The Vatican's "Best Movies" list (worth a read!) (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McCart]

Link Removed
Among choices like Ben-Hur, there's some excellent choices. Some surprises include Murnou's Nosferatu, Fellini's 8 1/2, and even Citizen Kane.
To keep this thread open, please refrain from insults and thread farts. This is a SERIOUS post, not meant for humor reasons (unlike parts of the AFI lists).

 

[Aaron Wisner]

no last temptation of christ? well i never.

 

[MichaelAW]

More surprising than the lack of The Last Temptation of Christ is the insertion of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think someone in the Vatican missed the boat on that one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

If anybody touches on any religious issues in this thread then this thread will be closed before you can say "Goodnight Irene".
Crawdaddy

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Where's The Godfather Part 3?

 

[Dean DeMass]

What about Stigmata, Lolita, and Hudson Hawk?
Actually, it is a pretty good list with many, many great films.
-Dean-

 

[Richard Kim]

More surprising than the lack of The Last Temptation of Christ is the insertion of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think someone in the Vatican missed the boat on that one.

Actually, 2001 won an award from the Catholic Church at the time of its release (It's detailed in Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures). So it's not surprising it's on the Vatican's list.

 

[Will K]

Well I guess The Exorcist never had a chance, huh?

 

[Lew Crippen]

For my money this list is an order of magnitude better than the AFI’s peculiar attempt.

 

[andrew markworthy]

An excellent list.

A side-issue: reading through the Pauline Kael's comments on the linked site made me realise what a mean-spirited harpy that woman was.

 

[Douglas R]

More surprising than the lack of The Last Temptation of Christ is the insertion of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think someone in the Vatican missed the boat on that one.

I don't find this surprising. The final scene certainly has religious symbolism and can easily be interpreted as the second coming.

 

[Rich Malloy]

2001 is included under the category of cinematic art, along with "La Strada", "Citizen Kane", "8-1/2", "Nosferatu", and other films having nothing to do with religious themes. It just so happens that 2001 encompasses all of human experience, including the religious experience ultimately reuniting man with his creator.

It's a fantastic list and quite obviously assembled with a keen understanding of the cinematic art. Far, far better than such advertising/rental schemes as the various AFI lists.

 

[Luc D]

Good list, not a stinker in the bunch.

 

[Dennis Heller]

No Booty Call?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

They got Schindler's List and Au Revoir Les Enfants and Citizen Kane, three of my favorite movies.

 

[Jack Briggs]

What Mr. Malloy said. As usual.

And please remember Crawdaddy's admonition, folks.

 

[Holadem]

If anybody touches on any religious issues in this thread then this thread will be closed before you can say "Goodnight Irene"

Why would anyone want to say "Goodnight Irene"?
--
Holadem

 

[Phil Florian]

Why would anyone want to say "Goodnight Irene"?

And more to the point, why would they want to say it quickly before a thread closes? Curiouser and curiouser...


Phil

 

[Phil Florian]

This isn't a religious issue, just a question...who reviews this movies and speaks for the Pope? Did the Pope see all of these movies and give the big papal thumb up? A group of Cardinals? Just curious. And who, beyond movie geeks like us, would read such a list?


Phil

 

[Pascal A]

Phil, from what I know, Pope John Paul II is quite an admirer of the Humanities; he even writes poetry. He has also travelled internationally even before his ascension to the papacy, so it's not as though he has lead a cloistered life. I was always under the impression that the films on this list really did come from the Pope himself.