14. I Confess (1953) [9/18/09]
15. Father Brown (1954) [9/25/09]

I'm surprised by how many of the films here I haven't seen -- if you could stick with it, I think this would be a pretty instructive (and entertaining!) exercise. 

Go see the rest of the list for yourself. Any priestly movies you'd recommend, either on or off this list? Joseph, is it time for another "Top Five" compilation?

[Hat tip: Godsbody]