Well, I finally got around to watching
God's Not Dead. I'll post about it in the near future, but first I thought I'd give my top ten
unobjectionable, intentionally Christian films. What do I mean by "intentionally Christian?" I mean that the film has some major Christian theme or prominent Christian element that's hard to ignore, even if the film doesn't jump out and slap you in the face with it. At some point in the process of writing to the finished product, there was someone involved who had thought about the Christian theme or element, and thus it wasn't mostly an accident that the film turned out to be a Christian film. By "unobjectionable" I mean that few Christians will find the movie offensive and few will find it unChristian. For instance, I left
The Last Temptation of Christ off the list because it's so controversial. A different example, the LOTR series could've easily made the list, but the Christian elements are very subtle. Perhaps I'll make another list sometime with more controversial and less overtly Christian films.
I recommend all of these but here is the list from (roughly) favorite to least favorite:
Two of my favorite actors in a film that everyone in the family can watch. A classic. I love it.
The George C. Scott version! It's the best. We watch it every year with the girls (and soon, the boys).
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| The Elephant Man |
Staying true to the play it was based on, this Peter Lynch directed movie is powerfully Christian.
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| Chariots of Fire |
Great independent movie. I'm breathing hard just thinking about it.
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| A Charlie Brown Christmas |
If you don't like this movie then you're probably not a Christian or a good person.
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| The Seventh Seal |
Lots to think about in this classic.
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| It's a Wonderful Life |
Somehow I went 24 years in this world without ever watching this movie. What's not to like about it?
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| The Mission |
De Niro. With a beard and a sword. Jeremy Irons playing "Father Gabriel." What's not to like about IT?
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| The Passion of the Christ |
What was the controversy about again? Too much blood and gore? What's not to like about blood and gore?
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| Babette's Feast |
There are some nice subtleties in this off the beaten path film.
SO WHAT AM I MISSING?
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The one that you are obviously, OBVIOUSLY, missing is Ben Hur. Not only is it one of the best Christian movies ever, it is arguably one of the best movies ever. 11 Academy Awards, Charlton Heston, the chariot race, what's not to like?
ReplyDeleteWhile Charlton Heston is on my mind, I'll mention the Ten Commandments too. I don't know if it makes the top 10 or not. It's good though.
Can't believe Heston's TEN COMMANDMENTS didn't make the list...you communist!
ReplyDeleteI don't know. If you go back that far, then you need REALLY compelling acting and a REALLY great script because the overall quality of the film, IF it is partly an action movie, is going to seriously suffer compared with the last couple decades. My older movies listed don't have action scenes, but both of the above do.
ReplyDeleteOf the two, I'm partial to the 10 Commandments but it's been a long time since I've seen Ben Hur.
That's a pretty good list. I've seen all of the above except Becket which I started about a month ago, but fell asleep on the couch (that's a bad habit with me and movies). I would add Les Miserable (pretty much any version is worth watching), Diary of a Country Priest, and Joyeux Noel. Joyeux Noel isn't so much a classic but still holds its own as a redeeming Christian movie.
ReplyDeleteTB,
ReplyDeleteLes Miserable, that's a good one. I'd add that to the top 10. I haven't seen the last two. Thanks!