Movies Depicting the Church Incorrectly

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jenniferolg
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
How old is she?
This show ‘the New Pope’ and also ‘Vikings’ might not be age appropriate.
 
Last edited:
Neithan said:
St. Ansgar, the “Apostle of the North” is shown to have been ineffective.
Click to expand...
Actually, he was pretty ineffective in certain areas. He spent 3 years as a missionary in Denmark without much success. He then spent some years as bishop of Hamburg and a missionary in Sweden, but Hamburg was burned by invaders and Sweden returned to paganism. Some time later he went back to Sweden for another try but after his death, it again went back to paganism and stayed that way for the next 200 years.
 
The show makes a total mockery of him and the Vikings put his faith to a test, which of course he fails, and then they kill him. He’s a completely wasted character, made to look like a pathetic weakling.

It’s too bad Mel Gibson scrapped that Viking movie he was planning on. I’m sure it would have been better than this.
 
Last edited:
Yes, I’m sure they put him in a negative light, the same way as recent shows on King Henry VIII love to exaggerate history in order to portray St. Thomas More as a child abuser who enjoyed burning people at the stake.
 
I’m currently watching The Exorcist (the new-ish TV show). In Denmark it’s on Amazon Prime. If you don’t like horror, it might not be for everyone, but it’s not especially scary. Nothing compared to the original movie.
But… It does have a generally… Mixed… Portrayal of the Church. One thing is of course the general fact that the priests in this show are great sinners, but they do use the Lauretian Litany and different Catholic prayers (adapted fairly liberally). There’s also an “excommunication” of a priest. 1: he’s basically excommunicated on the spot for disobedience, it’s far too impulsive. I also don’t think the person who does the “excommunication” would normally be authorised to do so. Also, they describe excommunication as something closer to the real life equivalent of defrocking.
But overall I enjoy the show. It’s worth a watch if you don’t mind the genre…
 
Other shows that come to mind:

The new BBC Father Brown. He’s portrayed as a VERY liberal priest, with very permissive values, always shaming out the people who are scandalised by various sins portrayed on the show. He lets and unmarried couple sleep in the presbytery at one point… 🙃 Not really worth it.
Grantchester is a much better, similar show, about an Anglican Vicar solving crimes with his police buddy.

BBC’s Broken shows a very troubled, and again a very liberal priest, but he’s portrayed as taking the priesthood seriously and he’s dealing with real, modern day problems. He has a discussion with an African conservative Catholic, who struggles with pride and anger towards a homosexual neighbor. Very good, real stuff. They also show specific parts of the liturgy to play on specific themes. Well done, worth a watch.

I almost forgot: Blue Bloods. It’s a show about a Catholic family who all work in some part of law enforcement. I have yet to watch it myself, but I hear it’s some of the most Catholic stuff out there. A priest recurs throughout the series also.

One Day at a Time (Netflix remake) about a café Catholic family of immigrants from Cuba. The grandmother is a practising Catholic and she
receives extreme unction
in one episode. She is, however, also quite liberal and the show is generally more about a teenage girl coming to terms with the fact that she’s gay. Don’t expect Christian values.
 
These movies are kind of old, but The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons based on Dan Brown’s books. You will need to do some web research, but some websites will list the many inaccuracies about the church and some inaccuracies aren’t so obvious.
 
It is easier to talk about the recent movies that get it right!

She may want to look at:


Anytime the Church is portrayed in one of the films he reviews, he definitely addresses the accuracy or inaccuracies.
 
Another one to add to the list of “recent films that get it wrong”…

The Nun - 2018 horror film.

Let’s just say the film is very deficient on its understanding of the Real Presence and exorcism both.
 
I haven’t watched The New Pope (let my HBO subscription expire) but I did watch The Young Pope (the prequel).

This may be a bit nit-picky but there was a scene in which the Pope (Jude Law) and a buddy of his who is a Cardinal went for a run late at night around Vatican City…by themselves…no Swiss Guard.

Bothered me to no end.
 
TheMortenBay said:
I almost forgot: Blue Bloods. It’s a show about a Catholic family who all work in some part of law enforcement. I have yet to watch it myself, but I hear it’s some of the most Catholic stuff out there. A priest recurs throughout the series also.
Click to expand...
Although I may have missed an inaccuracy or two, this show is pretty kind to Catholics. It’s realistic, capturing the human flaws to clergy and laity alike, but it also shows mercy and redemption.
 
Really? There are many anecdotes about Popes leaving the Vatican walls in a sort of “disguise” and with no fanfare so they can relax and relate to people on a different level.
 
The Pope going out into the city with no fanfare and sometimes in disguise, where he meets and interacts with ordinary people, is a popular trope that’s been used in a lot of novels and movies.

And Popes do “sneak out of the Vatican” regularly.

theweek.com

A short history of Popes sneaking out of the Vatican

Pope Francis may or may not be sneaking out at night to tend to the poor. But he wouldn't be the first to do so.
theweek.com theweek.com
 
Last edited:
MAGI The Tensho Boys’ Embassy

Set in the 1500s, going from Japan to India to Spain to Rome

I remember it having some inaccuracies, but a fascinating attempt to portray religious issues among Japanese Jesuit novices on a trip to Rome. Other than he religious issues, it has some of the worst acting ever, some lame writing, other production problems.

Free with Amazon Prime
 
We have a Pope (2011)

An Italian+ comedy about a Pope elect and his therapist.

The ultimate Pope sneaks out of the Vatican story, as he does it during a conclave! While waiting for the pope to decide if he will accept his election, they organize a volleyball tournament among the cardinals.

If Italian movies are acceptable, Netflix has The Man without Gravity, which gives some glimpses of the Church.
 
Maybe. I always assumed that the Pope was under 24-7 guard. The Holy Father is the boss however so he can obviously…do as he pleases.

In the scene I mentioned, he sneaks out it a white jogging suit to go running with a friend who is a Cardinal wearing a red jogging suit. They don’t really interact with anyone else.
 
Last edited:
Those of us who do not live under the public eye all day every day cannot really grasp how those little human things, like taking a jog or buying a taco, help us to stay sane.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top