Wrong Again

CRISIS Magazine - e-Letter

September 3, 2004

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Dear Friend,

A little bit of good news for you...

Remember the critics who said that The Passion of the Christ would
bomb at the box office? You know, the same people who tore the movie
apart and demonized Mel Gibson.

Well, they're at it again. This time, they've claimed that no one
would want to buy the video or DVD. After the initial controversy,
they said, no one would be interested in the film.

Wrong again.

The Passion was released on DVD Tuesday and sold 4.1 million copies
on its very first day. That's not even counting the thousands more
who preordered the movie in anticipation of its release. And as I
write this, the DVD of The Passion stands at number 1 on the
Amazon.com sales ranking.

Not bad for a movie with subtitles.

I just picked up my copy today. I've now seen this, in different
forms, several times and it still hasn't lost any of its power. I
hope you'll pick up a copy for your family.

And because you know how much I love Catholic films, I can't pass up
the opportunity to let you know about another movie release you'll
want in your collection... to my mind, it's one of the greatest
Catholic films of all time.

I'm referring to Criterion's recently re-released Diary of a Country
Priest, a 1950s adaptation of George Bernanos's novel of the same
name. If you're not familiar with the film, it tells the story of a
small-town French priest, a man who struggles with his own doubts and
inability to leave any lasting impact on the town in which he lives.
It's a masterpiece, a film that manages to create a spiritual impact
that I've only ever seen equaled in Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of
Arc and, more recently, Gibson's own Passion.

Unfortunately, this gem of a movie didn't age well, and all the
versions I had seen until now showed the effects of time in both the
picture and sound quality. But thanks to Criterion's digitally
remastered version, the stark black-and-white visuals have been
returned to their original stunning beauty, and the sound itself is
much improved.

Both of these films should find a home in any Catholic movie-lover's
collection. When you watch them, you can't help but recognize the
message in both from the life and work of the Little Flower:
"Everything is grace."

If you get the chance, email me your favorite Catholic films. I'll
try to make a list for everyone.

I hope you have a relaxing Labor Day Weekend,

Deal



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