It Will Be SPECTACULAR!!!

Over the last month or so I’ve written some articles very heavy on theology and apologetics. This will continue in the next set that is called “The Substance of God’s Plan” and will be at least a three part study…two of which are written and the third is begun. But I wanted to pause and share some thoughts I’ve had about some of the influences on my life as a child and teenager.

I am a child of the 1950’s and 60’s in America. It was a time when there weren’t so many affronts to our faith. In fact, there were almost none. But there were many encouragements to it. Bishop Fulton Sheen was on NBC TV every Sunday night with his teaching/speaking program “Life Is Worth Living” , and the Christophers had a program on, as well as 1 minute spots on radio stations.

The biggest of them all was the biblical “epic” or “spectacular”. They had a great influence on me rather viewed on TV or seen first run in the theater. Anything before about 1956 was actually before my time, but they were regularly shown on WKTV’s “Million Dollar Movie”, NBC’s “Saturday Night at the Movies” or later ABC TV’s “Sunday Night Movie”

The Movies about the Blessed Mother

There were two movies in particular that held a special place in my heart even during my time as an Evangelical Christian. Both had to do with two of the most well-known appearance by Mama Mary: Lourdes and Fatima.

“The Song of Bernadette” (1943) starred Jennifer Jones in the starring role of Bernadette Soubirous, the young girl to whom Mary appears in the grotto in Lourdes, France. Besides a wonderful supporting cast of Vincent Price, Charles Bickford and Lee J. Cobb it tells the story with reverence and great respect for Saint Bernadette. I also love the quotation at the beginning of the movie that says, “To those who believe no explanation is required. For those who don’t, no explanation is possible”. This film very often created an emotional response in me during my days away from the Church in Evangelical Christianity and played a part in the self-examination that produced my reversion to the faith. I have this film in my ITunes on this computer.

The next was done nearly 10 years later. “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima” (1952) tells the story of the 1917 appearance in Fatima, Portugal to three young children. The Five Prayers of Fatima, of course, is where we get the prayer we say at the end of each decade of the Rosary: “Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.” (to which I always append “like me”) . It’s a respectfully told tale as well, but I haven’t seen it in some time so it’s not quite as fresh to me. I’ll have to see if it’s on ITunes.

The SPECTACULARS!

Throughout the 1950’s Hollywood churned out either a “biblical epic” or a “spectacular” every single year. One of the fixture of these movies, appearing in three that I will mention, is Victor Mature. He played Samson in “Samson and Delilah” (the final scene with the collapse of the pagan temple has got to be seen) and reprised the same role. Demetrius, in two films. He played the slave Demetrius in the movies “The Robe” (1953) and “Demetrius and the Gladiators” (1954). “The Robe”, based on the book by Lloyd C Douglas, is the one that stands out most in my mind, for it tells the story of the Crucifixion and the Roman who presided at it. He is the one who supposedly won the Robe of Christ gambled for at the foot of the Cross. It becomes a symbol of first terror and finally redemption for him.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “Quo Vadis” (1951). The title is taken from the Latin words of Saint Peter on the road heading out of Rome when the Lord appeared to him: “Quo vadis, Domini” (Whither goest thou, Lord?). It’s based on the best-selling book by Henryk Sienkiewicz. A great story of martyrdom and persecution under the mad Emperor Nero.

The biggest, grandest and most spectacular of the films was (and is) “The Ten Commandments” starring Charleton Heston, Yul Brynner and (literally) a cast of thousands. I have never seen this film on the big screen and I’d love to. The scope of this film is amazing and the parting of the Red Sea, even in this age of CGI is still breathe taking.

A Story of the Christ

In the late 1800’s General Lew Wallace wrote a book called “Ben Hur: A story of the Christ”. Lew Wallace could be a whole article unto himself. He was a lawyer, a general in the Civil War and a writer… and he was an avowed atheist. His story is similar to that of Lee Strobel in modern times. Both set out to disprove the Gospels and both ended up converted by the facts. Ben Hur (1959), which also starred Charleton Heston, is the story of a young Jewish man in Jerusalem at the time of Christ named Judah Ben Hur (Judah son of Hur). He end up falsely accused by a childhood Roman friend and sentenced to exile. His deliverance from it and the events that happen to them around the Crucifixion that leads to their redemption is a wonderful story…not to mention the chariot race which must be seen in HD letterbox. Still spectacular!!

Two other films that I should mention are “King of Kings”(1961) starring Jeffery Hunter as Christ and “The Greatest Story Ever Told”(1965) which starred Max Von Sydow in the role. “King of Kings” is particularly noteworthy because it was the first time that any actor was seen face on playing Jesus. Always before it was from behind or in shadow. Of these two I prefer the latter one. I thought the interaction between Jesus and the Disciples as well as the other people in “GSET” was much more natural and less spooky than the staring of Jeffery Hunter in “King of Kings”

All these films had a great impact on me as a child and later in my walk as a Christian, rather as a Catholic or as an Evangelical. If you get a chance to see any of them I’m sure you’ll be edified too.

Okay…back to work!