Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List by David Paul Baird, Andrew Petiprin, and Michael Ward
In 1995 the Vatican released a list of recommended films for the one-hundredth anniversary of the Lumiere Brothers' first public showing of motion pictures. The list isn't intended as a definitive "best of" or "Catholic Church approved" set, it's more an honoring of the medium. The intent is also for viewers to be more discerning and appreciative of movies. Rather than being passive viewers, movie watchers should engage with what they are watching in a more deliberate way. The list is divided into three categories: religion, values, and art. Each set has fifteen films. This book reviews the various films from both a Catholic and a film critical perspective.
The book starts with an overview of the creation of the list and some commentary on the value of the list. Then each film is given an synopsis, a critical analysis, a review of its importance in cinematic history, and some discussion questions. The synopses are valuable to gage how interested a reader might be in each film, especially with films that are more obscure and less accessible, like the five and a half hour silent French feature about Napoleon (which is in the Art section because it innovated a lot of visual techniques). The historical contexts are also interesting and add some further understanding. I found the critical analysis wanting in some cases. They exhibit the typical film critic bias toward art house and foreign films, gushing with praise and insight for obscure films. More popular fare, like Stagecoach or Wizard of Oz, gets shorter shrift. The analysis is always interesting but I don't always agree with it. Also, part of the problem is the selections for the list itself. It has some films that seem like they were chosen just to have one in the genre, like the only animated film Fantasia and the only horror film Nosferatu, when other films in those genres are equals or better. The list has a lot of historical dramas and a surprising number of Italian Neorealist films.
I found this informative but not always enjoyable. A healthy debate is a good thing, I suppose.
Mildly recommended.
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