It seems that there is something stirring in the movie-making business as of late. Namely, religious themes are reappearing on the radar in a more positive light to appease the niche counter-cultural audience that has proven it still carries some clout at the ticket booth. Even if it’s just a matter of throwing them a bone for cash rewards, the effects are still perceivable in the long view from the bleachers.
As a Catholic Christian myself, I would be inclined to welcome this return of religious flicks in theory. However, this inclination has been somewhat stymied by many of the end results of this faith-filled splurge. I often find myself adding to the litany of prayer: “From the scourge of Christian independent productions, deliver thy people, O Lord!”
Instead of telling full-bodied, life-like stories with multi-faceted characters and thought-provoking themes, the well-intentioned debacles settle for predictably preachy plot-lines, cardboard cut-out characters who fill stereotypical roles, and cereal box scripts, promising the synthetic prize of a happy-clappy finale as indigestible as too many bowls of Fruit Loops. These exhibitions could serve no better purpose than turning off the rest of the world to religious people in general (to which this religious person responds in her defense…*face palm*).
Some of the worst examples of this include God’s Not Dead, Fireproof, and Heaven Is For Real. Beyond this, there are even some major motion pictures that have recently taken on religious themes and plummeted to the depths, such as Noah, another exercise in miscasting Russell Crowe (as if the Irish-accented Robin Hood and tone-deaf Javert weren’t bad enough!), including such delights as giant rock monsters, narcotic berry juice, and a Cockney stow-away on the ark who eats one of only two computer generated lizards!
To be fair, there are some more bearable releases with at least some elements of quality such as October Baby (at least there is some plot substance and character arc), Son of God (I don’t care overly much for the cool dude Jesus, but the Passion sequences were heart-rendingly well-done), and Mom’s Night Out (totally bonkers, but with some genuinely humorous moments and Christian characters who are not insufferable goody-two-shoes). That having been said, I don’t believe any of these sail past the mid-zone mediocre rating.
So the question remains: are we to consign ourselves to the dismal reality that all faith-flicks are doomed to be lost causes for those who are exploring the big questions of life and happen to be lovers of quality cinema? I for one vote NAE. This is because, as a classic movie buff, I have fallen in love with more than a few quality motion pictures that unflinchingly take on religious themes in a way that is both complex and universally impacting for the religious, “spiritual but not religious”, and non-religious alike.
This is a vital point, for if religiously themed films remain imprisoned in their own niche circles, it is simply a matter of redundantly preaching to the choir and doing nothing in the way of opening hearts and minds to new ideas or expanding discussions on the most important questions of life. We must look beyond the horizon in this, and break the bubble of our comfort zones to reach the outside world.
For this very reason, one of my all-time favorite films is the 1966 production A Man For All Seasons, chronicling the final years of the steadfastly Catholic Sir Thomas More who is executed for his refusal to betray his faith and conscience by acknowledging King Henry VIII as Head of the Church in England.
While this might sound like a subject in which Catholics alone would emotionally invest themselves, the screenplay was actually written by the agnostic Robert Bolt, and the audience appeal has crossed all boundaries of belief. The main reason for this is that More’s legacy of moral integrity truly does stand on its own in any age, as made clear by the title.
Also, contrary to the revisionist projection of More as a humorless and perverted prig in Wolf Hall, he had a delightfully quick wit even in the most dire of circumstances and loved to “make merry” as an active socialite and family man. Even as an imperfect man in an imperfect era of history, this warmth and humanity shines out in Sir Paul Scofield’s portrayal. We can relate to him and sympathize with his difficult position naturally, without having it being forced in our face like a proselytizing pamphlet.
The same applies to the 1943 film The Song of Bernadette, telling the story of a teenaged French peasant girl who claims to see visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Again, what we would assume to be a quintessentially Catholic endeavor was actually based off of the book by the same name written by the Jewish Franz Werfel, who had been saved from the Nazis by the Catholic citizens of Lourdes during WWII.
He managed to convey the story of Bernadette and her town with sympathy, realism, and a healthy dose of the sacramental imagination. All this was beautifully conveyed on screen with freshness and power instead of the use of sugary platitudes or sappy sentimentality. Jennifer Jones’ portrayal of Bernadette Soubirous is indeed a miracle in itself for managing to capture both the innocence and wisdom that has drawn viewers from all backgrounds to fall in love with her.
Another film of note is the 1953 murder mystery I Confess, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and revolving around Fr. Michael Logan, a Catholic priest in Quebec who finds himself framed for a murder he did not commit. In fact, he already knows who did commit the crime…because the murderer told him under the Seal of Confession!
The reason why this movie was able to cross the religious divide was because it was a genuinely good thriller with a unique plot angle, and has been called “technically one of Hitchcock’s best.” This is fascinating, because it is one of the only times the Catholic Master of Suspense dealt with a story involving his faith so directly. But even for those who found maintaining the Seal of Confession to be a strange and unreasonable expectation, Fr. Logan’s very human fear yet resolve to remain true to his vows is naturally admirable, and Montgomery Clift was able to reflect that quiet heroism to a tee.
Still on the subject of priests, the 1983 production Scarlet and the Black focuses on real-life hero Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, called “The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican”, who aided refugees of every stripe (from Allied POWs to hunted Jews) to escape to neutral Vatican territory during the Nazi occupation of Rome in WWII.
You would be hard-pressed not to find something to like in “Hugh”, charming at parties, daring in underground rescue missions, biting in Irish sarcasm, and gloriously fiery in temperament with a sharp right hook. A master of disguises and genius at organization, he is also compellingly human and rough around the edges.
Just as Gregory Peck brings this role to life with zeal and panache, Christopher Plummer perfectly embodies his tormenting and tormented nemesis, Herbert Kappler, SS Security Chief of Police, whose own soul-searching forces O’Flaherty to confront his own personal demons.
Lastly, I would like to draw attention to a more recent film, the 2006 production Amazing Grace about parliamentarian William Wilberforce and his crusade to abolish the British Slave Trade in the early 19th century. Although Wilberforce is clearly a devout Anglican Christian and his faith is integral to his world view, one need on share his religious beliefs in order to admire his courageous stand against one of the worst evils of his day, even at the expense of his healthy and nearly his promising career.
Beyond this, his character as played by Ioann Gruffudd is not a slap-on-a-smile-and-push-a-pamphlet type. He has a depth and sincerity which reveals itself through his interaction with everyone he encounters. He is also deeply human, which is brought to the fore by the fact that he sinks into depression and near total despair when his efforts are thwarted at every turn. Yet still, with the support of his spirited wife, he is able to hang onto hope and see his cause to completion.
So in conclusion, all of these films, and many more like them, encourage me with the fact that God is not dead on screen after all. In fact, the mysteries of divine interaction with and influence through humanity can be revealed with great poignancy through stories that defy false stereotypes and leave us changed for the better through traveling the worn path of joys and sorrows with the leading characters.
In Thomas More, Bernadette Soubirous, Michael Logan, Hugh O’Flaherty, and William Wilberforce, we find a complex combination of holiness, heroism, and humanity. In fact, it can truly be said that to be holy is simply to be more fully human, as we made us to be. This is what we need more of in religious themed productions today. Indeed, perhaps through “art for art’s sake”, creating beauty for its own rewards, the message we are trying to send shines through all the clearer.
I think that a lot of these inspirational/religious/Christian films, especially lately, remain mediocre at best because they get a little too attached to their message. They focus on preaching rather than concentrating on crafting a good story with compelling characters and let those characters carry the message through their own natural words and actions. Very few people like to be beaten over the head with any message. That is something that should grow organically from the story rather than shoe-horning it in. I just finished watching “The Red Tent” about the daughter of Jacob and the theme throughout that was the importance of forgiveness and remembrance, but the characters and story carried it so well that it worked and felt both compelling and natural. (Of course, even non-religious films have this problem, but it seems especially ham-handed lately when faith gets involved. Still, at least there are some good examples to counteract the bad. Absolutely loved “Amazing Grace” and “A Man for All Seasons!”
This is beautifully done! Excusing bad art by labeling it “Christian” is just plain wrong, and we see (and hear) that in whiny, three-chord Jesus-y songs and in, as you say, films that use cookie-cutter plots, predictable endings, and cardboard characters to preach AT the viewer instead of RESPECTING and ENGAGING the viewer.
Joseph Pearce could not have written about this better. Thank you!
I recently saw ‘The Song of Bernadette” and was very impressed and deeply moved by the overall quality!
Song of Bernadette, The Scarlet & the Black, and Amazing Grace are definitely classics, along with the Ten Commandments (even though it has inaccuracies, same for Dreamworks Prince of Egypt). That being said, it’s time for the lower end of the deal (though you’ll have to admit, Courageous probably had the best scene out of their “series”). As Lewis has stated in Four Loves, you can’t quite have the high without the low. We’ve had some great movies inspired by our faith, now it’s time to waddle through the less-so ones. Though, I would like to point out, that the really amazing ones, were primarily Catholic, infused with Catholic teachings and traditions. The newer ones, the not-as-good ones? More Baptist, Methodist, if you think about it, we’re lucky if someone even makes it into a church (and I mean one with an alter, not the typical ones that just have some preaching and a choir, and that’s it for the service), and I think that’s what’s really lacking. Sure, the messages are great (Fireproof = sanctity of marriage, Courageous = importance of fatherhood), but where is God Himself? How can one spread the word of God, if they really don’t visit with God? Sure, they pray to Him, talk to Him, but how much do they actually listen to Him? Therein might lay the bigger problem. I mean, Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel always had a Rosary nearby while making The Passion of the Christ, what have the others done for Jesus and Mary? God Himself has said to aim for Him first, and everything else will fall into place (it was even mentioned by Jesus when He taught the Our Father). So, if any of us ever makes it to Hollywood with our stories (if God desires it), remember to put God first in every project, no matter how hard it will be, and it will no doubt be hard.
(Then again, my family’s been seeing a lot of those Christian/sports movies like Woodlawn, When the Game Stands Tall, and Facing the Giants.)
Joan of Arc, the 1999 PBS miniseries was moving.
A surprisingly good faith-based movie is 2012’s “For Greater Glory”. One of the things that made it work was that the producers didn’t want it to be some preachy feel-good fest. It was the story of the Cristeros War, and movie producer and star Eva Longoria said that this movie told the story of an important event that was part of her heritage, so telling the story in a respectful and compelling way was extremely important to her.
Bonus: During the credits, they featured pictures of the real-life people in the movie and talked about what happened to them after the war.
Have you seen Bella? It’s more artsy so it may not have the same appeal to everyone, but it is a beautiful, award-winning pro-life film with Catholic elements. October Baby has a more conventional storyline, but I also loved it. Very poignant and with appealing characters. I have heard that For Greater Glory is excellent, but haven’t seen it yet. The Mission is another powerful Catholic film that isn’t quite as recent as the others I’ve mentioned, but not that old (1986). When The Game Stands Tall with the incredible Jim Caviezel is a sports movie (which normally wouldn’t appeal to me), but it serves as an example of a newer release with elements of faith that are well done. I also highly recommend Little Boy from last year . . . incredible film that moved me to tears. Vinnie also really loved that one.
I remember seeing A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, and THE MIRACLE OF FATIMA when I was a kid. They were all inspirational. I absolutely loved OCTOBER BABY, BELLA, and LITTLE BOY, . . . all excellent movies.
I don’t know if you have watched the 2004 BBC TV film ‘Hawking’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch (in the lead role as Stephen Hawking,) but I must submit that this film is peculiar in that the Big Bang theory, which is the popular prevalent cosmological model of the creation of the universe, and which was also declared by Pope Pius XII to be not in conflict with the Catholic church’s concept of creation is defended, promoted and ultimately proved by Hawking against the ironclad views of the atheist scientific community (represented by Sir Fred Hoyle). While not popularly considered a ‘Faith Flick’, this film is more relevant as a ‘Faith Flick’.
Another relevant (in my opinion) ‘Catholic’ film is the 1997 film ‘Thirteen Days’ which chronicles the dynamic events of the 1961 Cuban Missile Crisis. Catholic US president John F Kennedy, alongside his brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy must figure out the removal of the alarming presence of strategic first-strike capabilities of Soviet nuclear missiles in socialist Cuba, while dodging the pressurizing advice from his military generals to launch air strikes on the missile bases followed by an invasion and the impending threat of a third world war, which would re-introduce the use of nuclear weapons on a potentially larger scale. Again while not considered a ‘Faith Flick’ in the same league as Kevin Sorbo’s ‘God’s Not Dead’ and other similar right wing garbage films, the movie highlights the overstretched strength of the will of restraint and the need to bypass the military’s traditional unquestioned notions governing the “Rules of Engagement”.
Excellent article and comments
I heard a review on the radio recently about the film “Miracles from Heaven,” and the reviewers – none of whom were particularly religious – really enjoyed it, mostly for the reasons you discuss: the main character is not a goody-goody, but has real struggles; the movie doesn’t push its beliefs at you but instead depicts the character’s inner drama and let’s the viewer decide what to make of it.
I both read and write Jewish fiction, and we have the same problems. The best way I can explain the difference between the “bad” version of faith-based storytelling and the “good” is that good storytelling has to be character-driven and genuine storytelling, with true challenges and true suspense. It shouldn’t rely on preaching to the choir or attempt to persuade in an overt way.