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Catholic throughout including doctrinal accuracy

posted 16 years ago by jerilyn-1
3 replies | jump to latest

Everyone ought to take notice of the last light of freedom for Catholicism in China. During my own school years our nuns were returning from China missions under persecuted duress. They were sent out of China and forced to leave the schools and missions which they founded. To the credit of Leo McCarey, a Catholic himself, this Communist takeover is depicted accurately and in perfect moral decency. No one ought be scandalized over any part of this movie for it is as accurate as is A Man For All Seasons with Charleton Heston and John Gielgud, another accurate Catholic movie produced by Heston himself.

[–] bastasch8647 14 years ago

"No one ought be scandalized over any part of this movie"

Except over the brutal rape of the France Nuyen character, to whom no apologies are given, no recompense offered, no justice done. That she is willing to marry her abuser with the priests' blessing is an abysmal failure of morality and logic. The "cuteness" directed in some of those scenes is cringe-inducing. "Watch the Evil Communist soften once he sees his infant son; Watch the rape victim unbend and agree to escape with her rapist 'for the child's sake'", etc. I hope the old Catholic Legion of Decency docked this one as "Morally Objectionable in Part for All".

[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

It would be a betrayal of Catholic beliefs and doctrine to say that any sin cannot be redeemed, except suicide. If you do not understand and accept that, then you do not understand or accept Catholic morality. I must point out that you lack the authority to define morality for them.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] nataloff-1 12 years ago

For the record, both screen versions of "A Man for All Seasons" as well as Bolt's play were highly inaccurate reflections of Thomas More's philosophy, which favored killing Protestants, and even as King Henry VIII tried to broker a deal with Rome continued to inflame the issue with his writings. He also denied the primacy of the Pope. This has nothing to do with McCarey, whose politics twisted his considerable talent, but it shows how poorly politics and movies mix when there's an agenda. P.S.: I've worked with Heston; he was an absolute gentleman.