Vatican II was striving to flatten the hierarchical structure that had rigidified over the centuries and in doing so create a Church characterized by the harmonious participation of all its members in bringing the message of love to the world.
Beloved Loser: Seeing the Truth beyond “Success” and “Failure”
After a lifetime of barking in futility up the tree of success, Ross Lonergan reflects on who we are and who we are not.
War Minus the Shooting
If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score? ~ Vince Lombardi Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting. ~ George Orwell Competitive team sport tends to stimulate […]
“It’s like watching the Aurora Borealis”: A Profile of Meryl Streep
Throughout her career, Meryl Streep has found a way to fully inhabit every character she portrays so that who we see in the film is not Streep but the “quirky little universe” she has created.
“Doubt” is about Doubt
After seeing Shanley’s play, many people wanted him to reveal whether Father Flynn was guilty of what Sister Aloysius was accusing him. Audience members would come out at the end of the performance with wildly opposing opinions, like “Well, he is obviously guilty” or “Come on, there is no way he is guilty. The nun is just jealous of his power.” While he knew the answer to the question, Shanley only ever told the actors playing Father Flynn whether or not their character was guilty.
Opting out of Conflict to Follow the New Commandment
Did Jesus fight? Of course he did. Did he criticize? Without question. In fact, he directed his anger and his scorn at the very behaviour that so characterizes religious life today. But the purpose of his ministry was not to condemn the thinking or the behaviour or the character of those with whom he disagreed; Jesus did not devote his energy to preserving a tradition of orthodoxy or promoting a cause in which his ego was deeply invested. His mission was much simpler but at the same time far more challenging; it was embodied in the new commandment he issued to his apostles: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Abbey Retreat
Westminster Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and Catholic seminary in Mission B.C., had been on my mind for some months before I contacted the Guestmaster and made arrangements for a three-day retreat at the end of February. I am writing a novel that is partly set in a monastery—the protagonist is a young seminarian and, much […]
A Brave First for Hollywood and Hanks: A Review of “Philadelphia”
A few weeks ago I wrote about two groundbreaking 1967 films starring Sidney Poitier in which Poitier portrays a black man who insists upon sharing equal ground with the white people who inhabit his world. In that review I said that while I did not consider either of the movies or Poitier’s acting to be […]
Lumet’s Soufflé: A Review of “Murder on the Orient Express”
Two weeks ago I reviewed Sidney Lumet’s first feature film 12 Angry Men, a dramatic tour de force characterized by outstanding ensemble acting. Lumet went on to direct many more excellent films, including The Pawnbroker, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Network, Equus, and The Verdict. His last movie, released in 2007, was Before the Devil Knows […]
Intriguing Murder Mystery, Brilliant Character Study: A Review of “12 Angry Men”
This 1957 black-and-white gem, director Sidney Lumet’s cinematic debut (he had worked for some years in television), has lost none of its riveting intensity in the half century since it first appeared on screen. The movie features, along with Henry Fonda, some of the finest character actors of the day (and any other day, for […]
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