Spirituality on celluloid

Perhaps because it was released in 1981, when I was running

marathons, “Chariots of Fire” has had the most spiritually

significant effect on me. Stylish visual imagery (running on beaches,

amid countryside beauties and on the Olympic Games’ track) is given

an emotionally rich aural context by the vibrant music of Vangelis.

“Chariots of Fire” deals directly with the centrality of courage and

conviction, the nature of winning and losing and the central place of

ethics in competition. It touches sensitively and powerfully on the

longing for spiritual and physical excellence, the search for

meaning, the power of forgiveness and the struggle for acceptance.

This film celebrates that, with God’s grace, the human spirit

triumphs over adversity.

The film is the true account of two Olympic runners: Harold

Abrahams, an Oxford Jew who is driven to establish his worth in the

eyes of an anti-Semitic English establishment; and Eric Liddell, a

Scotsman whose life goal is to serve God in his father’s footsteps as

a Christian missionary to China. Liddell runs because “God made me

fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure.” On the last day of

competition, he runs, clutching tightly in his fist a note handed to

him by the American runner Jackson Scholtz saying “those who honor me

I will honor,” (1 Samuel 2:30d). Liddell’s Christian witness is

portrayed with moving simplicity and sincerity. Equally stirring is

Abrahams’ success in using his athletic prowess to gain the respect

of those who were blinded by age-old prejudices to his full humanity.

The title “Chariots of Fire” is from a line of an English hymn in

which the Kingdom of God is envisioned with 19th century evolutionary

optimism as arriving here on earth with its epicenter -- where else?

-- in England. That Great Britain had two gold medalists in the 1924

Olympic Games accounts for its apocalyptic title. This piece of

superlative nationalistic arrogance aside, as an American Anglican I

find “Chariots of Fire” in every way to be a totally satisfying

movie.

THE VERY REV. CANON

PETER HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels

Episcopal Parish Church

Costa Mesa

From a spot high on a wall in my study, “Moses” looks down upon me

from Mount Sinai. What I behold, of course, is actually a large

studio photo of Charlton Heston holding the two tablets. I once met

Mr. Heston and had him autograph -- inscribe? -- it for me. For 50

years, since I first saw “The Ten Commandments,” according to

Hollywood, Heston has served as my mental image of Moses. As dated

and, yes, as “hokey” as the movie appears today, certain scenes still

exert a spiritual pull on my heart.

This film treats so many significant themes. There is the power of

human transformation, as the pampered Prince of Egypt comes to cast

his lot with his downtrodden people. From a life of privilege to one

of purpose, he rises to heights attained by no other human being. The

movie features the powerful idea that we are all sent on a mission,

that there is a unique meaning to our lives, if we but open our eyes

to the bushes that burn all around us. It delineates the eternal

battle between the forces of good and evil in its clear depiction of

villains and heroes. The human quest for freedom is at the heart of

the story, as God sides with the oppressed rather than oppressor. The

message that there are Divine commandments, a transcendent morality

for all people at all times in all places, calls forth our obedience

to a higher power. The Promised Land beckons the Children of Israel

as it calls us to ascend from where we are to a better life and

world.

Today, as we confront titanic contending forces -- one seeking to

preserve tyranny and royal privilege and the other standing for the

dignity of the individual and humble service to man -- the simple,

ageless message and stark power of this film yet speak to me. As

these opposing views of man’s worth collide, may God’s demand spoken

by Moses echo across the centuries and inspire us to greater

exertions on behalf of freedom: “Let my people go!” Or, as Yul

Brynner said, “So it shall be written. So it shall be done!”

RABBI MARK MILLER

Temple Bat Yam

Newport Beach

The movie that impacted my life the most was a sleeper in the box

office, but a hit afterward. I rented it one night and ended up

watching it five times over the weekend.

“The Power of One,” starring Morgan Freeman, among others, is the

story of an Anglo boy raised among the three tribes (English, German

and Native) of pre-apartheid South Africa. It is based on a true

story and teaches that sometimes our own ambitions take a back seat

to the call of God to make the world a better place.

The young orphaned boy -- raised by a native wet-nurse, then a

German musician and educated in an English school -- turned down a

full ride at Harvard as he realized his life would never be as

valuable as a college grad as it would by giving people hope. At one

point, the young man is asked what difference one life can make, and

he replies: “No more than a raindrop that has become a mighty

waterfall.” Each life has meaning and purpose.

The atheist Bertrand Russell once said, “Unless you assume a God,

the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Too many people

believe their lives have no purpose and therefore do nothing to seek

one. Their lives are unintentional, uneventful and meaningless. This

nation was formed by people who believed in the purposes of God for

their lives. Americans have been raised as people of purpose.

Unfortunately, purpose is being eliminated from the teaching of our

culture, and people begin living the curse of Bertrand Russell.

“The Power of One” is not a “Christian” movie, but it speaks

powerfully to the challenge of finding the power each life has

resident in it, awaiting a purpose.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

Three films come to my mind as having especially significant

spiritual themes: “Rashomon,” “The Sound of Music” and “How’s Your

News.” The first is acclaimed as a classic, the second is a popular

but perhaps sentimental choice, and the last is a sleeper.

“How’s Your News” is an inspiring, warm and humorous documentary

film featuring five reporters who have physical and mental

disabilities. The crew, after meeting at Camp Jabberwocky in

Massachusetts, drives across the United States in a painted

60’s-style van, interviewing people on the streets, at motels, on the

beach, at a cattle auction or wherever they land. The reporters

(Robert Bird, Sean Costello, Susan Harrington, Larry Perry and Ronnie

Simonsen) intimately share their daily lives, perspectives, gifts and

challenges while on the road. The film offers an unusually candid

look at how individuals react when approached by people with physical

and mental disabilities. The film has not been distributed widely,

but is available at www.howsyournews.com. In the Academy

Award-winning “Rainman,” Tom Cruise’s character is transformed by his

relationship with his older brother, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. In

both films, we experience how much people with disabilities can teach

us about joy, compassion and community.

“The Sound of Music,” the 1965 Academy Award winner for Best

Picture, did not make “Christianity Today’s” Top 100 Spiritually

Significant Movies. It did make the “Top 100 Cinematic Songs” list

released last month by the American Film Institute; “The Sound of

Music” was ranked No. 10, “My Favorite Things” was 64th and “Do Re

Mi” placed 88th. I was in ninth grade when the film was released, and

I saw it with my first boyfriend, who was from a devout Catholic

family. One important message is that family and political life offer

as much opportunity for spiritual growth as the monastic, vowed or

clerical lifestyles. The Abbess encourages Maria to find her place,

whether in the convent or as a wife and mother. Her inspirational

“Climb Every Mountain” applies to all: “A dream which will take all

the love you can give, every day of your life, for as long as you

live.” Another important spiritual value is highlighted by Julie

Andrew’s insistence upon music, play and warm communication, in

contrast to the cold militarism of the children’s father. Leisure

time, a requirement for a humane and spiritual life, is being

swallowed up in our current society. “Mary Poppins” includes some of

these same themes, especially as they relate to money. A third

important spiritual message is the mandate to take action against

wrongdoing. The Von Trapp family and the nuns find ways to resist the

invasion of Austria by Hitler.

Steven Spielberg has called Japanese director Akira Kurosawa “the

pictorial Shakespeare of our time.” “Rashomon” (1950) won the Oscar

for Best Foreign Film in 1952. It explores human nature and

challenges the objectivity of truth as four different characters at

the Rashomon gate in Kyoto share differing accounts of what they

“saw” (a rape and murder). The film cautions us to be aware of how

much perception distorts reality and also to humbly recognize that we

are limited to our point of view and experience. Another Kurosawa

film that I like is “Red Beard” in which a self-centered young doctor

gradually learns how to genuinely serve others.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa