I guess if you want to make a list post here, but if you want to have serious discussion about religion in film post here
Morning Drew,
I think it’s fine to have a list thread. It would serve a similar purpose as the recommend 5 films thread but for those who are interested in religious movies. I am interested in finding movies similar to Bergman’s Faith Trilogy. I loved and still love Winter Light, Through a Glass Darkly and The Silence thus am trying to find similar movies that have weighty monologues about the role of God in society or God’s silence. Any recommendations?
I guess my post sounds annoyed and snippy, but I was only trying to point out a thread I really enjoyed where we talked about religious film, without trying to seem like I am saying this is a repeat.
Kundun
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Third Miracle
Frailty
The Rapture
Ordet
The Apostle
Wheel of Time
Bad Lieutenant
Winter Light
I guess this would technically qualify as a non-religious film.
Not even three posts in and feathers are getting ruffled. Let’s take it up a notch and start listing political films as well.
2001
I don’t know about my favorite, but the film SIDDHARTHA by Conrad Rooks, while extremely beautiful, is really truly boring. I had such expectations going into it, and it was a chore just to finish. At least the ending at the ferry was a little better and left me feeling that at least I hadn’t completely wasted the past two hours. A huge disappointment.
1 1950 Stars in My Crown by unexpectedly Jacques Tourneur with Joel McCrae as a minister in small downtrodden Southern community post Civil War 2 Kundun by Scorsese 3 Winter Light by Bergman 4 The Cardinal by Otto Preminger if you want some unintended High Camp, but a beautiful colour movie none the less 5 1960 The Bramble Bush with Richard Burton, Angie Dickinson showing everything but nipples and derriere, and last but not least earnest Barbara Rush—the title alone sets you in the right mood of unintended Camp.
Bobby!
Into Great Silence (2005) by Philip Gröning … a documentary
Andrei Rublev
Francisco, lighten up when it comes to Camp—you can’t beat it—just as well join in—even Susan Sontag wrote 1st article I know of on this very intellectual subject—she was given credit for coining the term in 1950’s or very early 1960’s—in late 1960’s esteemed writer Gore Vidal wrote his best biggest bestseller on Hollywood Camp in of course Myra Breckinridge—he got the best reviews of his career on Myra and later wrote a sequel called of course simply Myron in which many of the really bad movies of late 1940’s through early 1950’s are referenced, very few of which are available on Region 1 DVD. Howls and hoots are totally appropriate if any of you ever see any of films or performers referenced in his 2 books—both are short little books totally focused on terrible Hollywood kitsch and they can be read easily in 3-4 hrs—if any movie buff picks them up to read, he or she will not put either down until he or she reads each entire little book. Any book store has them and they still sell like hot cakes in classic American editions as the old saying goes—have fun! By the way, rich folks pay really big bucks today for a 1st edition/first printing of Myra. Although these 2 books are taught in major universities all over the world today, these 2 still offer shocking clinical comedy/entertainment today—the high wit/comedy is all in the details—it’s as if DeSade and Roman satirist Petronius of Sartyricon fame teamed up and Vidal channeled them somehow. That’s enough!
Simón del desierto es un mediometraje dirigido por el realizador español Luis Buñuel en 1965, sobre una novela del propio Buñuel.
Speaking seriously, Roman, Andrei Roublev is the true religious film of all time in my opinion—it’s as deep spiritually and intellectually as the viewer has the capacity and willingness to go—only Tarkovsky had the depth of profound of thought to plumb its depths because he made it—none of us can get to where he was able to go unconsciously or consciously within almost limitless confines of this 1 movie—like Shakespeare he is always ahead of us in art and sheer profundity of thought, and like Shakespeare he’s as canonical as an artist can get—he’s at the center of the canon for cinema with a few other artists.
Gregorio, I agree Simon of the Desert is very religious in terms of if nothing else the questions it raises which are posed but not unanswered.
“Francisco, lighten up when it comes to Camp” I was just joking! Always wanted to see Myra- saw the playboy article on it- just for La Welch.
Monty Python’s The Life Of Brian. Classic!
My favorite religious movie of all time, and my favorite movie of all time period, is “Black Narcissus”.
I don’t know if they exactly intended to, but Powell and Pressburger created one of the most beautiful explorations of the relationship between the sacred and profane – between our need to let go of this world in order to love God and yet not be able to escape it because it is his creation. This movie drives straight into the heart of the most problematic aspects of religious worship. Anyone who takes religion seriously is attempting to order his/her live on earth according to something that is completely otherworldly. All of this can be pondered in the most beautiful technicolor photography set amidst a tightly wound melodrama about sex starved nuns. The last half hour of “Black Narcissus” is about as perfect as it can get.
And then there are other religious movies that I like
Forbidden Games
Ordet
Simon of the Desert
Mean Streets
Night of the Hunter
I Confess
The Passion of Joan of Arc
A Man Escaped
But none of these will ever touch “Black Narcissus”
How do you like my hyperbole? But seriously, it’s my favorite movie ever.
And a good choice it is.
Franco Zeffirelli’s JESUS OF NAZARETH.
I think it’s brilliant, if totally reverent…
Millions, I’m going to hell for that one.
Possibly because it is a mainstream American film directed by a mainstream (and greatly gifted) director with a big star playing a nun, no one mentioned “The Nun’s Story.” I don’t think it is a great film, but it is awfully good and it has, for my money, Audrey Hepburn’s finest performance. It is a film that tells a good story in a very straightforward way, and you feel the force of its impact at the end. Even though there is no music at the finish and little dialogue. We just watch her movements.
Simon Of The Desert and Viridiana are my two favorite religious movies.
Yes, Nun’s Story is a good un, Howard.
My selection:
Andrei Rublev
The Gospel according to St Matthew
Ordet
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Stars in my Crown
The Sacrifice
Why did Bodhi-Dharma Leave for the East
The Flowers of St Francis
The Life of Brian
need to think on more
Night of the Hunter; I Confess; Black Narcissus; Viridiana; The Passion of Joan of Arc; Day of Wrath; Les Anges du Peche
None of these are personal favourites but they are interesting as more contemporary films with quite an overwhelming fascination with religious orthodoxies — The Exorcist; The Name of the Rose; Priest.
Can anyone suggest some non-Western titles?
i think i must add a forgotten yet truly engaging film,Mother Joan of the Angels…
and another spiritual one as well,After Life…
and a lesser known but equal to everything above,Destiny…
we need more non-Christian film choices by the way,or else i’ll have to even add Elmer Gantry :P
A few more favorites
Judaism
The Chosen (1981) Kagan
Ben Hur (1959) Wyler
Christian
The Gospel According To St. Matthew (1964) Pasolini
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) Capra
Hinduism
Gandhi (1982) Attenborough
Elements trilogy – Mehta
Islam
The Message (1976) Akkad
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) Dupeyron
Buddhism
Samsara (2001) Nalim Pan
The Cup (1999) Khyentse Norbu
Himalaya (1999) Valli
Shamanism
The Shaman’s Apprentice (2001) Smith
Yesterday (2004) Roodt
I forgot Night Sun by the Taviani brothers, with Julian Sands as a hermit on a hill in Italy whose saintliness attracts unwanted crowds and temptations, including a young Charlotte Gainsbourg…..
Aaron Dumont
Post ‘em all. Lists and favorites will never die here. In case if you haven’t noticed, we like wasting our time.
10. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
9. The Gospel of St. Matthew (1964)
8. Viridiana (1961)
7. Nazarin (1958)
6. The Miracle (1949)
5. The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
4. Teorema (1968)
3. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
2. Ordet (1955)
1. Hail Mary (1985)