August 12, 2005 5:46 PM
Movies from the heart
Just in case you're on your way to the video store or library - it's Friday after all - here are some great movies with Christian themes every family with kids over 10 can learn from (I wrote these reviews for a magazine, so they aren't quite blogging style):
Places in the Heart (1984), Sally Fields, Danny Glover, John Maklovitch
"Blessed Assurance" paints the background of a beautiful opening portrait: families of all races from all walks of life praying around their dinner tables. This idyllic Sunday afternoon in
1935 Waxahachie, Texas, takes a dramatic turn when Sheriff Spaulding is called away from a well-deserved day of rest to be sent to a permanent rest instead.
Left behind by this senseless accident, his young widow and two children are threatened with the loss of their farm and each other. Instead, God brings into their lives two unlikely instruments of His mercy: a black drifter who steals but is forgiven, and a blind man who has been hurt but learns to love.
But God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Cor. 1:27) With the help of these two men and her children, Mrs. Spaulding is able to plant her first cotton crop and pay her mortgage -- against all odds.
By way of subplots, viewers are confronted with the brutality of racism and the emptiness of adultery. Yet because there is no gratuitous sex or violence, these are useful starting points for family discussion.
The closing portrait, framed with "This Is My Story" and "In the Garden," is one of reconciliation. Finally, all - black and white, rich and poor, living and dead - are divinely united through communion in Christ.
Tender Mercies (1981), Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Ellen Barkin
"Give me the bottle," and the sounds of men struggling in a motel room. The manager and her son watching from the office door. A country music singer crooning, "It hurts to face reality." Thus begins this quietly-paced, but powerful movie.
Mac Sledge wakes after a two-day binge to find himself in the middle of nowhere with his pockets and his spirit empty. "Lady, I'm broke. I'd be glad to work off what I owe," he offers the manager. She agrees -- with the stipulation that he not drink -- then feeds him and puts him to work.
Mac was once a famous country songwriter, but his alcoholism cost him his marriage and his career. Rosa Lee, a widow, is lonely as well. But she has a peace that is missing in Mac -- the peace of Jesus Christ.
The movie lovingly traces Mac's salvation, water baptism, marriage to Rosa Lee and trials as a new Christian. "Jesus Saves" and "On the Wings of a Dove" provide perfect punctuation.
The Trip To Bountiful (1985), Geraldine Page, John Heard, Rebecca deMornay
"Jesus is Calling" is the anthem of this gentle portrayal of an elderly woman who wants to see her girlhood home just once more before she dies. Living like a prisoner in the cramped 1940's apartment of her son and his wife, she endures her daughter-in-law's hardness of heart only by singing her well-beloved hymns and planning her final visit to Bountiful.
Following a successful escape, Mama shares a bus ride with a young woman who, in contrast to her daughter-in-law, is blessed by the older woman's insights, as well as the comfort of the 91st Psalm.
However unproductive the end - Bountiful turns out to be deserted, friends have died, and the lovingly remembered home is now empty and gray - the journey itself is the reward for
the woman who made it. Geraldine Page won an Academy Award for her brilliant performance in this unusual film.
Chariots of Fire (1981), Ben Cross, Nigel Havers
How does one accurately hear the Lord's direction, so as to bring glory to God the way He would choose? This portrayal of 1924 Olympic champion, Eric Lidell, is rich with themes of Christian commitment and response.
Eric's sister provides the voice of Christian common sense: God has called Eric, therefore he should go into missions. And yet, Eric feels compelled to run: "When I run, I feel His pleasure. It's not just fun. I win to honor Him."
In spite of his sister's objections, Eric postpones missionary work to compete in the Olympics. His principles are tested when he is unexpectedly required to run on the Sabbath and refuses. The headlines made by his refusal pave the way for God's lesson to all when he finally wins: Those who honor me, I will honor. (1Samuel 2:30)
Asking the question "Where does the power come from to see the race to the end?" this Academy Award winning film leaves the viewer with no doubt as to the answer.
Shadowlands (1993), Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger
This exquisite movie takes us into the heart of C. S. Lewis (known to his friends as Jack), the Oxford professor/Christian apologeticist who spoke so eloquently of the value of pain and
suffering while living a life carefully insulated from either.
Into this carefully contrived bachelor paradigm, God finally brought a woman whose own suffering would call forth Lewis's own.
"It's because He loves us that He gives us the gift of suffering...We are like blocks of stone out of which the sculptor carves the forms of men. The blows of His chisel, which hurt so much, are what make us perfect," Lewis sagely tells one respectful audience after another. Yet when God brings the gift of suffering into his own life, it puts Jack to the test, and he becomes as weak as any man, questioning God's love, hanging on through prayer: "I pray because I can't help it. It doesn't change God. It changes me."
In the end, he is cherished, he is chiseled, he is changed.
As are we. That's the power of movies - to show us and shape us. That's why sales for Reese's pieces shot up after E. T. Why not harness that power yourself? Movies like these can really build relationship in your family and character in your kids.
Comments
Thanks for the list. I have seen 2 of them and they were among the best. My recent favorite is "A Walk to Remember". I think I have seen it 5 times in the last year and it is the first movie I have ever purchased for myself. It is about a young Christian high school girl and her faith among her peers.
Posted by: Angela | August 12, 2005 10:03 PM
You MUST SEE "The Straight Story". The true story of an old man in Iowa (Alvin Straight) who decides to reconnect with his estranged brother, Lyle, upon learning Lyle has had a stroke. Alvin cannot get to Lyle through conventional means...the soundtrack has been a rainy day favorite for my son and I for years now.
Posted by: debi meyers | August 20, 2005 6:47 PM
Thanks for your recommendations here. my husband and i have shy'd away from most movies these days...it is rare when you find a gem and always worth sharing. i would highly recommend a movie we saw the other night with our boys, "I AM DAVID". James Caviezel is in it ('jesus' from the passion) and a fairly unknown child actor (which always makes the movie better for me for some reason)...anyway, the movie is about a young boy who escapes from a post ww2 concentration camp, and his journey from there. the cinematography is amazing, but the storyline and the acting pull you in to this little guys soul and i found myself literally weeping buckets during and at the end. i have NEVER cried that hard, other than seeing the passion, at any movie.
truly moving story...worth seeing again! i plan on owning this movie.
Posted by: shelbi | September 2, 2005 5:04 PM
