Finally! The Tintin Movie!

Tintin is my "friend" on Facebook and yesterday the trailer for the new Spielberg film was posted! Yeah! See it here.

Of Gods and Men

I just listened to the interview, and actor Lambert Wilson speaks beautifully of learning Gregorian Chant for the film, and how he went back to the Cistercian monastery after the film to sing and chant more Gregorian Chant.

The film is about Cistercian monks in Algeria who face some tough decisions...

Only the first part of the interview is about the film. It makes me want to see the film even more, but it is still not availabe. I am hoping the fact that it was in the Oscars will make it available soon.

Sissi

I remember watching this film in Brazil with my mother and siblings... long ago. Last night we watched it, and even the teens and Husband enjoyed it! It is in German with subtitles and it is funny, dynamic and theatrical and the subtitles did not them. The film is based on the life of Empress Elizabeth of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and it is the ultimate princess movie with the gorgeous dresses, the romance, the palaces and settings, and culminating with a huge Catholic wedding in Vienna. The film is a trilogy and we will watch the second one tonight!

Don Matteo, priest-detective TV series on DVD

Don Matteo, Italian production for television, 1999-2000. Read about it on Ignatius Press page and the positive customer reviews on Amazon.

Does anyone remember the Trinity movies? My family loved those when I was a teenager... I remember Mother laughing so much. Terence Hill was the main actor of those Western films, and he is back as a good Catholic priest in Don Matteo. Our whole family has been watching one episode at a time and we love it!

The priest has a funny housekeeper, and two policemen-sidekicks who make my kids laugh out loud! Together, and with Don Matteo's loving heart, good Catholic morals and excellent detective skills, they solve various interesting murder mysteries. Last night we watched Murder in the Library, where Don Matteo is called to Rome to solve a murder of a scripture scholar, all filmed in the Vatican!

This is an Italian production and it is not dubbed, but the subtitles are well-done and my kids can handle them well. We were all saying Italian expressions by the end of the show! Enjoy! Available from Ignatius Press, Amazon or Netflix.

The Twilight Samurai

We have loved Samurai films through the years. This one has a different tone, less action, and portrays the ordinary life and love of a poor samurai. We watched it as a family last night.

Wikipedia has a good synopsis of the film. Great photography, subtitles.

A new film about Fatima

From what I read it went to Cannes.

I just watched the trailer... looks good!

Thanks, Candise!

Watching Lagaan again

We watched Lagaan again as a family, this time with our college kids-- we liked it even more than the first time!

The Way Home

We watched it last night, and it felt like being inside a Flannery O'Connor story: the accurate, painful slice of a sick modern society embodied in a spoiled, unpleasant and mean child--and then the long-awaited, fulminating moment of grace and redemption, forgiving, transforming. Few films cause me to cry, much less at home with the family, but this one did.

The Way Home is a film that transcends the ordinary, a serious non-romantic study into a young soul in a journey towards the encounter with Charity.

Saint John Bosco, Mission to Love

Saint John Bosco, Mission to Love

Our family watched this film last week, borrowed from the parish's Youth Group's DVD library. We loved it! The actor who played the saint of the youth is wonderful, likable, believable.

I read tidbits of this saint to the kids during homeschool through the years, but the film really brought it to life: his choice to be with troubled kids and to transform them by the power of God's love is very well demonstrated in the film.

Little Saint Dominic Savio brought tears to all of our eyes, and I think helped all of us to desire holiness more deeply!

Description from Ignatius Press:

Flavio Insinna gives a winning performance as John (Don) Bosco, the great priest and educator of youth from the tough streets of Turin, Italy. Beautifully filmed in Italy, this epic movie dramatizes the many challenges that Don Bosco had to overcome from this childhood through founding his religious order, the Salesians, for helping educate boys. Growing up without a father gave him compassion for the many orphans that he cared for, while he faced persecution from both secular society and the Church as he fought to build a place to house and educate the homeless, outcast youth of Turin. His deep faith, creative imagination and profound charity shine through in this wonderful film. Also stars Charles Dance (Gosford Park) and popular Italian singer and actress Lina Sastri.

Ikiru

Ikiru is a powerful, but understated classic by the acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.

This is an old black-and-white movie filmed in Japanese (available from the Criterion Collection - you can find it on Netflix - with English subtitles). If that makes you think of Godzilla, you're definitely on the wrong track.

A man who has mindlessly slaved away in a government office for thirty years discovers that he has stomach cancer and perhaps six months to live. It's a grim wake-up call, but the subject matter is handled in a surprisingly gentle way and the story is uplifting and thought-provoking without being morose (and refreshingly non-sappy).

I don't want to share more of the plot than that, but wanted to mention that the faces, the expressions, the calm urgency of the main character, the camera angles and even the simplicity of the story are beautifully artistic - in a kind of primitive (as far as movies go) way. A really wonderful movie and very fitting to watch during Lent. Most appropriate for teens and adults.

Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas)

Joyeux Noel is a foreign film (filmed in at least three languages - English, French and German) based on the true story of the Christmas Eve Truce of 1914. This is not a children's movie at all, but I thought I'd share it here as it has some incredibly beautiful scenes which could be shared with your family at Christmas.

World War I was a brutal war and the movie rightly gives some of this context which gives more meaning to the truce. We are introduced to a Scottish priest and two brothers who all serve on the front lines, to a French lieutenant who hasn't heard from his pregnant wife - behind enemy lines - for months, to a German officer and to a German soldier and his Danish wife (who are both opera singers) and other interesting, minor characters on each side who come together, partly through the gifts of song and of faith, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and celebrate and bury their dead together.

The film is beautifully made and very moving, but there are many elements that are inappropriate for children - particularly the violence of battle scenes, a brief bedroom scene and a rather disturbing interaction between an emotionally broken young man and his dead brother.


One of the most beautiful and understated scenes I've ever seen in a movie is contained in the opening scene. After a brief introduction giving a sense of the indoctrination of hatred stirred up in the days leading up to the war (particularly in the schools), we find the news of war traveling all the way to rural areas of Scotland. The scene moves to a Church where a priest is lighting candles and and a young man is working on painting a statue. His older brother storms in to ring the Church bells, ecstatic that "something's finally going to happen around here" because they're going to leave for war. The brothers leave and the wind from the door snuffs out the candles. We're left with only an expression on the priest's face that says everything. (To me, he seems to say: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.")


Lots of great material for discussion here (particularly for teens) including the political reality of the priest's military superior (presumably an Anglican bishop) who, quite naturally, tows the line of his superiors.


From what I've read about the real-life Christmas truce, the filmmakers went to great lengths to portray it accurately (if at times representatively) and I was impressed with how much acknowledgement this non-believing director (from what I've listened to of the commentary so far) is willing to give to the Faith in general and to the priest in particular, who clearly sees all of the men from both sides of the trenches as belonging to his flock.


Although this is a war movie with a great Christmas theme and certainly one with political elements, it points higher to practical and spiritual realities of hope, love, forgiveness and brotherhood.


So, I suggest that you watch this first and then decide what portions of it you might like to share with your children. By the way, when this movie first came out, it was given an "R" rating, but, after huge objections from major critics, was updated to a "PG-13" rating. I can see where it sort of straddles that line.

UPDATE: Silly me. I forgot that it also includes the Latin language (but I don't want to say more as I don't want to spoil some of the very beautiful parts before you see it).

You can view some music and clips online here.

Bride and Prejudice

Another version of Pride and Prejudice!

Wikipedia has a table with equivalent characters.

I watched it the other night. Very well done, in classic Bollywood style. Fun entertainment! Our 12 year old, well versed in P&P by now, watched it also and enjoyed it!

The colors, music and dancing of the production were bright, nicely done and very different to what we are used to!

More about it here.

Lagaan

If you have not been exposed to Bollywood yet-- films made in India-- this will be a very good first choice.

Lagaan has it all: romance, history, music and dancing.

The last part of the film--the cricket match between the unjustly-treated Indian farmers and the pedantic Brits is very, very well done!

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

The 1928 French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc is beautiful: amazing and powerful. Suitable for teens (certainly acceptable for anyone mature enough to watch the Passion of the Christ - though this film is mature mostly because of its intensity).

It might be worthwhile to discuss the historical position of the Church's relationship with Joan of Arc and the intentions of the filmmaker who, focusing on Joan's trial and death, might be viewed as having some degree of an agenda. It would also be fair to consider the controversies surrounding the Passion of the Christ for providing a similar, limited focus.

The DVD (available from Netflix) provides English subtitles and a choice of no audio or a background score.

The commentary was quite interesting and helpful. I love how the Danish film expert refers to her in the familiar French/Danish Jeanne (sounds like Shen) in this English commentary.

The Passion of Joan of Arc was listed on the Vatican list of best films.

Links Up from the Comments Box:

Esther has a post about this film here.

http://www.maidofheaven.com/

The Road Home

The Road Home, Chinese.

This is another G-rated foreign gem! The photography and the pace of this movie will draw you in for a delightful experience--at least that was was my case. A truly wonderfully told love story, with depth beyond what meets the eye!

Watch the trailer here.

IMDb did not have much information on this title so here is a link to Sony Classics and its official website.

Enjoy!

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle (1990)

Here's another choice for introducing one to French films--and these are suitable for the whole family.

My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle are based on the best-selling memoirs of the author of the two films of this post.

The films revolves the adventures of a French family during their summer vacations in southern France.

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring (1986)

If you have never watched a French film... this would make a very nice introductory duo! (Picture shows a two film pack available at stores.)

The renowned Gerard Depardieu stars in this deeply moving study of human greed and the virtues of hope and generosity.

These two films will make a fine teen movie night!

Note: The second film, if I remember correctly, shows a brief scene with nudity. It is devoid of sexual innuendo: the main character bathes in the spring.

Children of Heaven

Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven is a G-rated gem! All shot in Teheran, it is the story of two poor, loving siblings and their sharing of one pair of shoes between them. Truly, it is a film about how God rewards charity through the circumstances of our daily life. Have fun!


Note:
This is the first on a series of posts I will be working on this fall, shaping up a list of family-friendly foreign films. I will link my posts to the website IMDb (Internet Movie Database) to make it easier for readers to gather more information.

Send suggestions and comments!