Favorite Movies with a Spiritual Theme

[kaarina33]

One final movie-only because of an intriguing line near the end which seems to thwart the whole thesis of the book/movie and everything else written about the holocaust...indeed, the whole "holocaust remembrance industry"
And all knowledge, no matter how true, if it is not pointing toward "THE TRUTH", is incomplete,  always fails to bring true"Light" to the human condition....
and I know this is/will be controversial, if any interpret it the way it seemed to be communicated in the movie.

The movie is:

"THE READER"

Near the end the main character,  middle-aged German lawyer named Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) visits a Holocaust survivor (Lena Olin), seeking enlightenment about a part of his life that still baffles him.

“People ask me if I learned anything in the camps,” she tells him. “The camps were not therapy. Nothing came out of the camps. Nothing.”

It's not holocaust denial, which would land anyone these days in hot water, but questions if anything lasting, anything that might prevent it from happening again.....the answer seems clear....and seeing the movie and hearing this line in context is a must to understand the effect... ...to even see if anyone else seems to hear it in the same light that I seemed to have heard it.  And I am not sure if I agree or disagree that judgment, if that is what the writer/director seems to be saying.

Aside from that, there is another whole can of worms about the power of literature, story, and it's effect on making us more "human" and creating connections...or it that myth, too??

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

OK, here are some of my favorites:

Seven Years in Tibet
This is a wonderful movie about the true story of Austrian explorer Heinrich Harrer's unlikely friendship with the Dalai Lama. I'm not a Brad Pitt fan, but he was excellent in this role. A very powerful, moving, and inspirational film. Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ22unS_zdk

East of Eden
One of James Dean's three big leading roles. There's a lot of biblical symbolism in this movie. It's an intense portrait of good and evil, sin and redemption.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/east-of-eden-original-trailer/2529869251

Schindler's List
I don't think I need to say much about this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAH3RTRlCHY

Malcolm X
Spike Lee is a brilliant film maker who says a lot of idiotic things sometimes. But this is easily his best movie in my opinion. Denzel Washington nailed it in his role as Malcolm X. Great music, great cinematography, great acting, and historically accurate. I cry at various stages each time I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfaiu8DbRs

Barabbas
One of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors, Anthony Quinn. A wonderful story about the murderer who was released instead of Christ and how he eventually came to know Our Lord.
http://www.superiorpics.com/anthony_quinn/movie/1962_barabbas.html

The Exorcist
I don't think I need to say much about this one either.
http://www.squidoo.com/the-exorcist-movie

Beyond the Gates
A powerful movie about a Catholic priest caught in the middle of the Rwandan genocide.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/beyondthegates/

Dances With Wolves
This is one of my all time favorite movies! There are a lot of spiritual themes involving the issues of justice, friendship, good vs. evil, and loyalty. I cry when I watch this one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOQORiWn80

Fire in the Sky
An intriguing movie about the ostensibly true life account of Travis Walton’s abduction by aliens. Regardless of what you believe about UFO’s, this movie will really have you thinking.
http://www.videodetective.com/TitleDetails.aspx?publishedid=4410

Frailty
I really like this movie. I guess it just appeals to my thirst for spiritual justice. I won’t say to much more about it because it will surprise you if you haven’t seen it before. A very original film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBGiPz0heI

Selam

[Heorhij]

OK, here are some of my favorites:

Seven Years in Tibet
This is a wonderful movie about the true story of Austrian explorer Heinrich Harrer's unlikely friendship with the Dalai Lama. I'm not a Brad Pitt fan, but he was excellent in this role. A very powerful, moving, and inspirational film. Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ22unS_zdk

I haven't seen it, will look at the trailer, thanks.

East of Eden
One of James Dean's three big leading roles. There's a lot of biblical symbolism in this movie. It's an intense portrait of good and evil, sin and redemption.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/east-of-eden-original-trailer/2529869251

Ditto, thank you.

Schindler's List
I don't think I need to say much about this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAH3RTRlCHY

That one I have seen, and I have to say plainly that I do not like it at all. In my opinion, Speilberg is simply using a peculiar topic of the Jewish "Shoah" to sell this half-baked, weak, artistically impotent piece of garbage. The level of acting in this film is lower than in some provincial high school drama performance.

Malcolm X
Spike Lee is a brilliant film maker who says a lot of idiotic things sometimes. But this is easily his best movie in my opinion. Denzel Washington nailed it in his role as Malcolm X. Great music, great cinematography, great acting, and historically accurate. I cry at various stages each time I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfaiu8DbRs

I have seen it and it did not particularly strike me as anything...

Barabbas
One of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors, Anthony Quinn. A wonderful story about the murderer who was released instead of Christ and how he eventually came to know Our Lord.
http://www.superiorpics.com/anthony_quinn/movie/1962_barabbas.html

Yet to see this one.

The Exorcist
I don't think I need to say much about this one either.
http://www.squidoo.com/the-exorcist-movie

Brrrr. Yuck. Lotsa special effects.

Beyond the Gates
A powerful movie about a Catholic priest caught in the middle of the Rwandan genocide.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/beyondthegates/

Yet to see this one.

Dances With Wolves
This is one of my all time favorite movies! There are a lot of spiritual themes involving the issues of justice, friendship, good vs. evil, and loyalty. I cry when I watch this one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOQORiWn80

Oh-my-gawd. A primitive snetimental melodrama with lots of special effects, artistically zero. "English Patient" number X. Typical Hollywood.

Fire in the Sky
An intriguing movie about the ostensibly true life account of Travis Walton’s abduction by aliens. Regardless of what you believe about UFO’s, this movie will really have you thinking.
http://www.videodetective.com/TitleDetails.aspx?publishedid=4410

Yet to see

Frailty
I really like this movie. I guess it just appeals to my thirst for spiritual justice. I won’t say to much more about it because it will surprise you if you haven’t seen it before. A very original film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBGiPz0heI

Yet to see

P.S. Do you watch European films?

[NorthernPines]

I would have to say that The Lord of the Rings is my favorite movie with spiritual themes. The depth to the story seems endless as I always find something new when I watch it. I think people are surprised when they find out how many things are applicable to spirituality in general and Christianity, and yet, the story is good enough on it's own that people can watch it and get the meaning of the story without being beaten over the head with it. Definitely LOTR for me.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Bladerunner, as the spiritual themes in that movie are rather deeply ingrained, and a bigt disturbing. There are multiple versions out however, and I'm honestly not sure I've seen them all. I've seen the theatrical, and the 80's director's cut, but I think there is a newer director's cut that I have yet to see....but it's definitely worth a look, and makes someone question what it means to be "human".

I would add Dune to my list but I don't really feel like either version (80's Lynch, early 2000's SciFi) of the movie does the book justice, but both movies have good points. I think the SciFi version gets more into the spirituality of the story, but nothing like the novel touches on. But there is a new Dune film going to be made with people from both previous versions involved, so maybe we'll get a definitive version that goes into the essence of the story more.

[Heorhij]

I would have to say that The Lord of the Rings is my favorite movie with spiritual themes. The depth to the story seems endless as I always find something new when I watch it. I think people are surprised when they find out how many things are applicable to spirituality in general and Christianity, and yet, the story is good enough on it's own that people can watch it and get the meaning of the story without being beaten over the head with it. Definitely LOTR for me.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Bladerunner, as the spiritual themes in that movie are rather deeply ingrained, and a bigt disturbing. There are multiple versions out however, and I'm honestly not sure I've seen them all. I've seen the theatrical, and the 80's director's cut, but I think there is a newer director's cut that I have yet to see....but it's definitely worth a look, and makes someone question what it means to be "human".

I would add Dune to my list but I don't really feel like either version (80's Lynch, early 2000's SciFi) of the movie does the book justice, but both movies have good points. I think the SciFi version gets more into the spirituality of the story, but nothing like the novel touches on. But there is a new Dune film going to be made with people from both previous versions involved, so maybe we'll get a definitive version that goes into the essence of the story more.

You know, I just do not like sci-fi at all. Not my genre. Do not see anything spiritual there. Tarkovsky's "Solaris" is the ONLY exception.

[Heorhij]

One final movie-only because of an intriguing line near the end which seems to thwart the whole thesis of the book/movie and everything else written about the holocaust...indeed, the whole "holocaust remembrance industry"
And all knowledge, no matter how true, if it is not pointing toward "THE TRUTH", is incomplete,  always fails to bring true"Light" to the human condition....
and I know this is/will be controversial, if any interpret it the way it seemed to be communicated in the movie.

The movie is:

"THE READER"

Near the end the main character,  middle-aged German lawyer named Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes) visits a Holocaust survivor (Lena Olin), seeking enlightenment about a part of his life that still baffles him.

“People ask me if I learned anything in the camps,” she tells him. “The camps were not therapy. Nothing came out of the camps. Nothing.”

It's not holocaust denial, which would land anyone these days in hot water, but questions if anything lasting, anything that might prevent it from happening again.....the answer seems clear....and seeing the movie and hearing this line in context is a must to understand the effect... ...to even see if anyone else seems to hear it in the same light that I seemed to have heard it.  And I am not sure if I agree or disagree that judgment, if that is what the writer/director seems to be saying.

Aside from that, there is another whole can of worms about the power of literature, story, and it's effect on making us more "human" and creating connections...or it that myth, too??

Sorry, I saw this movie and did not enjoy it one bit. Everything in it is so artificial, IMHO, and the acting is as bad as in Spielberg's "Schindler's List." Total cr#p. "English Patient Number X." Pretentious and dull, everything, including even the unnecessarily abundant scenes in bed.

[Marc1152]

The Alamo

The older version with John Wayne.

There is a great monologue by one of the Texans on the eve of the final massacre about the existence of God. It was (of course) not in the later versions of the movie

[Carl Kraeff (Second Chance)]

I scanned through previous posts and have not seen the following:

Groundhog Day: A comedy with deep moral lessons.

Casablanca: Honor, duty, sacrifice.

Zorba the Greek: The down side of uninformed religion.

Godfather I and II: Michael's horrific slide into evil.

It's a Wonderful Life: Love conquers all.

Gandhi: One man makes a difference.

[EkhristosAnesti]

I mentioned The Fountain (2006) earlier. I would be really interested to hear others' perspectives on this (before I elaborate on my one-liner).

Youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDp-F3Y97ZQ

[Heorhij]

I mentioned The Fountain (2006) earlier. I would be really interested to hear others' perspectives on this (before I elaborate on my one-liner).

Youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDp-F3Y97ZQ

From the trailer, it looks like a costumed fairy-tale... Not my cup of tea at all.

[Heorhij]

Godfather I and II: Michael's horrific slide into evil.

Oh yes. And GFIII. Real classic. Love it. Can see it over and over again, remember about half of the lines by heart.

Truly great story with very deep spiritual meaning. Also extremely professional director's work by F.F. Coppola, wonderful acting, and amazing music.

[Rosehip]

There's the British "Brother Cadfael" series, which a dear friend introduced me to. Brother Cadfael is a monk who works as an herbalist and solves mysteries! A real man of God and without self-righteousness. A man who lived and loved as an ordinary man before he joined the monastery!

[EkhristosAnesti]

I mentioned The Fountain (2006) earlier. I would be really interested to hear others' perspectives on this (before I elaborate on my one-liner).

Youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDp-F3Y97ZQ

From the trailer, it looks like a costumed fairy-tale... Not my cup of tea at all.

Well one of the three "layers" of the film is set in 16th century Spain; what would you expect the actors' costumes to be like?

I'm generally not much of a fan of fantasy myself. But I found the film rather deep and moving; the fanciful aspects of the film served simply as ornamentation in my opinion, in contrast to most of the fantasy films i've seen where 'fantasy' itself seems to constitute the very essence.

I recommend you give the film a crack.

[Andrew21091]

Barabbas
One of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors, Anthony Quinn. A wonderful story about the murderer who was released instead of Christ and how he eventually came to know Our Lord.
http://www.superiorpics.com/anthony_quinn/movie/1962_barabbas.html

I absolutely loved this movie. It is so amazing and it is one of my favorites. It is a must see!

Here are a few of the movies that I really love:

The Sign of the Cross
Cecil B. DeMille's classic about the Christian persecutions under Nero.

Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul
It is a Sufi Muslim film but it is so beautiful. One quote that I will not forget from the film is when Bab'Aziz and his granddaughter are going to a gathering but don't know where it is and one man asks what if he gets lost and Bab'Aziz answers "One who has faith will never be lost" and he walks through the desert trusting all to God. It is just a wonderful movie.

[Heorhij]

Anyone here other than my wretched self loving Fellini, Bergman, and Tarkovsky? (And Antonioni and Godard and Bunuel and... you know). I would love to discuss...

[Heorhij]

The Tarkovsky movie is, however, very interesting in that he makes it more a story of repentance than a story about unusual forms of intellect. The ocean on the planet Solaris in the Tarkovsky movie is acting like the injured conscience of the visitors; it produces real people whom these visitors hurt, against whom they transgressed in the past. And the "grand finalle" of the film is completely different from, I would venture to say, anything one expects to see in sci-fi movies: it's actually a return of a human being to the Father, to the Home where every "tear" is wiped away, every transgression forgiven, etc.

That is interesting, and quite different indeed. I tire of the "higher intelligence" theme prevalent in so much of science fiction, as though all our problems will be solved by meeting the right alien race; and also of the apocalyptic theme, as though we are doomed no matter what we do. Your description seems to indicate something refreshingly different in the genre, something in the story that apparently slipped past Clooney.

I thoroughly enjoyed that clip. Amazon wants $30 for the DVD, and it's not on Blu-Ray, but it may be worth it. Thank you.

Have you seen it already? (Don't mean to rush you... just remember, Netflix... provides EVERYTHING..)

[Heorhij]

LOTR is a great movie to introduce Christian themes, and I have been working on taking out takes of scenes from the movies to discuss with my older teen youth group, such as:

-The nature and effects of power on people

-The parallels between Smeagol/Deagol and Cain/Abel in the movie.

-Boromir's wrestling with himself, and only understanding the nature of life until he repented (he literally fell flat, and then was brought to his senses). From then he understood it was better for him to give of himself, than to take from others.

It's been interesting enough that I have a group of adults who want to watch the movies and have discussions afterwards. We'll see where that goes, though...sometimes we have troubles actually doing what we want to do.

I really like Ostrog, but maybe that's just me.

But, y'know, you can discuss spiritual themes with Spongebob Squarepants episodes, when you really get down to it! Movies need to have some sort of tension in them, and then you can discuss the spiritual impact of the decisions made by the characters.

Father, bless!

You and I seem (at least from this post of yours) to have an ENTIRELY different idea about what cinematography is...

[Heorhij]

Well, you should take my recommendations of Black Robe and Smoke Signals with a grain of salt since I have a personal connection with them to some extent so to speak. Most movies with indians in them are far from accurate. (or the "indians" aren't indians at all) We indians are not noble savages, savages or anything like those two categories. I enjoy these movies for the stories that they portray. They are both sad stories that have some hope. Smoke Signals in particular deals with the identity of being indian in a white society and how jarring it is to leave the rez. There is also the issue of masculinity and how the sins of the father can be visited on the son. Sometimes trying your hardest NOT  to be like your parents backfires so completely that you fall into the same traps. The issue of forgiveness is paramount and domestic violence as well as loosing your parents at an early age are addressed. It is a subtle story in that the real "meat" of the story isn't readily apparent and it warrants multiple viewings to really get the story. I wouldn't call it a bad movie to watch with children, we watch it with ours. There isn't any sex, violence or much bad language to speak of. But the story is one that is extremely intense and will strike a child moreso than an adult in my experience. It is a wonderful movie and ends up making me cry everytime. Even my husband ends up crying each time at the ending scene. The music (and lyrics) are absolutely essential to the story and the soundtrack can stand alone easily. You can't find many movies where if you listen to the soundtrack alone you can get the jist of the story-Smoke Signals is one of those movies (so is Wall-E as an aside). There is plenty of humor in the story and that is likely why it ends up being labeled a comedy. You need to know that Sherman Alexie is a gifted writer and speaker and can make you laugh a great deal. But what you are laughing at isn't actually all that funny when it comes down to is. The lead actor (father character to those of you that have seen the movie) looks almost exactly like my biological father and in some ways the story paralells my own life. It is a loose comparison and one that many indians can relate to but it is there; domestic violence and abuse are rampant on indian reservations. Alexie's other movie "The business of Fancydancing" is absolute trash so just avoid it. He has an obvious agenda and pushes it way too hard, so much so that the movie itself is fairly forgettable.

My husband's love of Black Robe is his own. He can see many things in it and we have had quite a few discussions about it but they all fail me at the moment (pregnancy brain is on the fritz). And as he is VERY far away I can't ask him to delve into it all that much for you. I would suggest you rent it if you can (many public libraries will have it) and see what you think. It could be that what we see from our cultural perspective is something you won't be able to see from yours. And trying to give you that perspective is virtually impossible. I do enjoy the movie a great deal. But he has it with him in Afghanistan and I haven't watched it in quite awhile. (he has Smoke Signals as well actually)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Heorhij]

I seldom watch movies, but one that really resonated with me was "Babette's Feast".

Hear, hear, good one!

[Heorhij]

The Thin Red Line (2001) (existential warriors in WW2 South Pacific; violence)

Princess Mononoke (1997) (the human-nature relationship, and divinity; anime violence)

Signs (2002) (the recovery of faith, from an outer-space source; some cursing)

King Arthur [Director's Cut] (2004) (touches on Pelagius and free-will; lots of Saxon-Latin violence)

Haven't seen and not gonna...

[Heorhij]

There's the British "Brother Cadfael" series, which a dear friend introduced me to. Brother Cadfael is a monk who works as an herbalist and solves mysteries! A real man of God and without self-righteousness. A man who lived and loved as an ordinary man before he joined the monastery!

Rosehip, dear sis, have you tried European classics? Like Fellini, Bergman, Bunuel, Godard, Antonioni..? You should if you have not yet!

[Rosehip]

There's the British "Brother Cadfael" series, which a dear friend introduced me to. Brother Cadfael is a monk who works as an herbalist and solves mysteries! A real man of God and without self-righteousness. A man who lived and loved as an ordinary man before he joined the monastery!

Rosehip, dear sis, have you tried European classics? Like Fellini, Bergman, Bunuel, Godard, Antonioni..? You should if you have not yet!

Yes, I have actually. I watched a Bergman film at the art gallery. I loved the Norwegian scenery, but as a film it was very dark. Have you seen Brother Cadfael too? I think Britain qualifies as european.

[Rosehip]

The Ingmar Bergman I saw was "Autumn Sonata". It was troubling for me because it was the story of my own mother, who was very neglected by her "famous" mother.

[Heorhij]

The Ingmar Bergman I saw was "Autumn Sonata". It was troubling for me because it was the story of my own mother, who was very neglected by her "famous" mother.

Yes, that's one good film by Bergman, yes, said, yes, disturbing... a tragedy, something the true art rises to...

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

I seldom watch movies, but one that really resonated with me was "Babette's Feast".

Hear, hear, good one!

Yes, I love this movie. I mentioned it in my earlier post. I thought that you and Rosehip would also like it.

Selam

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

The Thin Red Line (2001) (existential warriors in WW2 South Pacific; violence)

Princess Mononoke (1997) (the human-nature relationship, and divinity; anime violence)

Signs (2002) (the recovery of faith, from an outer-space source; some cursing)

King Arthur [Director's Cut] (2004) (touches on Pelagius and free-will; lots of Saxon-Latin violence)

Haven't seen and not gonna...

I thought The Thin Red Line was a very underrated film. There is a lot of philosophy in the movie, but it might not be recognized by those who aren't well versed in philosophy. I liked it because it was a very unique portrayal of war. Most war movies are usually either overly romanticized or portrayed through a nihilistic lens. But The Thin Red Line didn't fall into either category in my opinion. Refreshingly unique.

Selam

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

I scanned through previous posts and have not seen the following:

Groundhog Day: A comedy with deep moral lessons.

Casablanca: Honor, duty, sacrifice.

Zorba the Greek: The down side of uninformed religion.

Godfather I and II: Michael's horrific slide into evil.

It's a Wonderful Life: Love conquers all.

Gandhi: One man makes a difference.

GROUNDHOG DAY is hilarious. It might be a stretch to say it contained some deep moral lessons, but it's just a darn funny movie!

ZORBA THE GREEK is an excellent movie. Again, starring my man Anthony Quinn!

THE GODFATHER, all of three of them, are terrific movies. Not so much in terms of containing a spiritual theme though.

CASABLANCA: Haven't seen it and probably won't. Just not my cup of tea.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is a classic that I enjoy.

GANDHI: I am ashamed that I neglected to put this on any of my earlier lists! What a great movie. Ben Kingsly is another great actor, and a classy human being.

Selam

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

OK, here are some of my favorites:

Seven Years in Tibet
This is a wonderful movie about the true story of Austrian explorer Heinrich Harrer's unlikely friendship with the Dalai Lama. I'm not a Brad Pitt fan, but he was excellent in this role. A very powerful, moving, and inspirational film. Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ22unS_zdk

I haven't seen it, will look at the trailer, thanks.

East of Eden
One of James Dean's three big leading roles. There's a lot of biblical symbolism in this movie. It's an intense portrait of good and evil, sin and redemption.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/east-of-eden-original-trailer/2529869251

Ditto, thank you.

Schindler's List
I don't think I need to say much about this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAH3RTRlCHY

That one I have seen, and I have to say plainly that I do not like it at all. In my opinion, Speilberg is simply using a peculiar topic of the Jewish "Shoah" to sell this half-baked, weak, artistically impotent piece of garbage. The level of acting in this film is lower than in some provincial high school drama performance.

Malcolm X
Spike Lee is a brilliant film maker who says a lot of idiotic things sometimes. But this is easily his best movie in my opinion. Denzel Washington nailed it in his role as Malcolm X. Great music, great cinematography, great acting, and historically accurate. I cry at various stages each time I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rfaiu8DbRs

I have seen it and it did not particularly strike me as anything...

Barabbas
One of my favorite movies starring one of my favorite actors, Anthony Quinn. A wonderful story about the murderer who was released instead of Christ and how he eventually came to know Our Lord.
http://www.superiorpics.com/anthony_quinn/movie/1962_barabbas.html

Yet to see this one.

The Exorcist
I don't think I need to say much about this one either.
http://www.squidoo.com/the-exorcist-movie

Brrrr. Yuck. Lotsa special effects.

Beyond the Gates
A powerful movie about a Catholic priest caught in the middle of the Rwandan genocide.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/beyondthegates/

Yet to see this one.

Dances With Wolves
This is one of my all time favorite movies! There are a lot of spiritual themes involving the issues of justice, friendship, good vs. evil, and loyalty. I cry when I watch this one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOQORiWn80

Oh-my-gawd. A primitive snetimental melodrama with lots of special effects, artistically zero. "English Patient" number X. Typical Hollywood.

Fire in the Sky
An intriguing movie about the ostensibly true life account of Travis Walton’s abduction by aliens. Regardless of what you believe about UFO’s, this movie will really have you thinking.
http://www.videodetective.com/TitleDetails.aspx?publishedid=4410

Yet to see

Frailty
I really like this movie. I guess it just appeals to my thirst for spiritual justice. I won’t say to much more about it because it will surprise you if you haven’t seen it before. A very original film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBGiPz0heI

Yet to see

P.S. Do you watch European films?

I loved Babette's Feast, which I guess is technically a European film. But I'm not big on subtitles, so I miss out on some great movies I'm sure. Perhaps you can recommend some that are worth me putting up with the subtitles.

As far as the above movies that you have not seen: Judging by your tastes I don't think Frailty or Fire In the Sky will be worth your time. But I do think that you will enjoy Seven Years in Tibet, Beyond the Gates, and Barabbas.

By the way, I agree that Dances With Wolves is "typical Hollywood," but occasionally "typical Hollywood" gets it right. In this case I think Hollywood got it right. I imagine you feel the same way about The Ice Storm, which I enjoyed but thought was "typical Hollywood" nonetheless.

Oh yeah, I take it you were not a fan of The English Patient? You mean to tell me that you didn't enjoy such a sincere, unpretentious, and realistic piece of film? (I am being sarcastic)

Selam

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

One movie that I really enjoyed is Into the Wild.

The movie is about a highly intelligent college graduate who decides to embark on a life of self discovery, exploring the world without any attachments to human relationships or material possessions. The movie is based upon a true story. I thought it was beautifully filmed and very poignant. The movie has a great message that I won't disclose here. Heorhij and Rosehip, I think you all might especially enjoy this one.

Here's the movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LAuzT_x8Ek

Selam

[Rosehip]

GMK, thanks for the recommendation! I'll try to watch this film!

[LizaSymonenko]

There's the British "Brother Cadfael" series, which a dear friend introduced me to. Brother Cadfael is a monk who works as an herbalist and solves mysteries! A real man of God and without self-righteousness. A man who lived and loved as an ordinary man before he joined the monastery!

Rosehip,

I truly enjoyed the series!  Great fun!

[Rosehip]

There's the British "Brother Cadfael" series, which a dear friend introduced me to. Brother Cadfael is a monk who works as an herbalist and solves mysteries! A real man of God and without self-righteousness. A man who lived and loved as an ordinary man before he joined the monastery!

Rosehip,

I truly enjoyed the series!  Great fun!

Liza, I'm so happy you liked Brother Cadfael!!

[sonoftundra]

My wife and I have been very blessed by two DVDs we got in the last two weeks:

"from the Little Mountain" -  a short film, a year in the life of a monastery in West Virginia.

"The Life of Saint John Maximovitch" -  the title says it all.


Peace - Andrew

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

I really enjoyed Antoine Fisher. The movie was well directed and well acted, and portrayed the spritual themes of perseverance in hardship, the value of friendship, and maintaining hope in all things. Forgive me if I've already mentioned it.

Here's the trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7zXnqsFM-s

Selam

[Jetavan]

Batman Begins

[Andrew21091]

A few movies I've seen recently which I would highly recommend is

The Mission which is about a Jesuit missionary who starts a mission in the jungles of Brazil. I think this one has been mentioned.

A.D. A miniseries about the early Church after Christ's Resurrection. Starts from shortly before the Ascension of Christ up to the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul under Nero. This is probably one of the best productions I've seen next to Jesus of Nazareth. The acting is superb by the actors portraying Peter and  especially Paul. I really love it.

[scamandrius]

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned on this thread,  but upon watching some of it earlier today when flipping channels, I'd put up for my choice, The Green Mile which stars Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. I remember when i saw this movie at Christmas many years ago.  I think it's too easy to see Duncan's character of John Coffey as a Christ-like figure and it's not a 1:1 match.  But the themes of self-sacrifice, obedience even unto death really resonate well throughout the movie.

[GabrieltheCelt]

A few movies I've seen recently which I would highly recommend is

The Mission which is about a Jesuit missionary who starts a mission in the jungles of Brazil. I think this one has been mentioned.

I loved this movie! Robert DeNeiro is really great in it!

[HandmaidenofGod]

Fiddler on the Roof

Amazing cinematography, beautiful music, wonderful storyline -- it had it all! Tevya's faith and relationship with God are central to the storyline; doesn't get much more spiritual than that!

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

The Mission, The Green Mile, and Fiddler on the Roof are three great choices. I recommend them all.

Selam

[Bono Vox]

The Mission, The Green Mile, and Fiddler on the Roof are three great choices. I recommend them all.

Selam

The Mission and the Green Mile are two of my favorites. I have the soundtrack to the Mission and I never get tired of it. It would be awesome if some Orthodox composers could write some liturgical music that sounds similar to the music in the Mission.

[scamandrius]

The Mission and the Green Mile are two of my favorites. I have the soundtrack to the Mission and I never get tired of it. It would be awesome if some Orthodox composers could write some liturgical music that sounds similar to the music in the Mission.

Why?  Then it would be derivative.  The music of The Mission is good on its own regardless of the religious preference of teh composer.  Who was the composer of that soundtrack anyway?

[LBK]

Who was the composer of that soundtrack anyway?

Ennio Morricone. He is probably best-known for the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

[ozgeorge]

A few movies I've seen recently which I would highly recommend is

The Mission which is about a Jesuit missionary who starts a mission in the jungles of Brazil. I think this one has been mentioned.

I loved this movie! Robert DeNeiro is really great in it!

I really liked it too. Apart from the incredible music, I think the themes where very powerful. The theme of repentance and reconciliation at the beginning and the question in the end of how should we deal with evil- either violently or non-violently?

[cortisol]

What are some of your favorite movies that contain a spiritual theme? I'm not talking about religious movies per se, but any movie that you enjoyed because you discerned a spiritual or moral message being portrayed in some way.

Right now I'm watching "Frailty" on TV. I like this movie a lot.

OK. Look forward to reading your responses.

Selam

I saw a good number of movies posted that I would consider helpful in keeping/building Christian faith, some are repeats some are new

1) Jesus of Nazareth

2) The Passion

3) The Island - The best of the very few Christian Orthodox movies I have seen.

4) Devil's Advocate - I think no one commented on this one

6) Firefighter - Recommend to any couple struggling in marriage

7) The Seventh Sign

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

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