A glance at the list of movie offerings in the local newspaper will show you that about two-thirds of the films playing right now are R-rated. In this year’s Academy Awards, four of the five Best Picture nominees were rated R. Let’s face it, folks: there’s not much currently out there in the theaters that’s appropriate for a Christian audience. Fortunately, a lot of great stuff is available on DVD, some past and some present. Here are two pictures you won’t go wrong on:
First: A Man for All Seasons. This one goes all the way back to 1966 and was the Best Picture winner for that year. It dramatizes the struggle between (saint and martyr) Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII. Thomas, the Lord Chancellor of England, has fallen out of favor with the king because he refuses to approve Henry’s plan to divorce Queen Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn. We know from our historical perspective that Henry’s actions will lead to England’s break with Roman Catholicism and Henry’s becoming the head of the Church of England. However, Thomas has no way of knowing the future. Being a lawyer, he believes that if he simply maintains silence about the issue, he cannot be harmed. This device works for a while, but eventually Henry’s sycophantic supporters accuse him of being a traitor to the crown and the nation. Thomas is soon separated from his family and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Watching this film, we might wonder whether we ourselves would have the courage to live and die by principle as Thomas did. In one of the most powerful moments of the picture, Thomas says this to his daughter: “When a man takes an oath, he’s holding his own self in his hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then – he needn’t hope to find himself again. Some men aren’t capable of this, but I’d be loath to think your father one of them.” Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:37) to “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Sir Thomas More did this. What a contrast his action is to the behavior of today’s public figures, most of whom will say whatever is in their own self-interest.
Paul Scofeld, Wendy Hiller, and Robert Shaw do excellent jobs of portraying Sir Thomas, his wife, and Henry VIII, respectively. The other principals perform equally well. This one should inspire you.
Film Rating: PG
My Rating: 4 stars.
Second: Saving Sarah Cain. This new film is based on Beverly Lewis’s 2000 novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain and was directed by Michael Landon Jr. Sarah Cain is a columnist for the Portland Times, but she’s lost her edge as a writer. Suddenly she learns that her sister, who had become an Amish convert many years previously, has just died and left her four children orphans in the Pennsylvania Amish country. Sarah travels to Pennsylvania and decides to take the children back to Oregon with her, where they have predictable difficulties adjusting to “twentieth century life.” Unbeknownst to the kids, Sarah resurrects her writing career by writing about her nephews and nieces. A crisis is precipitated when they find out, the result of which leads to Sarah’s return to the faith she once shared with her sister. This is a touching movie that should please you, and it’s probably available in your church DVD library or on Netflix.
Film Rating: PG.
My Rating: 3 stars.
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