Good Movies With A Vocation Message

[the_rev]

So, I'm looking at building up a library of movies that have a good message for vocations. Not necessarily like vocation promotion movies, but just Catholic movies that have an element of vocation.

I have a few, but wondering if you all could help me come up with more:

1. Bells of St. Mary's
2. Song of Bernadette
3. Shoes of the Fisherman
4. Completely Christ's - The Radical Call of the Consecrated Life
(please continue the list)

Edited November 9, 2009 by the_rev

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='the_rev' date='09 November 2009 - 03:13 PM' timestamp='1257793981' post='1998915']
So, I'm looking at building up a library of movies that have a good message for vocations. Not necessarily like vocation promotion movies, but just Catholic movies that have an element of vocation.

I have a few, but wondering if you all could help me come up with more:

1. Bells of St. Mary's
2. Song of Bernadette
3. Shoes of the Fisherman
4. Completely Christ's - The Radical Call of the Consecrated Life
(please continue the list)
[/quote]

I would suppose many "lives of the Saints" movies would work, too... like:

5. Karol: the Man Who Became Pope
6. Mother Teresa (I've only seen the one with Olivia Hussey)
7. Padre Pio: Miracle Man (Italian w/English subtitles)
8. Don Bosco: Mission of Love (I think that's what it's called...? Italian w/English subtitles)
9. St. Anthony of Padua (this isn't one of my favorites, but still "o.k." I think. Wish it were a little more true-to-life, though. Italian w/English subtitles)
10. Francis and Clare (Italian made w/English subtitles or dubbing)
11. Faustina (Polish w/English subtitles)
12. St. Francis of Assisi (also Italian made)

Hmmm... I guess I like those Italian saint movies...

And, not a "life of a saint", but still my favorite movie:

13. Keys of the Kingdom

I think most (if not all) of those are available from Ignatius Press.

Makes me wish I had these movies to watch.

* Edited to add movies.

Edited November 9, 2009 by laetitia crucis

[vee]

14. The Trouble with Angels. The entire movie is on youtube btw.

Some people may suggest The Nun`s Story however as a woman discerning a vocation I thought it was terrible!

Edited November 9, 2009 by vee8

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='vee8' date='09 November 2009 - 07:17 PM' timestamp='1257808629' post='1999155']
14. The Trouble with Angels. The entire movie is on youtube btw.

Some people may suggest The Nun`s Story however as a woman discerning a vocation I thought it was terrible!
[/quote]

Ooh -- I second "The Trouble with Angels"! I thought that was a great movie!

I've never seen "The Nun's Story", but have heard it's not so good.

[HisChild]

I really enjoyed watching Teresa of the Andes. It's all in espanol with subtitles, but it was a great mini-series of an equally wonderful Chilean saint.

[picchick]

THere is one....I have to think of it. It is a book too. It describes the vocations of the nuns in a cloister and the obstacles they go through with their vocations.

The book is "In this House of Brede." By Rumer Godden
The movie is the same as the book title.

[HisChild]

I just bought Teresa of Avila... another movie with subtitles.

Oh and I have the Therese of Lisieux movie. All are great vocational movies!

[TotusTuusMaria]

[quote name='HisChild' date='09 November 2009 - 09:47 PM' timestamp='1257817648' post='1999250']
I really enjoyed watching Teresa of the Andes. It's all in espanol with subtitles, but it was a great mini-series of an equally wonderful Chilean saint.
[/quote]

Yes. Second! My favorite.

The same people who did that movie also did one on Fr. (St.) Alberto Hurtado. Really good too and better for a guy who is discerning the priesthood/religious life. Fr. Hurtado was a Jesuit priest and Chile's second saint.

[Two Hearts]

I will gently disagree concerning The Nun's Story - I think it can show someone discerning the beauty of religious life, even through the hardships. It was a time when a little more humanness and charity could have been introduced in some communities, as it became more about following the rules as a way to live "All for Jesus". Nevertheless, the movie showed many very happy Sisters which made it even more apparent how Sr Luke was different/didn't fit. Sr. Luke may not have had a vocation - or if she did, she was too rigid with herself - which can be an excellent lesson to all discerning religious life of any form. Be gentle, let God be our guide and learn to rest in His loving arms...it is a journey and every journey has joys and sorrows - the end result doesn't really matter much as long as it leads us closer to our Beloved.

Lots of great movies listed here - many of my favorites. Nice to see Keys of the Kingdom included.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Two Hearts

[Thomist-in-Training]

1. Bells of St. Mary's
2. Song of Bernadette
3. Shoes of the Fisherman
4. Completely Christ's - The Radical Call of the Consecrated Life
5. Karol: the Man Who Became Pope
6. Mother Teresa (I've only seen the one with Olivia Hussey)
7. Padre Pio: Miracle Man (Italian w/English subtitles)
8. Don Bosco: Mission of Love (I think that's what it's called...? Italian w/English subtitles)
9. St. Anthony of Padua (this isn't one of my favorites, but still "o.k." I think. Wish it were a little more true-to-life, though. Italian w/English subtitles)
10. Francis and Clare (Italian made w/English subtitles or dubbing)
11. Faustina (Polish w/English subtitles)
12. St. Francis of Assisi (also Italian made)
13. Keys of the Kingdom
14. The Trouble with Angels.
15. Teresa of the Andes.
16. Teresa of Avila.
17. In This House of Brede
18. Movie about Fr. (St.) Alberto Hurtado.
{19. The Nun's Story. I haven't seen this, but I read that one Catholic family used to watch it with their kids and every now and then pause and discuss how Sr. Luke was showing she didn't have the right attitude to religious life.}

20. [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039437/"]Green Dolphin Street[/url] This is a great, little-known movie. I just read the novel, which is great too.
21. I know it's not very long, but [url="http://www.catholic.org/video/?v=1164&cb300=vocations"]the investiture of Sr. Mary Agnes[/url]makes me cry every time. (Actually, I decided to watch it again--and I cried!)

[dominicansoul]

The Sound of Music...
it shows us the beauty of a vocation, both in religious life and marriage...and ultimately doing God's will, no matter what you think your life is supposed to be...

[HisChild]

I just received my Teresa of Avila movie. And I forgot to mention that I also have two movies on St. Pio. They're like ice cold water on a hot day. Except for the soul instead of for the body.

[melporcristo]

22. the Sound of Music (as said before)
23. Lilies of the Field I read the book a month ago & it's beautiful! I like how it comes from the perspective of an African-American whose Baptist.

[Maria Faustina]

24. Fishers of Men -best Vocation Movie ever!!! its on youtube and isn't that long, so i loveeeee rewatching that movie-it never gets old or meaningless!

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

I didnt really go for Song of Bernadette. After reading a book about her by Rene Laurentin, I could not settle for a dainty and ditzy Bernadette, it did not work for me. There is one on Ignatius Press simply called Bernadette. Also a sequel called the Passion of Bernadette. I love Bernadette, um yeah!

[GraceUk]

I think the Nun's Story does have something to say about the beauty of religious life but can absolutely see why other folk wouldn't recommend it.

I would heartily recommend In this House of Brede. The film was not as good as it wasn't very much like the book. Another book I read absolutely years ago was Barefoot Journey by Sister Felicity. The true story of a poor Clare Nun. And there is another Poor Clare book you've all probably heard of The Right to be Merry by Mother Francis. That was also very good. I also read a book a long time ago. But I can't remember the title and wonder if anybody recognises it. It was probably translated from Spanish about a girl who tries her vocation in two Cistercian convents in I think Spain or perhaps France. She had to leave both times through ill health. It's a true story. I got it from the library and would love to read it again. But as I say it was quite a number of years ago. It was very uplifting and moving.

[Thomist-in-Training]

"Passion of Bernadette" is a great one! I confused it with "Song of Bernadette" so I didn't add it to the list. But for me it was really eye-opening to watch the sisters INSIDE the convent and see that they weren't all perfect from day one! Someone being catty to Bernadette--yes, somehow I found that reassuring--and Bernadette singing a song from her hometown as she does her chores, really struck a chord with me.

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' date='14 November 2009 - 09:38 AM' timestamp='1258209492' post='2002595']
"Passion of Bernadette" is a great one! I confused it with "Song of Bernadette" so I didn't add it to the list. But for me it was really eye-opening to watch the sisters INSIDE the convent and see that they weren't all perfect from day one! Someone being catty to Bernadette--yes, somehow I found that reassuring--and Bernadette singing a song from her hometown as she does her chores, really struck a chord with me.
[/quote]
Yeah a lot of the Passion of Bernadette really struck me. Her desire for complete union with Christ, her desire for imitation of the Pure Virgin, her desire to vanish from the thoughts and minds of the populous, and despite her desire for complete freedom in the vows, she reached out to those in need compassionately. I mean, I could go on for a long time. She was also very straightforward in speech, and was not too fond of all the proprieties of society of that day, not to say she wasnt a very kind and beautiful person.

[vee]

I think The Passion of the Christ is an excellent vocation movie and in a way the original vocation movie as well..

[tinytherese]

I like The Song of Bernadette, but as a faith film or Marian one, not for promoting vocations. I didn't like the way she chose to join the religious life. The movie made it look as if she only did it because her parish priest pressured into doing it because she was a visionary, meanwhile she had to say farewell to the man that she wanted to marry.