A History of Christianity Told in Movies
Submitted by missacosta on Thu, 06/14/2007 - 02:18
Tags:
- Under Construction
Jesus (circa 4 B.C. to circa A.D. 30)
- From the Manger to the Cross (1912) - this Jesus film is one of the earliest full-length films, shot in Egypt and Palestine..
- The King of Kings (1927) - Demille's story of Jesus.
- The Robe (1953) - about a Roman tribune assigned to crucify Jesus.
- King of Kings (1961)
- Barabbas (1962) - the man released in place of Christ battles inner demons.
- The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) - Pasolini's take has the setting slightly more accurate than most.
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - mostly significant for convincing Telly Savalas to shave his head.
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) - Andrew Lloyd Webber's disco musical on Jesus' life.
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977) - Zeffirelli's TV miniseries is among the longest and most complete telling.
- Jesus (1979) - the one bought by the boatload by missions organizations to use as an evangelism tool worldwide.
- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Scorcese's "alternate" take on the life of Jesus.
- The Passion of the Christ (2004) - Gibson's bloody portrayl of Jesus' last hours on earth.
- Salome (1953) - John the Baptist preaches against Herod and Salome gets Herod to have him killed.
First Millenium (31-1094)
- The Sign of the Cross (1932) - Nero persecutes Christians.
- Quo Vadis (1951) - Nero persecutes Christians.
- Constantine and the Cross (1962) - Constantine I (272-337) legalizes and then legitamizes Christianity in the Roman Empire.
- Augustine of Hippo (1972) - St. Augustine (354-430) is considered Doctor of the Church by Catholics and a theological fountainhead of the Reformation's teachings on salvation and grace by Protestants.
- St. Patrick: The Irish Legend (2000) - TV movie about the patron saint of Ireland, who died in 493.
- Alfred the Great (1969) - Alfred (849-899) leads English Christians to victory over the Danes, then is torn between pursuing priesthood or battle.
- Boris I (1985) - the life of Christian Bulgarian ruler Boris I (852-889).
- Marketa Lazarová (1967) - as Christianity replaces paganism, a Czech clan falls afoul of the king.
Crusades Era (1095-1482)
- Becket (1964) - Henry II appoints his drinking buddy Becket (1115-1170) Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - seige of Jerusalem during the Crusades.
- Saladin and the Great Crusades (1963) - the Crusades from the Arab view, under ruler Saladin (1137-1193).
- Brother Son, Sister Moon (1972) - Zeffirelli's lovely portrait of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226).
- The Name of the Rose (1986) - two monks struggle with religion and a murder mystery in the 1300s.
- The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - Dreyer's minimalist portrayl of martyr Jeanne D'Arc (1412-1431).
- Joan of Arc (1948) - starring Ingrid Bergman.
- The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) - Michaelangelo (1475-1564) paints the Sistine Chapel under Pope Julius II.
- A Man For All Seasons (1966) - Thomas More (1478-1535) opposes Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic church.
Rise of Protestantism (1483-1800)
- Luther (1973) - Martin Luther (1483-1546), leader of the Protestant Reformation.
- Luther (2003)
- Under the Red Robe (1937) - Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) oppresses Huguenots.
- Cromwell (1970) - the Puritan leader (1599-1658) is caught in a tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the British Civil War.
- The Scarlet Letter (1995) - adaptation of the great Hawthorne novel about Puritans and Quakers.
- The Abdication (1974) - Queen Christina (1626-1689) abdicates her throne to convert to Catholicism.
- The Mission (1986) - 18th century Jesuits defend an Indian tribe from Portugal's army.
Modern Era (1801-today)
- The Darwin Adventure (1972) - Darwin wrestles with Christianity over the origin of species. Includes the 1860 evolution debate at Oxford University Museum.
- The Song of Bernadette (1943) - a peasant girl inspires the faith of an 1858 rural French community.
- Shadowlands (1993) - the life of renowned Christian author C.S. Lewis (1898-1963).
- Diary of a Country Priest (1951) - a Catholic priest takes on his first parish.
- Amen. (2002) - a WWII SS officer, with the assistance of a Jesuit priest, tries to inform the pope about Jews being sent to concentration camps.
- The Cardinal (1963) - Preminger's look at the 20th century Catholic church.
- The Rapture (1991) - Hedonist becomes born-again and takes her faith to extremes.
- The Apostle (1997) - a modern preacher builds his own church.
- The Magdalene Sisters (2002) - Christian asylums torment innocent Irish women.
- The Gospel (2005) - a drama of turmoil in a modern church.
Cloned From:
Requested by bertie. Help appreciated. I've left out films that deal with Christianity only in part, including Intolerance, Ben-Hur, and others. I've also discarded films that are out of proper historical context, like Hail Mary and The Judas Project.