Places in the Heart (1984)
Sally Fields stars as a young widow determined to maintain her personal integrity and family unity after the death of her husband. In the face of tremendous adversity — including tornadoes and the economic hardships of the Great Depression — Fields demonstrates that strong faith and a consistent ethic of love and charity can overcome all obstacles.
John Malkovich gives a striking performance as a blind farmhand bravely facing his own serious challenges. (Rated PG – adults and adolescents)
Les Miserables (1935)
Classic screen version of the Victor Hugo novel that dramatizes the transformation of Jean Valjean (Fredric March) — imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his wife’s child and then inspired by the kindness of a self-sacrificing bishop to become a respected citizen.
Though pursued relentlessly by an unforgiving policeman (Charles Laughton), Valjean demonstrates that mercy, forgiveness and human dignity can triumph over hate and cold legalism. (un-rated – adults and adolescents)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Wonderful drama that focuses on the difficulties three WWII veterans face after returning home from the war.
Notable for its social and behavioral contrasts with modern-day movies of similar theme — such as First Blood and Born on the Fourth of July — this film depicts the veterans encountering personal and career difficulties in a dignified, honorable, non self-pitying way.
Winner of seven Academy Awards, The Best Years of Our Lives features a brilliant performance by Harold Russell, a first-time actor who actually did suffer the loss of his hands during the war. (un-rated – adults)
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
An outstanding film version of the classic Johann Wyss adventure story about a shipwrecked family living on a deserted island together learning how to survive.
The film offers a rare glimpse at virtuous family members practicing devotion, love and solidarity in the face of adversity. (Rated G – children and families)
Here are some suggestions to help you reduce the amount of time you spend wandering the aisles of your local video store. Following are five films – some for children, some for adults – that are well worth your time and attention. I believe these are among the very best films ever made in terms of artistic integrity, entertainment quality and moral acceptability.
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Extremely powerful treatment of the death penalty issue which led this reviewer to change course and oppose capital punishment in advance of the revised application of the Church’s traditional teaching.
This fact-based drama about a Louisiana nun who becomes the spiritual advisor to a hard-bitten death row inmate deftly balances the nun’s concern for the dignity of the murderous criminal with the demands for justice by the teenaged victims’ grieving parents. The inmate’s last-minute confession, apology and conversion to Christ leaves viewers to ponder what moral or social purpose is actually served by capital punishment. (Rated R for its flashbacks to savage crimes and foul language – adults only)
