Tea at Trianon: On Christian films made by non-Christians

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, February 8, 2007

On Christian films made by non-Christians

Godspy has a provocative article about why non-Christians make better Christian films than some Christians do. I don't say I agree with every word of it; not at all. In fact one or two of the movies that the author calls "unwatchable" are films which I enjoyed very much, such as Entertaining Angels. I must say that I was glad to see that the article mentioned Catholic John Ford as a great filmmaker; his movies, especially the older ones, are among my favorites - every scene is a work of art. I think that M. Night Shyamalan, although not a Catholic (as far as I know) makes films with deeply Christian themes, whether intentional or not. Share

3 comments:

Alan Phipps said...: I agree; I have this to be true also with books. Robert Bolt does not even consider himself a Christian, yet he was able to write "A Man For All Seasons" and "The Mission". The same might be said about Umberto Eco as well. And you are definitely right about M. Night Shyamalan.; February 8, 2007 at 9:42:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Alan, I agree with you about those authors. They are powerful writers and are able to impart the faith of their characters. Like some of the great actors and actresses, too, who were able to portray saints convincingly, like Ingrid Bergman as Saint Joan, although she was not a believer.; February 8, 2007 at 9:56:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Not on the same subject but, my son said he highly recommends "Flags of Our Fathers" which recently came out on DVD. He said it is the best movie about war that he has ever seen, and it is a mystery to me why Clint Eastwood has won Oscars when Michael Scorcese has not.; February 10, 2007 at 12:23:00 PM EST