Here are a few older films filled with spirituality:
"Tree of Wooden Clogs" by Olmi (Italian)
"Ugetsu" and "The Burmese Harp" (Japanese).
I watched hundreds of movies while in college (roughly 1966-1974); in the ensuing fifty years, the movies have come to mostly no longer move me. From Hollywood, at least, it's all SFX and no real emotion.
Your "story mind," your high MQ, gathers insights about today's world that many of us miss.
Question: The ancient prophets each heard God's voice and spread God's story with their one voice. Today, the stories we are shown are corporate commodities. How does God's voice sneak in? Examples? Or are God's voices innumerable?
Hi Jock, thanks for reading and your kind comment! I do think God's voices sneak in through corporate commodities - but as you know, I'm a big fan of local, independent cinema where (to me, at least), where the voices are a little easier to hear :)
So grateful to you, Mark, and the wonderful local cinema we share here in town. I resonated with your description of movie-watching in community with others, and this weekend’s Indigenous Film Festival embodies all you wrote about. Last night I felt everything you mentioned—and thought about how all those transformative feelings, including physical release, might be what Tyson Yunkaporta is describing in his _Sand Talk_,a phenomenal book I’m reading with a book group right now. Particularly his discussion of various “minds” (kinship-mind, story-mind, dreaming-mind, ancestor-mind, and pattern-mind) that we can experience and cultivate in everyday life—and especially at the movies. Much love ❤️
Hi Carrie! I'm so glad you had the chance to go to the Indigenous Film Festival. Alas, I couldn't make it work to attend - I'll have to check out _Sand Talk_, sounds very thoughtful!
Hi Mark! What a wonderful meditation on film. We, Tim, Leo and I, are long time movie lovers.
You nailed the many ways movies are powerful. A good movie has the effect of a cold plunge for me; it gives me a temporary break and resets me on a cellular level.
We love all kinds of movies including musicals and westerns, and we have a tradition, starting with Tim’s family many years ago, of watching The Big Country when the whole family is together. In fact, when Leo visited last week for 5 days he requested it.
I always tear up during the first notes of Singing in the Rain, in that iconic scene in which Gene Kelly makes a beautiful dance partner of his umbrella.
Here are a few others I love:
Wings of Desire
Pride and Prejudice (both the series and the recent version, even though I’m skeptical of Keira Knightly’s Elizabeth)
Amalie
Apocalypse Now -during which I had my first realizations of the horror of war ..and the power of of a good soundtrack in a film
“ Movies are sacred.” Now you’re talking my language Mark. I have too many favorite films to list, encompassing all different genres. It has been said that God loves stories, that is why humans were created. I will list just a few smaller films that perhaps have been missed by many… The Straight Story, Tender Mercies, The Station Agent, The Heart of Nuba. Thank you for this reflection! Roll camera!
Here are a few older films filled with spirituality:
"Tree of Wooden Clogs" by Olmi (Italian)
"Ugetsu" and "The Burmese Harp" (Japanese).
I watched hundreds of movies while in college (roughly 1966-1974); in the ensuing fifty years, the movies have come to mostly no longer move me. From Hollywood, at least, it's all SFX and no real emotion.
Thanks for the recommendations, John!
I love this, Mark. It is you.
Your "story mind," your high MQ, gathers insights about today's world that many of us miss.
Question: The ancient prophets each heard God's voice and spread God's story with their one voice. Today, the stories we are shown are corporate commodities. How does God's voice sneak in? Examples? Or are God's voices innumerable?
Jock
Hi Jock, thanks for reading and your kind comment! I do think God's voices sneak in through corporate commodities - but as you know, I'm a big fan of local, independent cinema where (to me, at least), where the voices are a little easier to hear :)
So grateful to you, Mark, and the wonderful local cinema we share here in town. I resonated with your description of movie-watching in community with others, and this weekend’s Indigenous Film Festival embodies all you wrote about. Last night I felt everything you mentioned—and thought about how all those transformative feelings, including physical release, might be what Tyson Yunkaporta is describing in his _Sand Talk_,a phenomenal book I’m reading with a book group right now. Particularly his discussion of various “minds” (kinship-mind, story-mind, dreaming-mind, ancestor-mind, and pattern-mind) that we can experience and cultivate in everyday life—and especially at the movies. Much love ❤️
Hi Carrie! I'm so glad you had the chance to go to the Indigenous Film Festival. Alas, I couldn't make it work to attend - I'll have to check out _Sand Talk_, sounds very thoughtful!
Hi Mark! What a wonderful meditation on film. We, Tim, Leo and I, are long time movie lovers.
You nailed the many ways movies are powerful. A good movie has the effect of a cold plunge for me; it gives me a temporary break and resets me on a cellular level.
We love all kinds of movies including musicals and westerns, and we have a tradition, starting with Tim’s family many years ago, of watching The Big Country when the whole family is together. In fact, when Leo visited last week for 5 days he requested it.
I always tear up during the first notes of Singing in the Rain, in that iconic scene in which Gene Kelly makes a beautiful dance partner of his umbrella.
Here are a few others I love:
Wings of Desire
Pride and Prejudice (both the series and the recent version, even though I’m skeptical of Keira Knightly’s Elizabeth)
Amalie
Apocalypse Now -during which I had my first realizations of the horror of war ..and the power of of a good soundtrack in a film
Any film by Jane Campion
It’s a mad mad mad mad world
What we do in the shadows
Little Women (Greta Gerwig’s)
So many more.. can’t think of them all!
Thanks for the post. I hope you’re well!
Here’s a favorite song about the power of film:
https://youtu.be/jC-8NZ2fz50?si=BiHaeRbeSjJOybE-
Wow, what a great list! Thanks for sharing your love of the movies, Jackie. And oh my gosh, what a fabulous song! New favorite.
“ Movies are sacred.” Now you’re talking my language Mark. I have too many favorite films to list, encompassing all different genres. It has been said that God loves stories, that is why humans were created. I will list just a few smaller films that perhaps have been missed by many… The Straight Story, Tender Mercies, The Station Agent, The Heart of Nuba. Thank you for this reflection! Roll camera!
Thanks for the recommendations, Bob! Love that we can share our appreciation, and participate in God's appreciation?, for stories through film.