[Apologetics] Reports on Movies and TV Shows

[Art Kelly]

Thanks to Dianne and Stephen for their comments on
movies.

I'd like to ask everyone in the Apologetics Group,
including our non-Catholic friends, to let us all know
their thoughts about movies and TV shows they see with
any religious references.

The Catholic Church has a role, even if just in
passing, in MANY TV shows and movies. Sometimes it is
favorable, sometimes neutral, sometimes unfavorable.

For instance, the old TV series, The Practice and in
its successor, Boston Legal, the Catholic Church plays
a promient part of many episodes, mostly in a negative
light. In fact, the producer, David E. Kelley, who is
a Congregationist, seems obsessed with the Catholic
Church. 

Kelley also takes a few shots against Protestants and
Jews.

Protestant ministers are also depicted in TV and
movies but not quite as frequently. Again, sometimes
favorably, sometimes not.

I've never seen the TV show, 7th Heaven, in which
Steven Collins plays a minister, but everything I've
heard about it is positive.

To my knowledge, there is no one right now monitoring
movies and TV to report on how the Catholic Church and
other Christian denominations are depicted. Well, the
Catholic League sometimes complains about highly
negative things, but I don't believe there is no one
to report on neutral and postive presentations. 

I'll have to give some thought to Stephen's statement
that he's never seen a movie that got the theology
completely right. 

I'm pretty sure that have been some accurate ones, but
I'll have to search my memory banks about all of the
movies I've seen. In fact that will be hard, because
I'll have to think about the whole movie.

What, for instance, was wrong with:

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
A Man for All Seasons
The Agony and the Ecstacy
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Becket
The Song of Bernadette
I Confess
Going My Way
Bells of St. Mary's
Boys Town
Keys of the Kingdom
The Trouble With Angels

I'm not saying these movies don't have any problems,
but I'd have to see them again to remember what they
might be.

I do understand what Stephen is saying. 

It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna
Reed, and Lionel Barrymore, is widely regarded as one
of the best movies ever made. I've seen it maybe 50
times and am always moved by it! While the theology is
definitely wrong, it still a great movie.

Of course, many times in movies in which Catholic and
Protestant chruches plays a role, theology per se is
not what the movie is about. 

Nevertheless, your comments and analysis would be very
welcome on an on-going basis.

Thanks,
Art

--- Stephen Korsman <skorsman at theotokos.co.za> wrote:

> I don't remember a single movie that gets all the
> theology right.  They can't even manage to quote the
> Bible properly.  I just watched House of 9 ... the
> priest uses the Gospel of Thomas in his blessing of
> the dead ("he who is near me is near to the fire,
> and whoever is far from me is far from the
> kingdom"), and says something about "I am the
> mantlepiece, the truth, and the life ...."  It
> wasn't mantlepiece, and I don't remember the word,
> but it made about as much sense in the context he
> used it.  He could have been a priest from the Order
> of Da Vinci, for all he managed to get right.
> 
> God bless,
> Stephen
> --
> Stephen Korsman
> skorsman at theotokos.co.za
> www.theotokos.co.za
> 
> IC | XC
> ---------
> NI | KA
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Dianne Dawson 
>   To: Apologetics Group ; David Mullaney ; Mitch
> Michaelis ; Susan Shea ; Margaret Combs ; Holly
> Gatling ; Nettie Taylor 
>   Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2006 9:09 PM
>   Subject: [Apologetics] Movie Recommendations
> 
> 
>   Last night a friend and I went to see The Guardian
> with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.  I highly
> recommend this movie,  It is a wonderful story of
> self-sacrifice.  The story line revolves around US
> Coast Guard rescue swimmers.  It has no explicit sex
> scenes (at least I didn't think so).  There is a
> sub-plot where one guy has an affair with someone he
> meets.  The most graphic scene has her sitting on
> the side of the bed, with a robe on, and he is under
> a quilt.  The photography is great.
> 
>   One of the preview trailers was about a movie due
> to come out later this year called The Nativity
> Story (www.thenativitystory.com).  If the trailer
> can be trusted it looks like a really good movie and
> pretty solid in theology.  The problem is I've
> learned that you certainly can't necessarily trust
> trailers.
> 
>   Dianne
> 
> 
> 
>   Like a deer that longs for running waters so my
> soul longs for you, O God.
>   Ps 42:1
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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  ART KELLY, ATM-S
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