Catholic Bishops' Top Films
Submitted by dgeiser13 on Sun, 01/02/2005 - 04:01
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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released its annual list of the Best Films of 2004. In addition to this years list they have top 10 lists for every year dating back to 1965 and they have a Vatican Top 45 List of the best films of all time. Interesting seeing their take on what is and is not good but I think their lists are primarily based on the moral content of the movie. Good seeing womanizer and heroin addict Ray Charles make this years top 10 list.
I would say you don't understand the morality of movies from the point of view of the Church. It's not OK that Ray was a junkie womanizer, but it's OK to make a movie about a junkie womanizer, as long as his junkie-ness and womanizing are not held up as "good" or "admirable" behaviors. The code of morality in movies demands, not that there be no sinners in movies, but that sinners are shown for what they are. The way modern movies violate this code, is by glorifying or rewarding sinful behavior (letting sinners escape justice), or portraying right and wrong, truth and justice, as impossible ideals.
I wonder how The Godfather made their 1972 list then, with Al Pacino killing his way to the top. On the other hand, I'm not sure how Harold and Kumar is morally reprehensible, as I don't think they had marijuana in Biblical times so I doubt it's a sin (and when they are about to commit adultery, they are certainly punished for that).
The actual term they use on the web site is "morally offensive". I wish they would actually list what specifically was "morally offensive" about each film.
I wish they would recommend The Magdalene Sisters.
I wish they would apologize to Sinead.
Do you think Al Pacino's character's behavior is portrayed in a way that makes him an admirable, enviable person?
Maybe not admirable or enviable. But his behavior was rewarded and glorified and he did escape justice.
Inscrutable.
What is? The fact that they put The Godfather on their top 10 list in spite of Al Pacino's unpunished sins? Or are you referring to something else?
As a side note, many movies with criminal protagonists (ones we're supposed to root for, at least) do certain things to make the protagonist bad, but less bad than the people they work with. Goodfellas did the same thing. The result is the people who sin slightly less than everyone else look like good guys by comparison. Maybe the church was fooled.
I'm referring to their "reasoning". I thought I had it figured out, but I guess I was wrong.
Maybe it's included simply because the Corleones are Catholic.
It does show the church in a good light. Definitely promotes "family values".
How do you know what I do or do not understand? How do you know that what I said might or might not have anything to do with that I understand about the morality of movies from the point of view of the Church? People can make statements for ironic effect regardless of their level of understanding. Haven't you ever heard of a cheap joke?
Your statement indicated what I perceived to be a lack of understanding. Your cheap joke was at the expense of the Church, to whose defense I came.
Looking over a few years at random, it's obvious that not only do they base their choices on the morality of the movie, but they tend to choose the harmless over the challenging. I will say that I was surprised to see Super Size Me get honorable mention for this year, though.