Movie Meme

Meme: (Noun) in blogspeak, an idea that is spread from blog to blog.

That having been said, I discovered yesterday that I had been memed by Paul at Thoughts of a Regular Guy. (I won't point out too loudly that he misspelled my 1st name.) So here goes:

Favorite Movie: This is easy 1776. (1972) This is the film version of the Broadway Musical fairly faithfully brought to the screen. It stars most of the original Broadway cast, William Daniels as John Adams, Howard Da Silva as Ben Franklin, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson & David Ford as John Hancock. The movie tells of how the American Colonies declared independence & the Declaration of Independence was written. Much of the dialogue & song lyrics in the movie are taken from the writings & memoirs of the people portrayed in the movie. It does take a few liberties with some events for the sake of drama, such as when the actual approval of the Declaration vs actually declaring Independence. But overall it is the best telling of the events of that fateful Summer that I've seen. 1 of the best songs in it is towards the end of the movie. Is Anybody There?, besides being the inspiration for this name of this blog, is sung by John Adams at a point when it seems that his efforts to get the Declaration approved are doomed to failure. He is alone in the Congressional chamber. A major part of the song is taken from a letter to Adams wife Abigail that he wrote on the 3rd of July after Congress declared independence describing how he (accurately) saw the day would be celebrated by future generations. The DVD restores portions of the movie that were cut out of the 1972 theatrical release. (I'll admit, I can say large portions of the dialog along with the action as I watch it.)

Very Close runners up: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) & South Pacific (1958)

Favorite Movie With A Religious Theme: The Passion of the Christ (2004) This is the best telling of Jesus' passion & death on the Cross that I have seen. James Caviezel as Jesus, Maia Morgenstern as Mary & Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalen as well as the rest of the cast were all perfect in their roles. Pope John Paul the Great is supposed to have said: "It is as it was," after seeing it. I agree.

There are several other good 1s out there that I also like. The Hiding Place (1975) the story of Corrie ten Boom & her family & their attempts to help the Jews persecuted by the Nazis. Johnny Cash's The Gospel Road (1973), while not always accurate has some scenes that are very moving. Thérèse (2004) was good, but left me wanting more af her story. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) stayed fairly faithful to the message in the book. then there are the 2 epics Ben-Hur (1959) & The Ten Commandments (1956) with Charlton Heston. Then there are my 2 guilty pleasures that I make no apologies for: Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) & Godspell (1973). [I'll leave Monty Python's 3 movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) & The Meaning of Life (1983) for another day.]

Favorite Movie Priest: This pains me as a good Italiano-Americano to admit this but I have to say that it is Barry Fitzgerald as Fr. Fitzgibbon in Going My Way (1944). (I still don't understand how the role could be considered a leading role for which he was nominated for an Oscar & a supporting role for which he won the Oscar.) Fr. Fitzgibbon exemplifies to me the saying of Jesus in Matthew 10:16 to "be wise as serpents and simple as doves." (Douay-Rheims Bible) If anyone can watch the scene at the end where he is finally reunited with his elderly mother & not be moved he is either dead or doesn't have a heart. There is no runner up, not even Bing Crosby as Fr. O'Malley although Raf Vallone as Cardinal Lamberto in The Godfather III does come close. In an era that presents most priests as anything but ideal here was a bishop who truly was a shepherd caring for his flock, seeking out the lost & hurting to try & bring them back to Jesus.

Favorite Movie Nun: There are a couple of frontrunners here. The 1st is Peggy Wood as Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music (1965). Here is a true shepherdess of her flock that knows how to help those in her charge discern God's will. The 2nd is Ingrid Bergman as Sister Mary Benedict in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). Again she is someone who is willing to do God's will no matter how difficult it is. Thérèse (2004) is 1 of the few recent movies that still gets it right.

What is sad is that as I write this I noticed that with very very few exceptions that since the 70s the depiction of religion has been mostly negative. The change began in the 60s & burst into full bloom in the 80s.

I suppose it is now my turn to tag someone, so I'll tag Dan Lacy at Faithmouse. Let's see what he can draw up. :)