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The Power of a Holy Man’s Words and Deeds
BY John Prizer Richard Attenborough's epic Gandhi explores the private life and public impact of a champion of non-violence
August 16-22, 1998 Issue 
Throughout history many leaders have tried to fuse politics and spirituality to accomplish their goals. Few have been as successful as India's Mahatma Gandhi, a practicing Hindu. Both his methods and his way of life have become an inspiration to Christian activists. America's civil rights movement,... READ MORE
Zorro Rides Again
BY John Prizer Latest version of screen hero's exploits wins the day with self- deprecating humor and old-fashioned derring-do
August 16-22, 1998 Issue
Opposition to political oppression is often expressed through banditry when legitimate dissent or organized rebellion isn't possible. Through these processes, outlaws can become popular heroes, and their exploits mythologized for succeeding generations.
Since the beginning of recorded history,... READ MORE
Faith and Superstition in the Time of the Plague
BY John Prizer Ingmar Bergman's classicThe Seventh Seal wrestles with questions of the end times
August 09-15, 1998 Issue
In times of great social turmoil or natural catastrophe, some people begin to believe they are living in the end times. Orthodox beliefs are set aside, and superstitions and the exploitation of religious fears blossom.
At different periods throughout the Middle Ages, the plague or “black death”... READ MORE
World WarII Meets the Hollywood Hype Machine
BY John Prizer The ultra-violent Saving Private Ryan is noteworthy, but it's not all that Spielberg and the media say it is
August 09-15, 1998 Issue
The Hollywood hype machine is dangerous. Expectations can be raised so high that even a good movie can seem to fall short if it fails to deliver on much promoted promises. With popcorn blockbusters like Godzilla, Deep Impact, and Armageddon, it doesn't matter. They were always more marketing... READ MORE
An Unusual Look Behind Enemy Lines
BY John Prizer La Grande Illusion sizes up war and the virtue of great men
July 12, 1998 Issue
Throughout history, warriors have usually been part of the ruling class. Most of Europe's pre-World War I nobility held their positions through blood descent from medieval war-lords. Their primary virtues were honor and courage. But centuries of wealth and privilege led them to confuse morality... READ MORE
Seduced by The South and by Scarlett
BY John Prizer The most successful movie of all time is re-released on the silver screen
July 12, 1998 Issue
The continuing hold of the pre-Civil War South on our collective unconscious is puzzling. That society's prosperity was created by a great evil—slave labor—which President Abraham Lincoln, among others, described as a curse upon our land.
Yet, the legend persists that it was a culture based upon... READ MORE
Silent Triumph of the Human Spirit
BY John Prizer Even without sound, Fritz Lang's classic Metropolis remains a haunting story of man vs. machine
July 5-11, 1998 Issue
Contemporary film culture often ignores silent-movie masterpieces. Shamefully, the recent American Film Institute poll of the 100 best movies included only three. The Vatican's list is better. Among the silents it recommends is the 1926 science-fiction classic, Metropolis.
The film's breath-taking... READ MORE
Alien Fascination for the Masses
BY John Prizer A big-screen-sized dose of paranoia to thrill X-Files fanatics
July 5-11, 1998 Issue
TV series have often been good vehicles for explorations of the paranormal. Episodes on the subject from classic shows as Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone still air regularly, decades after they first appeared. The X-Files, currently in its fifth year on prime time, has developed both a cult and... READ MORE
Running for God’s Greater Glory
BY John Prizer Chariots of Fire delves deeply into the souls of competitors on the track
June 21-27, 1998 Issue
Are sports about winning, or about how well you play the game? Probably both, but nowadays it's a billion-dollar international enterprise whose champions often become celebrity millionaires. Victory is held up as the only virtue, and losing is seen as a character flaw.
To address these issues,... READ MORE
A Political Fantasy Direct from the Hollywood Bubble
BY John Prizer Warren Beatty's Bulworth is a silly stew of his hard-left ideas
June 21-27, 1998 Issue
Warren Beatty is an important Hollywood figure. His ambitions and contradictions are typical of many in his generation, and his work is a good indication of what that community believes in its heart of hearts.
Beatty began his career more than 35 years ago as a handsome leading man — the Brad Pitt... READ MORE
Two-Fisted Priest Stands Up for Workers On New York Docks
BY JOHN PRIZER
June 14-20, 1998 Issue
How far should the Church go in encouraging social activism? And how deeply should a parish priest involve his flock in political protests that put their lives in danger?
Most people remember On the Waterfront, which won five Oscars in 1954, for Marlon Brando's bravura performance as a dockworker... READ MORE
A Touching Fable in Cattle Country
BY JOHN PRIZER The Horse Whisperer falls short on reality, but saves itself with sincerity and passion
June 14-20, 1998 Issue
Almost since the beginning of recorded history, cities have been depicted as corrupters of human nature and sources of moral confusion. By contrast, living in the country has been seen as simpler and more virtuous because people there remain connected to their physical and emotional roots.
Ever... READ MORE
Natural Wisdom vs. Spiritual Deficiency
BY John Prizer
May 31-June 6, 1998 Issue
Oscar-winning film showcases indigenous life of ethnic Mongolian
In this age of environmental concerns, Western artists and intellectuals often over-praise the wisdom of indigenous peoples in dealing with nature. Celebrating more primitive lifestyles is a backhanded way of flailing the cultures of... READ MORE
Rationalizing Americans’ Moral Decay
BY Ellen Wilson Fielding
May 31-June 6, 1998 Issue
The cover story of the June-July issue of First Things is J. Budziszewski's “The Revenge of Conscience,” a look at the perversions of thought that have caused America's moral decline and their likely result.
Budziszewski, a rising young philosophy professor attuned to the Catholic natural law... READ MORE
Deep Impact Makes Shallow Impression
BY John Prizer
May 31-June 6, 1998 Issue
Summer thriller is long on special effects, but comes up short on issues of morals and character
There are times when contemporary Hollywood seems good only at awesome, computer-generated special effects. Certain screenplays seem conceived merely as a way to exploit this technical expertise, with... READ MORE
Circus Vagabonds Find Virtue on the Road
BY John Prizer La Strada, Fellini's 1954 classic, offers an enduring message for modern believers
May 10, 1998 Issue
Jesus included the socially marginal in his ministry. Modern middle-class believers often find it difficult to follow his example because the behavioral norms of society's outcasts are very different from those whose lifestyle is more secure.
Italian director Federico Fellini's 1954 masterpiece, La... READ MORE
Featherweight Creatures From Heaven
BY John Prizer In City of Angels, happiness and personal fulfillment are everything
May 10, 1998 Issue
Angels are currently popular with people who have few other religious beliefs because there is no hard work involved. If detached from their Judeo-Christian origins, the heavenly messengers can satisfy the need for comfort and guidance from a supernatural source without a tough-minded moral code.... READ MORE
Character Studies In the Old West
BY John Prizer Stagecoach has more on its mind than just who can shoot a six-gun
May 3-9, 1998 Issue
Westerns are not a genre usually associated with spiritual values. Violent shootouts are the norm, and revenge is a frequent and much admired motive.
Stagecoach is the exception. When the movie was released in 1939, westerns were primarily low—budget items aimed at the bottom half of double bills.... READ MORE
Portrait of a Sad and Sordid Childhood
BY John Prizer Anti-Catholicism badly damages critically acclaimed drama of a young criminal
May 3-9, 1998 Issue
Getting inside a criminal's mind, particularly that of a murderer, is a difficult challenge for a filmmaker with a sense of morality. On the one hand, the criminal's deranged sensibility must be presented as non—judgmentally as possible so that the audience can understand how such a person operates... READ MORE
A Fifth Grader’s Theological Search
In Wide Awake, a charming story of a young boy's temporary loss of faith, Catholic schools are portrayed-for once-in a positive light
April 12-18, 1998 Issue
For the past 20 years there has been a continual stream of movies and plays that portray Catholic schools in a negative light. The teachers are shown to be bullies and occasionally perverts; their faith is presented as rigid, narrow, and oppressive; and the students suffer deep psychological... READ MORE
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