The surprising films endorsed by the Vatican

It's not known yet whether the newly appointed pontiff Pope Francis is a film buff. (He is a football fan.) But the Vatican has long held cinema in esteem. Well, some cinema, at least.

In 1995, the centenary year of the Lumiere Brothers' first foray into exhibiting films to the public, Pope John Paul II ushered in a list of 45 Vatican-approved films across three categories - religion, art and values.

“The Church’s overall judgement of this art form, as of all genuine art, is positive and hopeful,” he said. “We have seen that masterpieces of the art of film making can be moving challenges to the human spirit, capable of dealing in depth with subjects of great meaning and importance from an ethical and spiritual point of view.”

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The list, simply called 'Some Important Films', was compiled by 12 film scholars, under the supervision of Archbishop John Foley. Some of the selections are perhaps predictable ('Ben-Hur', 'A Man For All Seasons'), but some much less so.

Besides Archbishop Foley’s list, the Vatican’s official newspaper L'osservatore Romano also occasionally offers up film critiques. As you’d expect, they’re not fans of ‘Prometheus’ - it “mishandles the delicate questions raised by… the battle eternal between good and evil” apparently, but they’ve also championed some decidedly unorthodox fare.

What the films show us is that when it comes to movies, the Catholic Church is more open-minded than it is perhaps given credit for.

'The Blues Brothers'

L'osservatore Romano made headlines when they dubbed ‘The Blues Brothers’ a "Catholic classic" in 2010. The point out a strong catholic subtext in the film, which sees John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s characters battle neo-Nazis and country and western fans to stop a church-run orphanage from closing down. They describe the “unforgettable John Belushi's sneer” as an “icon of cinematography”. Wonder if they knew about the widespread cocaine use on set?

'Fantasia'

Walt Disney’s inventive classical music-based animation is in the ‘Art’ section of Archbishop Foley’s list. It’s certainly a masterpiece, but perhaps the sequence based on The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven – showing a mythical ancient Greek world of nymphs and centaurs - made it an unorthodox Holy See recommendation.

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’

An even bigger shock was L'osservatore Romano’s ecstatic review of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’. They said the series finale was “a battle worthy of this saga of unequalled planetary success”.  It’s a surprise because, apart from all the witches and wizards, Cardinal Ratzinger himself, later Pope Benedict XVI, was certainly not a fan. In 2005 he replied to a letter from ‘Potter’ critic Gabriele Kuby, thanking her for bringing to his attention the book’s “subtle seductions" which "deeply distort Christianity in the soul”.

'2001: A Space Odyssey'

Kubrick’s masterpiece made Foley’s list of ‘Important Films’, despite the plot revolving around the rather un-Catholic notion of the evolution of ape to man, and then man to superior energy being thing. This is a deeply ambiguous film, however, and Kubrick himself said: "On the deepest psychological level the film's plot symbolises the search for God".

'17 Girls'

L'osservatore Romano had high praise for this French arthouse flick, which was loosely based on the real life story of a group of teenagers who made a ‘pregnancy pact’.  Many reviews, such as this one in the Hollywood Reporter, dismissed the film as superficial and showy, but the Vatican paper was impressed: “By showing the pregnant girls who are moved to feel their baby stirring within them and watch their body change with admiring wonder, this film… is able to restore the mystery and power of procreation.” 

'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn' (sort-off)

The Vatican paper dubbed Herge’s reporter “a Catholic hero” in a long feature based around the Spielberg film’s release. Author Dennis Tillinac said the character was a “guardian angel of Christian values” and described his forays into exotic countries as similar to the Crusades, “but without the warmongering”. We love the little guy too.

'Some Important Films' – the full list:

'Religion'

•    Andrei Rublev (1966)
•    Babette's Feast (1987)
•    Ben-Hur (1959)
•    The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
•    Francesco (1989)
•    The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1966)
•    La Passion de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ (1905)
•    A Man for All Seasons (1966)
•    The Mission (1986)
•    Monsieur Vincent (1947)
•    Nazarin (1958)
•    Ordet (1954)
•    The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
•    The Sacrifice (1986)
•    Therese (1986)

'Values'

•    Au Revoir les Enfants (1988)
•    The Bicycle Thief (1949)
•    The Burmese Harp (1956)
•    Chariots of Fire (1981)
•    The Decalogue (1988)
•    Dersu Uzala (1975)
•    Gandhi (1982)
•    Intolerance (1916)
•    It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
•    On the Waterfront (1954)
•    Rome, Open City (1945)
•    Schindler's List (1993)
•    The Seventh Seal (1956)
•    The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
•    Wild Strawberries (1957)

'Art'

•    Citizen Kane (1941)
•    8½ (1963)
•    Fantasia (1940)
•    Grand Illusion (1937)
•    La Strada (1954)
•    The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
•    The Leopard (1963)
•    Little Women (1933)
•    Metropolis (1927)
•    Modern Times (1936)
•    Napoleon (1927)
•    Nosferatu (1922)
•    Stagecoach (1939)
•    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
•    The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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