The Church Times has published a list of the top 50 religious films (PDF), with a bit of commentary explaining why each film was chosen. It looks like a really well-thought-out list—of the top ten, I’ve seen only three, so I’ve got my film-watching work cut out for me. (I’ve been told a million times by friends that I should watch the list’s #1 film—I suppose I should finally get around to it.)
There’s some excellent additional commentary on the list at the Bible Films Blog.
It occurs to me that a list like this would make for a great summertime film discussion group at your church or Bible study. Why not pick the top ten or fifteen movies here and meet throughout the summer to discuss them? Not all of the films will agree with your theological persuasion (and some of them wouldn’t be appropriate for all audiences), but they’d all make for good discussion, I think.
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April 26, 2007 at 22:40
Wow, that’s actually an excellent list, and I’m usually very cranky about film lists. I would call it “Top 50 Christian films” though, as all these movies (excepting Ghandi) concern a Christian conception of religion, and the list ignores some utterly fantastic movies about other religions. And, I have no idea which criteria one would use to rank “The Mission” or “Babette’s Feast” above, say, “The Seventh Seal” or “The Passion of Joan of Arc.”
I’ve seen all but 9 of them. What’s lovely about this list is the diversity of Christian views it represents.
My favorites: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “On the Waterfront”, “The Seventh Seal”, “Ikiru”, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”, “Au Hasard, Balthasar”, and “The Passion of Joan of Arc”.
One curious omission is another Bresson film, more spiritual than “Au Hasard, Balthasar”: the justly-famous “Diary of a Country Priest.” “Shadowlands” would’ve been another good choice, and perhaps “The Magdalene Sisters.”
April 26, 2007 at 22:44
Oh yes, and as Bible films blog notes, Kieslowski and “Ordet” are conspicuously absent. Ozu’s films probably didn’t make the list for the same reason Satyajit Ray’s didn’t; they aren’t Christian.
April 27, 2007 at 15:31
What about “Jesus of Nazareth” by Franco Zeffirelli?
I know its long 382 minutes and it was originally shown as a TV mini series but it deserves to be on the list too! The cast reads like a who’s who of some of the greatest actor’s of all time. Ernest Borgnine, Ann Bancroft, Lauerence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, James Earl Jones and on and on. Robert Powells portrail of Jesus is amazing.
April 30, 2007 at 18:52
Hmm, I would have thought there would have been room for “Romero” somewhere on that list.
May 1, 2007 at 16:02
I love “The Mission” with DeNiro, and “The Passion of the Christ”. They are exceptionally Great!