So excited about this movie. Can’t wait for it to be released in SA!

Well, according to oneguysopinion.com, that’s also because the movie was no reflection of reality at all. But I think the reviewer was more concerned to exonerate the current President of the United States, of whom he must have been made uncomfortably to think, than to give a fair review of the movie.

For those of you who would like to learn more about this period of Mexican history go to: http://www.victorclaveau.com/htm_html/Around the World/Mexico/mexican_martyrdom.htm
It is a lengthy article so be patient.

I hope that this motion picture motivates its viewers to read Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory.” This great novel of God’s grace operating through a weak human instrument also deals with this tragic period in Mexican history.

Hi Matt. Thanks for the “review”. I usually avoid Christian films, because after watching them I am made disappointed. But after reading S. Greydanus and your review, I’ve made up my mind to check this film out.

BTW, I recommend a sermon that I enjoy listening from time to time.
http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/20111009-The-Cristeros-Will-We-See-Another-Catholic-Persecution.html

The movie has a great cast doesn’t it?

Very excited!! Going tonight with my family!!!!  We’re going to Guanajuato, Mexico City, and the surrounding towns this summer to visit family and my kids to see their great grandfather.  We’ll be going to the mountain of Cristo Rey, the the bicentennial park where the Pope was, and to see Juan Diego’s tilma on display in Mexico City, if God willing.  This movie is a great precursor to our vacation. Pray for our safety there.

Of course when it’s a good movie they hardly show it anywhere. Not playing anywhere near me…

The Cristero’s actually won most of their clashes with the government.  Even the bigger battles.  It was the “peace” where many of the Cristero leaders were hunted down and killed.
 
I remember reading somewhere that during the war, families in Mexico would melt down their own metals, ie, silverware and other items to produce bullets by hand and smuggle them to the Cristeros.
 
It’s even a taboo subject on my mother’s side, but I heard stories how my maternal grandfather, he was a little child during the war, barely escaped the federales through his charm in Guanajuato.
 
Exciting stuff!

“Now, it’s impossible to watch this movie about how a government essentially outlaws Catholicism and not think about how the Obama administration is essentially forcing Catholic institutions to act against their consciences.”

Thanks for the review. I’ll be seeing this movie in an hour. One thing about the above quote: We need to stop saying that they are “forcing” us to act against our conscience. No one can force us to do that, they can only try - it’s a choice.

Thanks for your review.  It balances out the review I read in the secular newspaper this morning that panned the movie.  I had already decided I was going to see the movie anyway. It certainly is a timely theme.  History does repeat itself.

This movie will become our reality if Obama gets a second term.

Vance: “This movie will become our reality if Obama gets a second term.”
I believe you are correct.

I love your enthusiasm, Mr. Archbold. The movie is opening now not too far from where I live. Can’t wait to see it. I admire Andy Garcia much because he swore off doing any indecent scene in a movie and is a very anti-communist Cuban. Verastegui is another story. A converted soap opera star who aspires to be a saint, dedicated by deed to the pro-life cause. The actor who plays the 13 year old martyr wishes he could be a modern-day Cristero. You can learn more here http://catholicism.org/he-died-in-his-armor-padre-francesco-vera.html and there is a biography of Saint Padre Pro here http://catholicism.org/padre-pro.html

“...so I’m telling you as just a regular guy who likes to watch movies with popcorn and soda in his lap (with no nuns)...”

Good.  ‘Cuz I don’t know that you’d classify as a regular guy if you like to watch movies with nuns in your lap.

(Sorry! Couldn’t resist.)  :)

I saw this movie today and it is AWESOME!  During the scene where the federales are taking Jose to his end, I kept thinking about Christ’s walk to His cross on Calvary.  It got me thinking about whether or not I could be a martyr for my faith.  btw—take tissues when you see this movie—you’re going to need them.

The sequel to this horrific event was equally horrific. Many Cristeros took up arms again, and they were followed by other Catholics, but this time unarmed teachers were among the main targets of Cristero-associated atrocities.
Rural teachers did not take up arms, but some of them refused to leave their schools and communities, and many had their ears cut off. This is the reason why those teachers who were murdered and had their corpses desecrated are often known as maestros desorejados (“teachers without ears”) in Mexico. In some of the worst cases, teachers were tortured and murdered by the Cristeros. It is calculated that almost 300 rural teachers were murdered in this way between 1935 and 1939, while other authors calculate that at least 223 teachers were victims of the violence between 1931–40,including the assassinations of Carlos Sayago, Carlos Pastraña and Librado Labastida in Teziutlán, Puebla, hometown of future president Manuel Ávila Camacho;the execution of a teacher, Carlos Toledano, who was burned alive in Tlapacoyan, Veracruz;and the lynching of at least 42 teachers in the state of Michoacan: J. Trinidad Ramírez in Contepec, Pedro García in Apatzingan, Juan Gonzalez Valdespino in Huajumbaro, José Rivera Romero in Ciudad Hidalgo, María Salud Morales in Tacambaro; et al. The atrocities by the Cristeros against rural teachers have been criticized in essays and books published by the Jesuit Ibero-American University in Mexico.

@Tim, you are right that some of the Cristeros did those terrible things. What you left out is that the government teachers were teaching the children that “God is dead.” When the students went to school in the morning, they were greeted with “God is dead,” when they left in the afternoon (once they found out that “adios,” which means “with God,” was not a good way to say good-bye) they were told to say “salud.” The students were taught that God did not exist, sounds like communism to me. Since that time, no mention of the Cristero wars were in the history classes in government schools. Sound familiar? Government run schools can pick and choose what they want in their history books. Many of the families did not allow their children to go to govt schools after that and nuns were hired to do the teaching in the homes. There are always two side to a story, so look closely next time you want to attack the Cristeros. They were fighting for their faith even after the official war was over. Priests were not allowed to wear their clerics at all up until about 10 years ago. It was an injustice to all Catholics in Mexico started by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!

I saw the movie yesterday, and it is “Great” full of faith, drama, action and romance! This is a powerful Christian movie and everyone most tell a friend to see it too.

@Connie ... I am not saying that horific autracities were not done to Catholics. Similar acts have been done throughout the centuries. But how are we to respond as Christians? Are Catholics justified in committing horrific? An eye for an eye? Your response almost sounds like the Cristeros were justified in taking the lives of others in such a cruel manner. Hardly a pro-life stance I would say. Unfortunately, reality is not so black and white as portrayed in movies. Those here who believe the movie is a fully accurate portrayal can go on living in a dream world. I feel sorry for those who are blind to the fact that we are all sinners, and that God desires that we forgive others and love our enemies. I’m not seeing much of that here. Instead, what I am seeing is a connection of this movie with the HHS mandate and a militant hatred that is unbecomming of Catholic Christians. Yes we must fight peaceably for our faith and our rights, but I’m picking up a more sinister element of hatred. If you feel a hatred towards politicians rather than pity, this should be a sign to you that there is something amiiss in your soul. I’m sure this is how it began in those Criteros who retaliated with violence.

My husband and I just got back from seeing the movie “For Greater Glory” which actually shows how much the people of Mexico were willing to die for their Catholic Faith.  This movie hit very close to home because my husband was born in Mexico in 1928 during the Cristero War and his father and his uncles were Cristeros. My mother-in-law was alive when I met her and she told me what it was like to be at home while her husband, brothers, brother’s in-law were out fighting for their freedom to practice their Catholic Faith.  How she and her sisters and female friends went to Mass in hiding.  The movie was on the mark and is historically accurate. I related some of the posts on this board of people trying to compare President Obama to President Plutarco Elias Calles and how we Catholics here in the United States could possibly face a similar fate. He told me that to compare Obama to Calles is beyond ridiculous and I totally agree with him.  President Obama has not desecrated nor shut our churches down, Obama has not murdered thousands of priests, nuns and Catholics, he has not forbidden us to practice our faith in public, nor has President Obama forbidden our clergy and nuns from wearing their clerical garb and habits in public.

@CeCi, What happened in Mexico has not happened yet.  If Obamacare and the HHS Mandate do not get over turned, you will see the Obama government impose fines, schools and hospitals being closed when the Church doesn’t comply with their mandates.  If the Catholic Church refuses to conduct marriage ceremonies for homosexuals, they will be fined or closed down or serve jail time because new law says they are discriminating against gays .  The Mexican experience is on it’s way and it is led by Obama.

Catholic idiots unite!! I’m with you, Matt

@Vance ... You are fear mongering and using a pseudo religious argument to support your political position. Yes, we should fight righteously for our faith. But know that no political party or current presidential candidate is in conformance with God’s law. I don’t hear any one having issues with non-Christian Mormon Romney who believes Heaven resides on the planet Kolob at the center of the Galaxy and whose religious scriptures teach that marriage is a union between one man and many women and that there are an infinite number of gods, three of which govern our world. As for me, I can’t support nor vote for either political candidate. They are all lost. But we must set the example for them, not give into the propaganda that is so prevelent now in the media. We as Catholics must rise above politics and point out the errors on all sides in every case, not just what serves our secular political agenda.

My husband and I wept like babies. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.  It was about sixteen years ago that I first learned about the Cristeros.  I read a book on the life of Miguel Agustin Pro, and was so moved that I gave the son I was pregnant with a middle name in his honor.  I too was shocked that such an egregious offense against religious freedom in Mexico was basically skipped in our history books. The hand our government played was shameful.  At the end of the movie, the real footage of Fr.Pro being murdered almost made me lose it.  I know Fr. Pro never did anything but bring the sacraments to his flock.  What an inspiration. Viva Cristo Rey!

Are there moments in time when arms must be taken up to defend liberty?  Yes.  But I prefer the way the wonderful people of the Philippines dealt with oppression.  The night after seeing “For Greater Glory” I dreamt of those million people who took to the streets with their rosaries.  Government tanks came out to greet them.  It is said that Our Lady appeared to the young military men driving the tanks.  There was no blood shed, and the regime of the corrupt Marcos government was peacefully toppled.

Normally, if I go see a CHRISTIAN MOVIE I go in with…uhm…tempered expectations.

So true…but this was definitely NOT one of those.  It was awesome.  I went to Rotten Tomatoes first, to see the reviews, very wary of seeing another sappy, poorly made film…the reviews were so bad I almost didn’t go. 

All I can say is that I am awfully glad I took the chance.  This was not just a good “Catholic” movie, it was a great movie by ANY standards.  And I am seriously hard on movies.

Totally agree with mk. Got to see it last night. HIGHLY recommend. I’ve come to the conclusion that critics are simply blinded by hatred of unvarnished truth. They don’t WANT this movie to be successful.

@ Tim. Before I posted that comment, I just knew you would take it as something other than an observation. I am not saying that the Cristeros should have responded the way that they did, this is what they knew how to do. I think you need to watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnPi5cXlVHo. It explains much of why the Cristeros did what they did….they were fighting for the mere existence of the Catholic faith in their country. Only God knows how the whole thing would have ended had they not fought, I am not here to judge that. I am here being thankful to them because it is possible had they not fought, the faith may not have survived in Mexico. Please read more about what happened historically. Calles was a 33rd degree Mason, so there was something sinister. If you know anything about the Masons, their desire is to harm the Catholic Church. The movie, for me, is black and white. The church was shut down, no celebration of the sacraments, they (Cristeros) tried an economic boycott, Calles responded with violence. If you watched the movie,  you will notice that all of those people who were martyred told their murderers that they forgave them. I don’t think there is anything sinister going on in my post. I do think the Cristeros had a right to fight for their very being and dignity. Also, you have no right to judge my soul. Only God and my confessor know the condition of my soul. There is a connection between the HHS mandate and this movie, our religious freedom is under attack since we are being asked to violate our consciences. I could say that it sounds like you are in a dream world yourself. I do pray for the conversion of our administration each day. I do not hate politicians, nor do I pity them. God gave us free will to choose what we choose….he is the eternal Judge.