As mentioned in an earlier post, a friend sent me five Catholic movies once. These movies were so diverse and so good, I just had to share them with the world. I am going to write about them from most non-Catholic friendly to most Catholic. All of these movies are great, clean entertainment. Also, I discovered a publishing company, I believe it is Ignatius Press. It makes movies about Catholic Saints. They are originally in Italian, but they are kind of a BBC quality. Very good and informative, and very challenging. My philosophy is that the lives of older saints, pre-Reformation, are easier to accept because that's just what Christianity was back then. But these movies would be like watching a movie on Mothere Theresa or Pope John Paul II.
Now, for the five movies I have:
The Scarlet and the Black
Christopher Plummer, the father from the Sound of Music, plays the bad guy in this movie - a Nazi soldier charged with overseeing the occupation of Rome in World War II. His opponent is a mild mannered Monseignor, who wears the beautiful round glasses typical of the era, flirts with wealthy women, and likes to play golf. A humble man, his entire mission in life is to do what's right. He goes head to head not only with Christopher Plummer, but with Pope Pius XII (I think that's the right number) who is concerned about keeping neutral. This is an interesting movie to watch for anyone who has heard about the controversy of the Vatican neutrality in World War II. The plot is good. Monseigneur wishes to help refugees and escaped prisoners of war, most of whom are English or American. Over the course of the Nazi occupation, he helps thousands hide in Rome, creating an intricate network to hide the escapees and feed them. Friends are lost along the way. When the Nazis retaliate by forcing the Monseigneur into the Vatican, never to leave, he continues to work hard - creating elaborate disguises to get out and help. This is a great movie for just some entertainment and popcorn, but the follow up boxes at the end of the movie tell a pretty powerful story in themselves.
The Bells of St. Mary's
This is a black and white Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman film. It has a sister film I have not seen, but it tells the story of Bing Crosby, an Irish priest, who comes to oversee a convent. Ingrid Bergman plays the part of a fiesty nun who has her own way of doing things. The two butt heads on some issues but become friends. Unfortunately, the nun gets tuberculosis and is sent away to Arizona for some recovery. (Thinking of a convent in Arizona sent me on a quest to visit convents and monastaries across the country - of which I have visited a total of none so far!) This was the movie where my roommate was screaming at the priest, yelling at me for making her watch a horrible movie, and generally being in a huff because the suspense (will he do the right thing or not?) just kills you!
Francis of Assisi
I spoke of this movie in my list of favorite happy movies, and I don't know what more I can say. This is a biography of St. Francis. He was a man on the town who had a conversion experience while at war. When he came back, he rejected the wealth of his father and began a life of serving others. His dear friend, Clare, who was also wealthy nobility, ran away from home and formed the Poor Clares, the female version of the Franciscans. Of course, the "dear friend" part is actually just romantic legend. While it's nice to see these two, beautiful platonic friends who work side by side, Clare was actually born much later than Francis. While she modeled her Poor Clares off his style of absolute poverty, they probably met in passing just once or twice.
The Song of Bernadette
This movie was nominated for a few Oscars back in the black and white days when it came out. I believe the actress was nominated for one. This is a cute story - kind of slow - but also interesting. It tries to stay historically true to one of the great mysteries of the 19th century. Last year I blogged about the story of Fatima and how I had never heard of it growing up, but it was huge in the Catholic world. Well, you always hear Fatima paired with Lourdes. These are the two huge modern day miracles that everyone talks about. Lourdes is a town in France where Bernadette, a young poor girl who was also simple and asthmatic, encountered a vision of the Virgin Mary. Mary asked her to return to the grotto, which was essentially the town dump, 14 days in a row to pray the rosary. Bernadette's faith and simple statements about the woman she had seen (always just described as "the lady") drew the attention of city officials, and even became nationally renowned. When asked for a miracle to prove the visions, a fountain sprung up out of the ground. This fountain has healed hundreds since the time it was formed, but the Catholic church will only recognize some 30 or so, because it takes such care to substantiate any claimed miracles. This is a cute movie that tells a story. You don't have to believe it, but it is interesting. As I said, it's also a little slow, but that's kind of the style of movies from back then.
Marcelino
Well, this is cute but weird. A Spanish film, it was dubbed over for our viewing pleasure. It is also incredibly old. I would only really recommend this if you like foreign and old films. The story is of a little boy adopted by monks. When he grows up to be an onery five year old, he goes into the attic, where there is a crucifix. However, the Jesus on this crucifix is alive! (Scary!) So the boy starts to take him bread and wine (and so in Spanish, it is the story of "Marcelino pan y vino - see, a rhyme). Finally, he is given the option to see his mother again, and is taken to heaven with Jesus. The monks see this happen and declare him a saint. As far as we can tell, there is not a real St. Marcelino - the rhyme itself makes the story seem more made up than anything else. It's just a cute little story someone made up. I didn't mind watching it the one time, but I'm not really ready to repeat it yet.
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