Author Topic: Catholic Movies - which are good - which are bad? (Read 9940 times)

Matthew · « **on:** May 26, 2012, 01:21:28 PM »

My friend is about to order these movies. He and his family are serious traditional Catholics -- they don't want anything with bad stuff in it, including liberalism, women in pants, etc.

I know buying Catholic movies is a sort of land mine. Anyone here have experience (good or bad) with the following movies?

Thanks --

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
St. John Bosco: Mission to Love
Love is a Choice: Life of St. Gianna Molla
Monsieur Vincent
Saint Rita (Vittoria Belvedere)
Francis of Assisi (Bradford Dillman)
The Song of Bernadette (Jennifer Jones)
Therese (Linsay Younce)
St. Peter (2007)
Saint Francis (Raoul Bova)

Matthew · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2012, 02:43:34 PM »

Hey, hey, guys...one at a time! Don't all talk at once!

Thorn · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2012, 03:28:58 PM »

I have less than 2 cents worth of info, but here it is anyway.

I've only seen 2 of these - Song of Bernadettte which I saw quite awhile ago & can't remember anything bad about it. I think that one's safe to see & was quite good. The fact that it was filmed so long ago before the world went insane probably saved it.

Therese was filmed after the world went insane & by N.O. to boot. Can you imagine a film about St. Therese without once filming inside a church? Well, they did. I'm quite sure it was so they wouldn't have to deal with showing the true Mass.
It's an OK movie but just doesn't have the fullness or spirit that it should. If they had been honest it could have been a great movie.

lefebvre_fan · « **Reply #3 on:** May 27, 2012, 06:13:57 PM »

I second The Song of Bernadette. Great movie. The last third of the movie, after Bernadette enters the convent, is very moving and a great example of her humility and redemptive suffering that we should all follow. Other than a somewhat silly platonic romance between Bernadette and a boy named Antoine, I felt it was a really good portrayal of the saint, and a movie that every Catholic should own.

Francis of Assisi is also a great movie, a reverent portrayal of the saint free from the hippie influences of several later films. Once again, a movie every Catholic should own.

I also agree with Thorn on Therese. It's not that there's anything necessarily wrong with the movie, but by no means does it do St. Therese justice. And I'm not really sure why she has a mustache after she becomes bedridden. That always disturbed me somehow.

Matthew · « **Reply #4 on:** May 27, 2012, 07:25:52 PM »

Quote from: lefebvre_fan

I second The Song of Bernadette. Great movie. The last third of the movie, after Bernadette enters the convent, is very moving and a great example of her humility and redemptive suffering that we should all follow. Other than a somewhat silly platonic romance between Bernadette and a boy named Antoine, I felt it was a really good portrayal of the saint, and a movie that every Catholic should own.

Francis of Assisi is also a great movie, a reverent portrayal of the saint free from the hippie influences of several later films. Once again, a movie every Catholic should own.

I also agree with Thorn on Therese. It's not that there's anything necessarily wrong with the movie, but by no means does it do St. Therese justice. And I'm not really sure why she has a mustache after she becomes bedridden. That always disturbed me somehow.

Which St. Francis of Assisi movie is the good one? I think he had several on his "to buy" list.