Lists of Catholic Movies

In a film world full of junk that is cotton candy for the mind, I am providing here lists of movies with profound spiritual themes. These are Catholic lists.

These are movies in my book, Lights in the Darkness,Exploring Catholic Themes in Twelve Extraordinary Movies. 

A Man for All Seasons

The Flowers of Saint Francis

The Mission

Diary of a Country Priest

Of Gods and Men

Babette’s Feast

Spitfire Grill

Au Revoir Les Enfants

Dead Man Walking

Entertaining Angels

Decalogue 1

GATTACA

 

Vatican—Pontifical Council for Social Communications

For the 100th Anniversary of Cinema (1995)

Religion

Andrei Rublev*Andrei Tarkowsky (1969, USSR)

The Mission*Roland Joffé (1986, UK)

La passion de Jeanne d’Arc(The Passion of Joan of Arc)*
Carl T. Dreyer (1928, France)

La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ(Life and Passion of Christ)*Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien Nonguet (1905, France)
Identified on the Vatican film list asLa Passion Pathé

Francesco, giullare di Dio(The Flowers of St. Francis/ Francis, God’s Jester)*Roberto Rossellini (1950, Italy)

Il Evangelo secondo Matteo(The Gospel According to Matthew)*Pier Paolo Pasolini (1964, France/Italy)

Thérèse*Alain Cavalier (1986, France)

Ordet(The Word)*Carl T. Dreyer (1955, Denmark)

Offret — Sacrificatio(The Sacrifice)*Andrei Tarkowsky (1986, Sweden/UK/France)

Francesco*Liliana Cavani (1989, Italy/Germany)

Ben-Hur [A Tale of the Christ]*William Wyler (1959, USA)

Babettes gæstebud(Babette’s Feast)*Gabriel Axel (1987, Denmark)

Nazarín*Luis Buñuel (1958, Mexico)

Monsieur Vincent*Maurice Cloche (1947, France)

A Man for All Seasons*Fred Zinnemann (1966, UK)  

 

Values

Gandhi*Richard Attenborough (1982, UK/USA/India)

Intolerance*D. W. Griffith (1916, USA)

Dekalog(The Decalogue)*Krzysztof Kieslowski (1987, Poland)Identified on the Vatican film list asIl Decalogo

Au Revoir, Les Enfants(Goodbye, Children)*Louis Malle (1987, France)

Dersu Uzala*Akira Kurosawa (1974, Japan)

L’albero degli zoccoli(The Tree of the Wooden Clogs)*Ermanno Olmi (1978, Italy/France)

Roma, città aperta(Open City)*Roberto Rossellini (1946, Italy)

Smultronstället(Wild Strawberries)*Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)

Det sjunde inseglet(The Seventh Seal)*Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)

Chariots of Fire*Hugh Hudson (1981, UK)

Ladri di biciclette(The Bicycle Thief)*Vittorio de Sica (1948, Italy)

It’s a Wonderful Life*Frank Capra (1946, USA)

Schindler’s List*Steven Spielberg (1993, USA)

On the Waterfront*Elia Kazan (1954, USA)

Biruma No Tategoto(The Burmese Harp)*Kon Ichikawa (1956, Japan)

Art

2001: A Space Odyssey*Stanley Kubrick (1968, UK/USA)

La Strada*Federico Fellini (1954, Italy)

Citizen Kane*Orson Welles (1941, USA)

Metropolis*Fritz Lang (1927, Germany)

Modern Times*Charlie Chaplin (1936, USA)

Napoléon*Abel Gance (1927, Italy)

*Federico Fellini (1963, Italy)

La grande illusion(Grand Illusion)*Jean Renoir (1937, France)

Nosferatu*F. W. Murnau (1922, Germany)

Stagecoach*John Ford (1939, USA)

Il Gattopardo(The Leopard)*Luchino Visconti (1963, Italy/France)

Fantasia*(1940, USA)

The Wizard of Oz*Victor Fleming (1939, USA)

The Lavender Hill Mob*Charles Crichton (1951, UK)

Little Women*George Cukor (1933, USA)

 

Richard Leonard, S.J., author of Movies That Matter

Groundhog Day                                                           The Apostle

The Mission                                                                The Truman Show

A Man for All Seasons                                                The Insider

Places in the Heart                                                     The Exorcist

Witness                                                                       Billy Elliot

Hannah and Her Sisters                                              Erin Brockovich

Babette’s Feast                                                          Gladiator

The Name of the Rose                                               Chocolat

Gandhi                                                                       The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Dead Poet’s Society                                                    Glory

Romero                                                                       Bowling for Columbine

JFK                                                                               In America

Unforgiven                                                                  Vera Drake

Schindler’s List                                                            The Third Miracle

Shadowlands                                                              Italian for Beginners

Philadelphia                                                                Whale Rider

Three Colors Trilogy: Red, White, Blue                      The Hurricane

The Shawshank Redemption                                      The Crime of Father Amaro

Dead Man Walking                                                    Finding Nemo

Life is Beautiful                                                           Bruce Almighty

The Godfather                                                            City of God

Men with Guns                                                           Gallipoli

Chariots of Fire                                                           Tender Mercies

The Road Home                                                          The Magdalene Sisters

The Passion of the Christ

 

National Catholic Register Top 100 Pro-Catholic Movies

In 2004, the National Catholic Register and Faith and Familymagazine gathered online nominations for films that best celebrate Catholic life.

  1. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
  2. The Sound of Music (1965)
  3. A Man For All Seasons (1966)
  4. The Song of Bernadette (1943)
  5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
  6. The Ten Commandments (1956)
  7. The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
  8. Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
  9. Schindler’s List (1993)
  10. The Bells of St Mary’s (1945)
  11. Thérèse (2004)
  12. Braveheart (1995)
  13. The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
  14. The Mission (1986)
  15. Lilies of the Field (1963)
  16. The Miracle of Marcelino (1955)
  17. Les Miserables (1998)
  18. The Quiet Man (1952)
  19. Ben Hur (1959)
  20. Rudy (1993) *
  21. The Robe (1953)
  22. Return to Me (2000)
  23. We Were Soldiers (2002)
  24. Becket (1964)
  25. Going My Way (1944)
  26. Romero (1989)
  27. Sister Act (1992)
  28. Pope John Paul II (1984)
  29. Jonah: a Veggie Tales Movie (2002)
  30. Shoes of the Fisherman (1986)
  31. Brideshead Revisited (1981)
  32. The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
  33. On the Waterfront (1954)
  34. I Confess (1953)
  35. Boys Town (1938)
  36. Molokai: the Story of Father Damien (1999)
  37. Quo Vadis (1951)
  38. The Trouble With Angels (1956)
  39. Babette’s Feast (1987)
  40. The Rookie (2002)
  41. The Reluctant Saint (1962)
  42. One Man’s Hero (1999)
  43. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
  44. The Exorcist (1973)
  45. Dead Man Walking (1995)
  46. Joan of Arc (1948)
  47. The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
  48. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
  49. Angels In the Outfield (1951)
  50. Moonstruck (1987) *
  51. The Miracle Maker: the Story of Jesus (2000)
  52. Henry V (1989) *
  53. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
  54. Entertaining Angels: the Dorothy Day Story (1996)
  55. Knute Rockne: All American (1940)
  56. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
  57. The Singing Nun (1966)
  58. Marty (1955)
  59. Monsieur Vincent (1948)
  60. The Assisi Underground (1985)
  61. Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
  62. Come to the Stable (1949)
  63. Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
  64. In This House of Brede (1975)
  65. The Jeweller’s Shop (1988)
  66. The Miracle of the Bells (1948)
  67. The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
  68. The Fourth Wiseman (1985)
  69. The Juggler of Notre Dame (1970)
  70. Barabbas (1962)
  71. King of Kings (1961)
  72. Francis of Assisi (1961)
  73. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937)
  74. The Decalogue (1987)
  75. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (1966)
  76. Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)
  77. The Fugitive (1947)
  78. The Longest Day (1962)
  79. Thérèse (1986)
  80. The Gospel of John (2003)
  81. A.D. (1985)
  82. Faustyna (1995)
  83. The Son (2002)
  84. Francesco (1989)
  85. The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
  86. Brother Orchid (1940)
  87. Demetrius and the Gladiators
  88. Nazarin (1958)
  89. The Silver Chalice (1954)
  90. When In Rome (1952)
  91. Not of This World (1999)
  92. Open City (1945)
  93. 3 Godfathers (1948)
  94. Don Bosco (1988)
  95. Abraham (1994)
  96. The Detective (1954)
  97. The Hoodlum Saint (1946)
  98. The Sign of the Cross (1932)
  99. The Wrong Man (1956)
  100. Padre On Horseback (1977)