Just for Fun - God and the Movies

[Bob_Crowley]

There was a post on another thread about how the Matrix helped someone come to the Catholic Church. It made me think of numerous movies which have touched on thoughts, concepts, characteristics of God.

So I ask all Catholic and non-Catholics alike, what movies have you seen that have furthered your understanding of God?

(I’ll hold off on mine for a while to see if anyone hits movies on my list).

I can’t say there’s been any particular movie that has furthered my understanding of God, but there were a couple of films or documentaries that might have been a bit of a trigger point.

Years ago Malcolm Muggeridge’s film on Mother Teresa was on TV. I remember being intrigued by the beautiful light which permeated the indoor scenes, and wondering where it came from. Muggeridge himself mentioned it in one of his books, saying that he’d been concerned that they didn’t have enough lighting for the indoor shots, but to their surprise this eerie, beautiful light permeated the indoor scenes.

And while it didn’t turn me into a Christian, being an atheist at the time, Richard Attenborough’s “Life on Earth” series made me wonder. He’s not a Christian himself, but the awe inspiring scenery and the way nature worked together was another point where I started to wonder.

Since becoming a Christian, there haven’t been very films that I would say were instructive. Most of the Hollywood stuff featuring God, in whatever context, is pretty tame, and even lame. From time to time there were scenes which stuck out eg. the devil circling Christ during the scourging in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ”, and some special effects can give a real sense of heaven, and for that matter, hell.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if a film were to be made which featured God as both the final comfort and the final terror, based on a story around two protagonists. Art can be a very powerful tool.

 

[agrange]

Lilies of the Field…Academy Award winner.

What a terrific movie. To me this shows how God works to answer prayer through people.
I have often contended that chance meetings in a time of need etc aren’t always random events and many times are facilatated by the Almighty and his angels for the benefit of everybody involved. This movie is remarkable and it deserved the Awards it got …and BTW, who has never sang “Amen” after seeing it?

 

[Xavierlives]

I saw Baptists at our Barbecue and as always, the Mormon spin on things is interesting. The Baptist of the town are unbending and malicious. The Mormons are inviting and forgiving. The only problem with the idea is, well the Mormons are the ones who made the movie and they don’t seem very inviting or forgiving to the Baptist in real life (by making the movie).