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Spiritual Movies
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The
Altruists: Doing Well by Doing Good. |
This documentary looks at the lives and work of four recipients of the Temple Award for Creative Altruism: Cathy Sneed, Mimi Silbert, and Bo & Sita Lozoff. All four with prisoners or ex-offenders in very different ways, but with similar passion and commitment. |
| The
Archival Films of Ramana Maharshi - 1935 to 1950. 65 minutes. |
This video is a collection of all the known films of the Maharshi, restored and arranged in chronological order. These films, taken mostly by his devotees, give us the remarkable opportunity to view a fully-enlightened sage who in the 20th century lived like an ancient rishi of yore. Two of the films were professionally produced by the Indian Information Bureau as newsreels with soundtrack and shown throughout India in cinema houses. |
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The
Emperor's Nightingale. |
A gorgeous combination of live action and stop-moton animation, this classic Hans Christian Andersen tale becomes a visual masterpiece in the hands of innovative Czech puppet animator Jiri Trnka. The Emperor's Nightingale opens with a lonely boy surrounded by his toys, though no real friends, who falls into a reverie about a boy-Emperor surrounded by artificial playthings. As the story proceeds the Emperor discovers the difference in value between the mechanical and the real. "A lost classic happily found again" -The Washington Post. "One of the most stunningly beautiful animated films ever released." -Wired |
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The
Keys of the Kingdom. |
This is a film that will be remembered for a lifetime. Gregory Peck gives us the ingredients for living life in a very rewarding way. We don't need material things to have a life that is full. His recipe was simple but good: selflessness, humility, strong faith in God, patience, determination, kindness, and above all love. He was able to forgive those who tried to make him feel less than he was, and he always saw the good in those who tormented him. I would watch this movie, and show it to others, over and over again. It is a masterpiece. It is one of the few movies that give people a role model without violence. |
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The
Little Drummer Boy. |
In this touching Christmas Classic, a young, orphaned Drummer Boy is kidnapped by an evil man. After he ecapes, he searches for his camel and finds him in the manger of the baby Jesus. Having no gift for the baby Jesus, he gives the only thing he has--a song on his drum. And yet it is the only gift to which the baby Jesus respond. Miraculously, the Drummer Boy's pet lamb is healed and a ray of hope enters his life. This re-mastered version of a classic story is a holiday favorite! |
| The Little Prince. | |
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The Mahabharata. Peter Brooks. 6 hours (3 tapes) |
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The Mahabharata. Hindi with English subtitles. |
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The
Man Who Planted Trees. |
The Man Who Planted Trees is the story of a shepherd who lives alone with his sheep not far from a drought-stricken and windswept hamlet, a man of few words who lives in harmony with nature. At fifty, having lived a life of some adversity, he chooses to devote the rest of his life to a patient and anonymous endeavor. Using his extensive knowledge of nature, he aims to create a forest where everyone saw an unsalvageable desert, and sets about planting seeds and acorns one by one, with great care. As if by magic, the land once believed to be cursed becomes green again. Life and youth return to the community, unbeknownst to all that this miracle is the doing of one man. Narrated by Christopher Plummer. -Oscar Best Animated Short Film 1988. |
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The
Master of the Carriage. |
An unusually beautiful and deeply affecting parable, presented through the magic of stop-motion puppet animation. Picture a nineteenth century carriage, with an old-fashioned carriage, but a crowd of strangers steps out. Thus begins a series of mythic adventures in which the driver must struggle to face his inner obstacles, all the while searching for a true master. This charming film is beloved by both adults and children. "The charm and apparent naivete in this short film are deceptive. The viewer, like the carriage driver, may well be called into posing a serious question: Am I master of myself?" - Andrei Serban, Opera & Theatre Director. |
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The
Passion of Joan of Arc. |
With its striking camerawork and compositions, Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc showed the world that movies could be transcendent works of art. With Renee Falconetti in what Pauline Keal suggested "may be the finest performance ever recorded on film," Joan of Arc's spiritual devotion, simple dignity, and suffering become eloquently real. A gorgeous musical soundtrack featuring medieval vocal ensemble Anonymous 4 illuminates and echoes the mesmerizing images of this silent screen classic. "One of the ten best films of all time." -Critics & Directors Poll, Sight and Sound. "Dreyer's most universally acclaimed masterpiece remains one of the most staggeringly intense movies ever made." -Time Out. |
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The
Princess Bride. |
A lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity... The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. |
| The
Ramayana. Hindi with English subtitles. |
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| The
Sage of Arunachala: The Life and Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. 73 minutes. |
In this seventy-three-minute, professionally-produced documentary, the unique life and teaching of Sri Ramana Maharshi are artistically unfolded in a chronology of photographs, interviews, narration and archival film footage. Follow the Sage from his birth in a small village to his final mortal day, as grieving crowds push in front all sides to have their last darshan. Released after a two year effort of film restoration, interviews, research and travel. Narration by John Flynn, a nationally recognized television and film talent, edited by James Hartel and music by internationally famous artists. |
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The
Secret Garden. |
The Secret Garden it's a special place where special things happen. Friendships blossom. Illnesses fade away. Sorrows flee. And a troubled orphan named Mary, her spoiled, bedridden cousin Colin and a kindly country boy called Dickon discover that a world of caring can make a world of difference. One of the best-loved of all children's tales blooms anew in this enchanting 1993 version of Frances Hodgson Burnett's turn-of-the-century classic. |
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The
Song of Bernadette. |
The classic film that beautifully portrays the appearance and miracle of Our Lady of Lourdes, and the life of the girl to whom Our Lady appeared, St. Bernadette. A superb cast including Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb, and Jennifer Jones, this film won five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Jones as Bernadette, and Best Score. B&W. |
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The
Sound of Music. |
A based-on-fact tale of Austria's von Trapp family, who fled their Nazi-occupied country in 1938. Andrews is delightful and even fascinating as Maria, who sheds her tomboyish ways as a novice nun to accept the mantle of adulthood, becoming matron of the motherless von Trapp clan. Plummer is matinee-idol handsome and gives a smart performance to boot, and the cast of young people and kids who make up the singing von Trapp children make a strong impression. Based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, the score includes such winners as "Maria" and the future John Coltrane hit "My Favorite Things." |
| The
Space in the Heart of the Lotus: Bede Griffiths and the Hindu-Christian
Contemplative Experience. 52 minutes. |
Ordained in 1940 as a Benedictine monk, Bede Griffiths arrived in India where he eventually headed an ashram named Shantivam. Through the decades, Father Bede lived a life of prayer and meditation, blending both the contemplative practices of Christianity and Hinduism. The Space in the Heart of the Lotus captures the heart of the Indian spirit and its sacredness. The essence of Christian contemplative practice is brought into perspective along with the sacredness of the Indian spiritual tradition. |
| The
Spirit of Peace: A Peace Pilgrim Documentary. 71 minutes. |
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The
Spirit of Tibet: Journey to Enlightenment, the Life and World of Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche. |
Here is an intimate glimpse into the life and world of one of Tibet's most revered 20th century teachers, writers, poets, and meditation master: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991). His many students throughout the world included H. H. the Dalai Lama, who speaks candidly in interviews for the film. Director Matthieu Ricard, a noted photographer, best-selling author, and Buddhist monk, traveled with Khyentse Rinpoche for over 14 years. His intimate portrait of his master tells the story from birth to death to rebirth, including the harrowing escape from Chinese occupation and the Rinpoche's work in exile. Shot on site in Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal. Musical arrangement by Philip Glass. Narrated by Richard Gere. |
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The
Straight Story. |
Throughout The Straight Story, 73-year-old Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) gazes calmly at the night sky, as if the stars were reflections of his own memories. Alvin's eyesight is bad and his daughter (Sissy Spacek) is slightly retarded and unable to drive, so he's traveling from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin on a riding John Deere lawn mower. It's slow going, so there's plenty of time to stop for the night and ponder the cosmos. Alvin's journeying to visit his ailing brother; they haven't spoken in years, and it's time to make peace. Along the way, he befriends a variety of nice folks, and you have to ask yourself... Is this really a David Lynch movie? It's a miracle that this G-rated Disney film was made by a director whose work is often described as twisted and bizarre. But Lynch is too complex an artist to be labeled, and he brings charm, grace, and kindness to his fact-based telling of The Straight Story--not to mention a serenity rarely found in movies anymore. It's a film of moments--funny, odd, quietly spiritual--and this simple tale of a man, a lawnmower, and rural hospitality becomes a genuine Lynchian odyssey, unlike any film you've seen but as welcoming as a cup of lemon tea with honey. Best of all, it's a fitting tribute to the career of veteran stuntman-actor Farnsworth who, at age 79, plays Alvin Straight to sheer perfection, his face a subtle roadmap to a broad spectrum of emotional destinations. --Jeff Shannon -- |
| Therese Neumann. | |
| This
is Life. 120 minutes. |
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To
Kill a Mockingbird. |
Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. |
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To
Sir, with Love. |
Novelist James Clavell wrote, produced, and directed this 1967 British film (based on a novel by E.R. Braithwaite) about a rookie teacher who throws out stock lesson plans and really takes command of his unruly, adolescent students in a London school. Poitier is very good as a man struggling with the extent of his commitment to the job, and even more as a teacher whose commitment is to proffering life lessons instead of academics. The spirit of this movie can be found in such recent films as Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus, but none is as moving as this one. Besides, the others don't have a title song performed by pop star Lulu. |
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The
Wizard of Oz. |
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design (Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor), The Wizard of Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids of all ages. |
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[more to come]
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