One of the Facebook pages I follow is Catholic Memes. Often times they post links to articles and lists from other Catholic websites. There are have been a few times when they have shared the following list of 10 Classic Movies for Catholics:
Some I have seen, some I have not. Some I agree with, some I don't. However, the comments when Catholic Memes last posted the link got me thinking of what would be my 'Top 10 Catholic Movies' list as it were. I have made an effort since my conversion experience in undergrad to see more movies that are about my faith, my culture, and my people. I love movies overall, and have grown in my faith life through movies, so it only makes sense to determine what are great Catholic movies.
I made a strong effort to put the following list in a ranking of least best to greatest best, along with some honorable mentions sprinkled throughout the list (so really you're getting 20 movies for the price of 10 if you think about it). These movies are high quality, both in terms of artistic and moral values. The movies, for the most part, feature Catholic figures or the Catholic Church in its central premise and showcase cinema at its best from throughout the years.
Also, there are some movies like The Passion of the Christ, The Sound of Music, and even The Lord of the Rings that are always on must-watch lists or are just standard movie watching for Catholics of all generations, so I decided to leave those out of this list. Some movies on this list are classics and well known, but not standard watching like the others. Also also, note that these are only movies that I've seen. There are still some good Catholic movies that I have not seen yet, but I hope to some day soon (a few examples are provided at the bottom).
10. On the Waterfront
This movie gets remembered mainly for Marlon Brando's performance and his 'I Coulda Been a Contender' speech, but it has a great theme and moral center. Karl Malden's priest, Father Barry, is a man of words and actions. He's not afraid to say what needs to be said to the men, whether it is the workers being bullied or the mobsters who keep them silent.What some have described as Father Barry's Sermon on the Waterfront is one of my favorite monologues, and one of the most memorable moments from the movie.
9. Going My Way
This movie is one of many classic Oscar winners on this list. You may see it on TV sometimes or its twin movie, The Bells of St. Mary's, especially during the Christmas season. Going My Way stars Bing Crosby as a young hip Father O'Malley and Barry Fitzgerald as the gruff, traditionalist priest that is helped by Crosby's character.
What makes Going My Way a classic is the way Father O'Malley interacts with the people. He understands how the modern world works and the struggles that his parishoners go through. He is there to help the girl in need of work. He helps boys in the parish see the beauty of the church through music while connecting with them through a shared love for sports. He helps curmudgeonly old men go through necessary changes of heart. He neither condemns the people for their sins nor does he encourage their sinful behavior.
A lot of the same elements are found in The Bells of St. Mary's. The main difference is instead of replacing the leadership of an old priest, Father O'Malley is replacing the leadership of a sister, played by Ingrid Bergman, whose Order runs the school the movie is set in. While I could switch between the two, we do not really see much of the priest or the sisters really living out their vocations spiritually in Bells, whereas at least Going My Way features part of a homily and priests in their vestments. Plus, I saw Going My Way first and Barry Fitzgerald is in it, which makes a difference.
The reason I put this low on this list is because I find Father O'Malley to be slightly manipulative for a holy priest. While he is charismatic, he also holds a lot of secrets and uses them to maneuver people in the directions he wants. Plus you could make the argument that this is an early movie championing modernism in the church, where the old ways of the church never work compared to the new ways that Crosby represents.
8. Henry V
Sure, it's based on a Shakespeare play, but it was very well adapted for time and pacing. In fact, even with The Chorus character narrating certain moments, the whole piece works just as well if not better as a movie than as a stage performance. You get battles, romance, tense friendships, humor, and sadness all in one piece.
Kenneth Branagh's version of Henry V is famous for its inspiring St. Crispian's Day speech, which is one of the emotional highlights of the movie. Yet, everything that King Henry does is inspiring. He can be both merciful and lethal at the right moments. He makes the tough decisions that a man of lesser principles would avoid and he knows how to lead his men. Most importantly, he is a man searching for God's will. For the entire campaign that leads to the Battle of Agincourt and afterward, Henry leaves everything in God's hands, asking his men to pray and he gives God all of the praise and glory for the victories achieved.
7. The Rite
Exorcism movies, to me, are great ways of relating the real spiritual warfare that goes on in this world to all people. The priests, even when they struggle against their conflicts, are fantastic protagonists. One of the best things that exorcism movies have going for them is that they are often based on true stories, so we get realism involved in tense storytelling. The most famous example of Catholic priests exorcising demonic beings in a movie is of course The Exorcist.
While that is a great movie overall, I think it focuses much more on the horror than it does on the dramatic conflict involved in spiritual warfare. The Rite, a more recent exorcism movie, balances the horror and the drama better. Our two main characters are a seasoned priest, played by Anthony Hopkins, and a seminarian, Colin O'Donoghue. The seminarian is struggling with his faith, but the trials he faces during the exorcisms strengthen his spiritual life as he helps those in need. This movie also shows us that not all rituals and processes in exorcisms are extraordinary, but sometimes slow and mundane.
I had a hard time choosing whether to put The Rite on the list over another great modern exorcism movie, Deliver Us From Evil. The latter movie features a fantastic, streetwise priest character played by Edgar Ramirez. The priest has a checkered past that he struggles to leave behind, but he uses it to better relate to the people. DUFE also demonstrates the power that the laity can have in battling evil spirits and it has a pretty cool exorcism scene. The reason why I chose The Rite for this list was because we see the spiritual struggle our main character goes through that transforms a doubting seminarian into an exorcist priest whereas a lot of the struggles that the priest in DUFE goes through are told to us as past events.
6. Calvary
A modern drama that, while sad, also provides an uplifting figure in Brendan Gleeson's priest character, Father James. It sets the truths and faith of the Catholic Church against the cynicism of the modern secular world, which is jaded in part by the wrongful actions of priests and lay people within the Church. It's also a look at modern life in Ireland and how the country's Catholic identity has changed, especially since the days seen in The Quiet Man.
Father James has been given a death threat, a promise of only one week to live. A man is seeking revenge for the abuse he suffered from a priest and he plans to take this out on someone he identified as a 'good priest'. The rest of the movie is Gleeson's interactions with towns folk, all sinners with a chip on their shoulder against Catholicism (though we see these people attend Mass at the beginning).
Gleeson himself struggles with remaining both good and a priest, and there is a moment where he appears defeated with all hope lost. Yet, he puts back on the cassock in the end and goes about his business. He is gruff, but honest. He genuinely cares about people, but he also draws a line on what he can tolerate and when things become inappropriate. The philosophical and theological discussions he has with some of the other characters are relevant to our lives and provide great conflict and characterization. Father James is a strong modern Catholic figure, though it's a shame he is really the only one found in this movie.
5. A Man For All Seasons
A famous classic Catholic movie, this was first a stage play and was written for the screen by the same writer., Robert Bolt. This movie, like Henry V, has the benefit over the play of being able to move from real location to location to give us grand spaces for this drama to play out.
This movie is based on the true events surrounding St. Thomas More and King Henry VIII in England. St. Thomas was a brilliant lawyer made Chancellor of England, and also one of King Henry's good friends. However, St. Thomas' faith puts him at odds with the king when, as we learned from history, Henry VIII wanted to control whom he divorced and married, whether it was lawful to the Catholic Church or not.
St. Thomas is separate from the other characters in this movie because he sticks to his faith and his morals. He uses the law as best he can to stay out of trouble while remaining true to God. The other characters only care about serving the king and doing the will of Henry VIII, which means that everyone else is trying to beat More down and abuse him until he joins their side.
St. Thomas was a man with a brilliant vocabulary. In the movie, he is able to outwit his opponents, give them a good insult when necessary, and in the end he shared his faith and the Gospel message as eloquently as possible. If he were more of a man of action than words, I would have put this movie higher on the list.
If you are interested in another movie written by Robert Bolt, then I recommend The Mission. It focuses on Jesuits in South America, during the colonization of the Americas, as they try to evangelize to the native tribes while at the same time endure the challenges of tyrannical government slavers and enforcers. Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro portray two different kinds of priests in a story of redemption, justice, and truth.
4. The Song of Bernadette
You'll also find this movie on a lot of top Catholic movie/ must-see lists and for good reason. The acting is spectacular, the setting is gorgeous, and the story is very well told. Jennifer Jones is the main character, St. Bernadette, who was a poor girl in Lourdes, France when the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her in multiple visions.
You get to see the struggle involved in this miraculous event. The people of faith want to see the Blessed Virgin, but only Bernadette is able to, which makes some people think she is crazy. The non-religious government officials do not like all of these people coming to Lourdes and rallying around their faith, so they try to put a stop to Bernadette's ability to visit the spot where she meets the Blessed Virgin. Even the religious leaders, the town priest and later the mother superior of a convent, do not see Bernadette as anything special and doubt that something miraculous can happen for someone so mundane. Yet, we see St. Bernadette overcome all of these trials and tribulations with grace, faith, and love.
There is another movie about famous visits from the Blessed Virgin Mary in Europe, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. As the title suggests, the movie focuses on the miraculous times Our Lady visited three village children in Fatima, Portugal. There are a lot of similar elements between these two movies, not just the miraculous visions, but also the anti-religious government, the skeptical priest, and the family conflict that occurs because of the visions. My understanding is that both movies, while based on the true miraculous events, take liberties with some of the facts to tell the story, and this is more prevalent in the Fatima movie, mainly due to the inclusion of Hugo de Silva, a fictitious skeptic turned convert character whose antics provide some of the humor and lightheartedness in the movie. Both are inspiring, but Bernadette does a better job at portraying the story as best as possible.
There is another movie about famous visits from the Blessed Virgin Mary in Europe, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. As the title suggests, the movie focuses on the miraculous times Our Lady visited three village children in Fatima, Portugal. There are a lot of similar elements between these two movies, not just the miraculous visions, but also the anti-religious government, the skeptical priest, and the family conflict that occurs because of the visions. My understanding is that both movies, while based on the true miraculous events, take liberties with some of the facts to tell the story, and this is more prevalent in the Fatima movie, mainly due to the inclusion of Hugo de Silva, a fictitious skeptic turned convert character whose antics provide some of the humor and lightheartedness in the movie. Both are inspiring, but Bernadette does a better job at portraying the story as best as possible.
3. Becket
I am surprised this movie is not as famous or on as many must-see Catholic movie lists compared to The Song of Bernadette and A Man For All Seasons. Here is another movie about an English saint and martyr, St. Thomas Becket, who went from being Chancellor of England and ally of King Henry II to the Archbishop of Cantebury and opposing force against the king's will.
At first this movie shows us detail about how Becket and Henry acted, where the king did as he liked (especially when it came to his sexual advances towards any woman he fancied) and Becket allowed him to go about his sinful behavior. In fact, Becket was such good friends with the king that he was the enemies of other Church authorities in England. I was surprised by all of this detail at first, having a hard time believing that such a saintly movie could feature someone so close to sin.
Then the consecration scene happened where Becket took on the role of Archbishop and everything changed. It was like Becket had a conversion experience during and after that moment. Afterwards, he transformed his ways, began pursuing God's righteousness and exercised the appropriate authority of the Church on both religious and secular matters. From then on, we see the Archbishop facing down threatening enemies with peace and courage, we see him perform beautiful rituals, and we see him defy King Henry in matters he would not have defied before.
Another historical drama with inaccuracies, it is Becket's conversion and inspirational actions as Archbishop that makes this movie so great to me. The sets are spectacular, especially the Cathedral of Cantebury, and the costumes are stunning and well done historically. Like I said earlier, the consecration scene is one of the highlights of the movie. It's great drama between two spectacular actors with majestic soft moments in between the action.
2. Monsieur Vincent
This early biopic about the life of St. Vincent De Paul contains themes and actions still relevant today. St. Vincent is famous for his service to the poor, providing food for the hungry and care for the sick. This French movie shows his interactions with both the rich aristocrats that provided funding for his work as well as his encounters with the destitute that either accepted his help or laughed at his piety.
Some of my favorite scenes are the beginning and the end. We first meet St. Vincent when he takes on the role of priest at a village inflicted by the plague. Upon arrival, he is greeted with stones thrown at him and nobles hiding away while laughing at his high ideals. Very quickly, St. Vincent reclaims the abandoned village church, enlists the help of a boy and a man in the village, and sets about serving the sick and dying.
The end scene involves an old St. Vincent, talking to a royal woman who has been a helper of his for a long time. He is lamenting about how there was so much more he could have done with his life, many more things he could have done to serve the poor and needy. This moment is powerful because we've been watching a man devote his life to service, doing much more than almost anyone else. Yet, he thinks he has done very little, that he could have gone with less sleep in order to act more. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to go and serve the poor immediately after watching it.
The end scene involves an old St. Vincent, talking to a royal woman who has been a helper of his for a long time. He is lamenting about how there was so much more he could have done with his life, many more things he could have done to serve the poor and needy. This moment is powerful because we've been watching a man devote his life to service, doing much more than almost anyone else. Yet, he thinks he has done very little, that he could have gone with less sleep in order to act more. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to go and serve the poor immediately after watching it.
If you are interested in another French Catholic film, I would also recommend Au Revoir Les Enfants. It is an autobiographical look at life for boys at a Catholic school during World War II when France was occupied by the Nazis. If you are interested in another movie about the life of a saint, I would recommend The Flowers of St. Francis. It is an Italian film that casted real monks as St. Francis' disciples and portrays vignettes of his life as he establishes his order and sets about serving God in whatever way possible.
1. The Scarlet & The Black
A TV mini-series that is just as good as any regular movie. The Scarlet & The Black is about the battle between the Nazi Commander in charge of Rome, Christopher Plummer, and an Irish activist priest at the Vatican, played by Gregory Peck. Monsignor O'Flaherty (Peck), along with the help of religious and lay allies in and out of the Vatican, provides shelter and aid to soldiers and Jewish refugees while Colonel Kappler (Plummer) attempts to completely control Rome with an iron fist.
We see the fight for justice done rightly, peacefully and without guns. We see people willing to risk their lives by devoting their homes, finances, and time to protect those in most need of their protection from evil. We see that it was not easy, that the Vatican was put in a difficult position, and that the risks were lethal should they go wrong.
Monsignor O'Flaherty, as portrayed here, was a prayerful man, turning to God and the Pope when he felt despair. He was funny, charming, and faulty; we got to see his anger and his laughter. We also saw Colonel Kappler go through a crisis himself as he fought in this power struggle against the Monsignor.
If you wanted to see Gregory Peck in another role as a Catholic priest, there is The Keys of the Kingdom, which focuses on a missionary priest trying to establish a church in China and evangelize the people. If you wanted to see another movie about the Catholic Church's fight against Nazis in Rome, there is Roma: Citta Aperta, an Italian neorealist film shot in many real Roman locations just after the war ended and features a similar grueling scene where the protagonists are tortured for their resistance against the Nazis.
Honorable Mentions:
-Of Gods and Men
Based on a true story, this foreign language drama focuses on French monks living in Algeria in the 90s. They interact mainly with a Muslim population, but do the work of caring for the sick and helping the helpless. The monks are threatened by terrorists and must choose which is more important, their lives or the needs of the people. Also provides some great moments of the monks in prayer and at Mass.
-Pope John Paul II TV Mini-Series
A TV mini-series produced shortly after the death of now Saint Pope John Paul II and it shares his life story from his college days til his death. Cary Elwes plays the younger version of His Holiness, back during his days of theatre and social activism while rising from priest to young Cardinal. After his ordination as Pope, Jon Voight continues the role with dedication, especially during the Pope's failing health in later years. Elwes may be my favorite of the two, but this series highlights many important/ historical moments in his life.
-The Singing Nun
Another movie based on a true story (we have a lot of those), the title essentially says it all. A nun with a worldly past blends folk music with her faith. Using connections, she records the music and eventually even plays on TV, creating chaos in her life as she has to balance fame and her vocation.
-Lilies of the Field
A tale about coming together despite different races and religions, or despite conflict caused by either of the two. Sidney Poitier is a traveling man brought up as a Lutheran who comes across European nuns in the Southwest desert. It has funny moments in between the spiritual highlights and has one of the best actors of the time.
On My To-Watch List:
-I Confess
A Hitchcock mystery involving a priest and the seal of the confessional!
-Shoes of the Fisherman
A fictional account of an East European bishop becoming Pope in the midst of Cold War tensions.
-Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Based on the real life of a priest who worked and lived on a leper colony in a Hawaiian island.
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