Despite the fashion, a mystical cinema exists
A mystic seeks, via contemplation and self-surrender, to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute. He or she believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect. It matters that his or her conscience guides his or her words and actions. The present list emerges from a conviction well expressed by J.R.R. Tolkien: “Living by faith includes the call to something greater than cowardly self-preservation.” I suggest that there are strong messages in this list echoing the arguments in the Scriptures.
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- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsAldo FabriziGianfranco BelliniPeparuoloA series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.A relief from much of the pap that passes as religious film these days. The depiction of Francis and his followers makes the practice of Christianity seem almost zen-like. Spirituality consists in being totally involved in whatever one is doing, rather than talking, at the moment. Flowers of St. Francis presents an idealized version of a "pure" form of Christianity and promotes love, humility, and compassion for the poor. While the film is a welcome antidote to current cynicism and despair, it ultimately leaves us to decide whether or not excessive missionary zeal practiced by those who are convinced they alone have true faith has been a positive or negative force throughout history.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsDary BerkaniVirgilio GazzoloCesare BarbettiThis biography tells the life story of Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, a North African region during the last years of the Roman Empire. The film details Augustine's struggle to maintain religious decorum in a civilization on the verge of plunging into the Dark Ages.The real Augustine was more medieval and modern than what's shown here. He's rather rounded as a teacher of deep principles and practical responses. He preaches grace and virtue, i.e. the Christian message which is the superstructure of meaning. Entwined with the Christian call, however, is the Socratic one for reason & beauty in moral truth.
- StarsRobert PowellOlivia HusseyLaurence OlivierBeginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this mini-series brings to life all of the sweeping drama in the life of Jesus, as told by the Gospels.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsAnthony HopkinsDebra WingerJulian FellowesC.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham from the U.S.C.S. Lewis was always one of the greatest and most well-known Christian apologists, theologians and fiction writers of all times. But this film is mainly a love story, the love he felt toward his American wife. It's a touching story, period, and if it doesn't get your eyes moistened at least once, check your pulse. Nice films like this are unusual and should be treasured, as Lewis and his works are by so many people, Christian or non-Christian.
- DirectorErich EngelFyodor OtsepStarsFritz KortnerAnna StenFritz RaspSuspicion surrounds a lieutenant for killing his father: Dimitri asks his father for his heritage. The father says he wants to marry young Grushenka. Dimitri tries to talk the girl out of that plan and is himself totally smitten with her.Full of atmosphere and a Slavonic, expressionistic fatalism, it is in many ways much more 'Russian' than German. Although there is a slight narrative overlap between Dostoyevsky's Karamazovs and Tolstoy's Resurrection, this does at least provide the ending of the film with a slight quantum of solace, or modicum of hope. Set within baroque interiors, the inner and outer worlds of human experience are constantly juxtaposed and shown to be in perpetual conflict. As befits Dostoyevsky, a wild anarchic spirit animates the characters as they act out their fatalistic drama, (l'amour fou, which director Fedor Otsep was later to explore in his version of Stefan Zweig's 'Amok'). All through, there is a fearful, pervading melancholy, a sense of impending doom. These are what we would today call dysfunctional characters, but they are imprisoned in the manners and mores of their time, trying to claw some small space in which they can be free, but in their innermost heart of hearts knowing that it is unlikely to be so.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsVictor McLaglenHeather AngelPreston FosterIn 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.
- DirectorCecil B. DeMilleStarsFredric MarchClaudette ColbertElissa LandiA Roman soldier becomes torn between his love for a Christian woman and his loyalty to Emperor Nero.
- DirectorJosef von SternbergStarsEdward ArnoldPeter LorreMarian MarshMan is haunted by a murder he's committed.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsClaude LayduNicole LadmiralJean RiveyreA young priest taking over the parish at Ambricourt tries to fulfill his duties even as he fights a mysterious stomach ailment.Robert Bresson's film ignored most of the already spare political context of the original story - "democratic priests," i.e. Jansenists, Gallicans, revolutionaries, leftists, the Church in distress, a moribund and apathetic Christianity - to focus on the spiritual battle of a pious, unremarkable priest, a man, a sinner, but a thoroughly Catholic priest, faithful to the essential magisterium, committed to his parishioners.
- DirectorMaurice PialatStarsGérard DepardieuSandrine BonnaireMaurice PialatA priest stuck in a rural congregation and burdened with his overwrought spirituality, finds purpose in a troubled woman accused of murder.Upon the background of early 1900s rural France, the film revolves around the spiritual dilemma of a young priest: what is the real meaning of service? Under the guidance of a dean who soon starts to suspect his pupil might be sort of saint, a fool, or even both, director Pialat explores the thinly-lined gray area behind folly and sainthood. Dialogues are difficult, at times intricate; there are no conventional emotions, no plot spins. There are subplots, however, such as a young girl with many lovers, a dying child, and the peasants' devotion bordering superstition.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.This kinda popera is breathtaking in its dramatic presentation of a literary classic. Songs are rich and deep, the plot well-crafted, the characters fully engaged, and the costumes and scenery simply breathtaking. This is funny, sad, thrilling, and contemplative all in one. It is nice to see that Hollywood can deal with the theme of redemption from a perspective cherished by Christians.
- DirectorGeorg Wilhelm PabstStarsFeodor Chaliapin Sr.DorvilleRené DonnioThe French version of G.W.Pabst's monumental three-language (English, French and German - separate versions each) filming of Cervantes' classic novel. The German version seems to be lost, but it is spoken of in three books, "The Film Till Now", and two of Pauline Kael's books of movie criticism.Even though the film is short and transforms, reduces and simplifies considerably the original novel, it still manages to be evocative of Cervantes' Spain, and to carry the themes and the feeling.
- 1978–19852h 25mNot Rated7.5 (232)TV EpisodeDirectorDesmond DavisStarsKenneth ColleyKate NelliganTim Pigott-SmithWhen the Duke of Vienna takes a mysterious leave of absence and leaves the strict Angelo in charge, things couldn't be worse for Claudio, who is sentenced to death for premarital sex. His sister, Isabella (a nun-in-training), however, is a very persuasive pleader. She goes to Angelo, but instead of freeing her brother, she gets an offer from Angelo to save Claudio's life if Isabella sleeps with him. The only sympathetic friend Isabella has is a priest who, in actuality, is the Duke in disguise...and he has a plan.It's a comedy. All the characters live and many of them marry at the end. Yet we, the audience, are not allowed to get comfortable at the twisty conclusion, a strangely prolonged dramatic resolution with a queasy aftertaste. But Shakespeare does give us an acid discussion of justice vs. mercy, religious faith and hypocrisy. Virginity, assaults thereon and reputations at stake are once again pivotal questions. The low comedy characters, often tedious irrelevancies in other plays, are here in the bordello trade, and for once their stories resonate with the main narrative.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.Few, if any, directors have rivaled Capra when it comes to portraying the human heart. This masterpiece is unashamedly sentimental, but also rich with its faith in community spirit and its belief in the strong bond of family love. An ultimate feel-good movie flecked by sheer darkness and a disconcerting "life-is-tough" undertone. Most likely the dark side of the film made it a flop on its release. The film made a huge, though not gargantuan, loss. Annual repeats on tv have garnered it a cult following.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsPierre ArditiRita ForzanoGiuseppe AddobbatiBlaise Pascal struggles to understand the natural world around him, in addition to an inner quest for religious faith.In interviews, Rossellini used to cite "atheism" as a prejudice in itself. What he strove for was what he called "knowledge without dogma". "Blaise Pascal" is a cautionary tale about the death of enchantment, and the danger of cold, iron logic, which commits crimes in the guise of truth and denies a certain all-inclusiveness or subjectivity. Mirrored to this tale is Pascal's own existential crisis, and fear of what he calls "the void of infinity". To deal with this void "we need a multitude of methods", Pascal says, which echoes the sort of "atheistic spirituality" Ingmar Bergman was likewise dealing with at the time (1960s and 1970s). Reason without spirit is as icy and destructive as spirit without reason. The film ends with Pascal "embracing" God on his deathbed, his room darkening whilst a maid lights a feeble candle. Until then it revolved around a court of judges, one of whom was Pascal's father, who accused a servant of practicing witchcraft. Here we observe men of the state as they behave irrationally in the guise of utmost rationality.
- DirectorRodney BennettStarsAlec GuinnessLeo McKernIan RichardsonIn this modern adaptation of the Don Quixote theme based on a novel by Graham Greene, Quixote is an old Spanish village priest who travels through Spain with his friend, Sancho, the village's mayor and his car called Rocinante. On their way he has to master the same adventures as his ancestor.Based on the novel by Graham Greene of the same title, the movie tells us about the adventures of a Roman Catholic priest (Father Quixote) just promoted to monsignor, and a communist mayor (Sancho) just defeated in a municipal election in the post-Franco years in Spain. Both men are great friends despite their opposite backgrounds, and while the movie progresses, we can see that their ideas are not as far apart as one would expect. The story is told in such a way that it resembles the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in modern times. It's rather a comedy-drama, proving Greene's profound knowledge of Spain, its traditions, and its politics. Among other things, it satirizes the Opus Dei and the Spanish Catholic Church involvement in politics. Dialogues contain many sharp and witty remarks.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsRobert De NiroJeremy IronsRay McAnallyEighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.The story is a supposed true-life account what happened back in the 1700s when a few dedicated priests tried to bring Christianity to South American natives, showing what happened when a combination of the Catholic Church, Portuguese slave-traders and politicians attempted to put a halt to their mission. Though this isn't an "action film," it has extended violence, and a shocking finale.
- DirectorPhilippe AgostiniRaymond Leopold BruckbergerStarsJeanne MoreauAlida ValliMadeleine RenaudThis is about the execution of 21 carmelite nuns in the latter stages of the terror during the French Revolution.Cinema has not been insensitive to Georges Bernanos , who ranks alongside with other great Catholic 20th-century writers, most notably Graham Greene, André Gide and Paul Claudel. One of Robert Bresson's masterpieces, 'Mouchette,' was adapted from Bernanos. 'Sous le soleil de Satan' turned out to be another interesting adaptation . But his most famous play is this Dialogue, a period piece which is an eloquent libel against repression on any cult freedom, no matter what kind of creed. Though the picture cannot be compared to the magnificent opera that composer Francis Poulenc extracted from the same text, it does record, with sincerity, the tragic episode when nuns, during the Terror regime, in the French Revolution, willingly became martyrs in the name of Christian faith and freedom of belief. Maybe revolutions cannot help being gruesome, but must they suspend belief beyond the rescue of the soul(s)?
- DirectorCarlo CarleiStarsSergio CastellittoJürgen ProchnowLorenza IndovinaThe poor Italian peasant boy Francesco already has visions of Jesus and Mary as a child, but the Devil visits him too. Francesco is quite certain that he will become a priest. After entering the Capuchin Order it becomes clear that Padre Pio (his new name) has powers that cannot be explained rationally: he heals the sick and knows the names, problems, and future of complete strangers. His prophesies that the then unknown young Karol Wojtyla will become Pope one day. Padre Pio's charity and ecstatic prayers make a great impression on the people. In 1918 the Wounds of Christ appear on his hands and feet - Padre Pio carries the stigmata. His followers multiply, and the cult that grows up around him makes his holy order and the Vatican uneasy. Many within the church consider him to be a hysteric or a trickster, since he only showed his wounds the one time when they first appeared. Padre Pio suffers reprisals and is no longer allowed to carry out his role as a priest. The ordinary people, however, continue to believe in him and his miracles. Just before his death in 1968 there is a reconciliation with the grand Visitor of the Vatican, who recognizes him as a Saint.Director Carlo Carlei explores the life of Francesco Forgione, aka Saint Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar whose endless devotion would manifest itself in the appearance of stigmata wounds for more than 50 years. Padre Pio was responsible for a series of religious miracles that many sited as proof of God's existence in an era where spiritual skepticism was at an all time high. The movie captured his intense faith and devotion, his deep spiritual concern for others, and his demonstration of great compassion for the sick and suffering. It reveals the amazing details and events in his life as a boy and throughout his years as a friar, dramatizing the frequent attacks of the Devil on him, as well as the persecution he suffered at the hands of people, including those in the church.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTom HanksMichael Clarke DuncanDavid MorseA tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.The Green Mile is a remarkable allegorical picture. Where there's a Christ-like figure, you also have some devil spawn villains. And what happens to them is both poetic and diabolical in true Stephen King tradition.
- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGeorge O'BrienJanet GaynorMargaret LivingstonA sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment."Sunrise" is diurnal. It begins with a meeting of the husband and his mistress at the break of dawn. It climaxes in the deep of the night, but its very last picture brings back sunrise, which epitomizes a new beginning, a new christening, a redemption. The man, crying and begging for pardon, might be director Murnau himself à clef, who thought very harshly of his own homosexuality as being immoral , if not criminal.
- DirectorXavier BeauvoisStarsLambert WilsonMichael LonsdaleOlivier RabourdinUnder threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay.
- StarsArtur BarcisOlgierd LukaszewiczOlaf LubaszenkoTen television drama films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments.
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsAnne WiazemskyWalter GreenFrançois LafargeThe story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Mouchette.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsHenrik MalbergEmil Hass ChristensenPreben Lerdorff RyeFollows the lives of the Borgen family, as they deal with inner conflict, as well as religious conflict with each other, and the rest of the town.