America's Heart and Soul (2004)

The pursuit of happiness. That's what Louis Schwartzberg has captured in the two dozen portraits that make up America's Heart and Soul, a tribute to the endless diversity of ways in which humans will engage in the pursuit of happiness, as long as there is life and the liberty to do so. From kooks to heroes, musicians to athletes, Schwartz-berg's film is at turns fascinating, touching and inspiring.

For a film that isn't specifically about music, this one finds a surprising number of subjects involved in it. Whatever the reason, it's gratifying to see Americans making their own melodies, not just downloading iTunes. With only a few minutes per subject, Schwartzberg creates a series of moving snapshots, not exploring any one individual or milieu in much depth.

He also offers a pretty flaky picture of faith in America (not that the reality isn't flaky, too). But Heart and Soul isn't about how people generally live, or should live, but about the freedom to live as one chooses. Like last year's Spellbound, this film shows us people of all types and backgrounds, some who may at times be a bit wacky, but for the most part win our interest and sympathy.

Content advisory:Fleeting references to heavy drinking; some provocative dance footage; a couple of references to reincarnation; a deficient presentation of Christian ideas.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Riveting performances, immaculate black-and - white cinematography, steely moral conviction and an insightful portrayal of the border between the worlds of childhood and adulthood make Robert Mulligan's acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird an extraordinary film. Faithfully adapted from Harper Lee's semi-autobiographical, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film tells a story of racial unrest in a poor Southern town in the 1930s. There is no romance and no action, no dramatic showdown between the hero and the villain. Yet it is an unforget-table film, far more indelible than many more “exciting” productions.

Gregory Peck is note-perfect in arguably his signature role as Atticus Finch, a deeply principled, widowed attorney and father of two young children, whose decision to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman makes him a target of epithets and threats. Then-unknown Robert Duvall makes the most of his brief scenes as the mysterious, reclusive Boo Radley.

But the heart of the film is in the unaffected performances of the child actors, Mary Badham as Scout and Philip Alford as Jem. Seen through their young eyes, the now-familiar occurrences of wrongful accusations, resentment, menace and judicial miscarriage still carry a sense of shock and innocence lost, and the appearance of Boo Radley effectively dramatizes coming to terms with fear of the unknown.

Content advisory: Courtroom references to sexual assault, attempted seduction and domestic abuse.

The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)

The Italian title of Roberto Rossellini's The Flowers of St. Francis is Francesco, Giullare di Dio, “Francis, God's Jester.” Yet, in fact, it is not Francis, but his followers who are the real jesters, trying with charming naivete to stumble along in the footsteps of their master. In fact, it's a bit of a shock to realize that, for once, the poor man of Assisi is neither an eccentric nor a holy fool, but the straight man— a figure of Christlike wisdom indulgently shaking his head at the well-meaning foolishness of his disciples.

It's an apt picture, perhaps, of all our best efforts in the spiritual life in the eyes of our Lord. Francis' followers are foolish, but they are joyful, and even materialistic moderns may be able to recognize here something that is lacking in our desacralized age.

At the same time, the film doesn't pander to modern sensibilities by portraying Francis as a medieval flower child. Instead, his childlike spirit is combined with an affirmation of strict religious obligation and ultimately evangelization, as in the delightful closing episode, drawn from the Little Flowers, in which Francis commands his followers “under holy obedience” to spin around “like children at play,” until they are too dizzy to stand and collapse on the ground, whereupon he sends them out to preach in whatever direction they are facing.

Not yet available on DVD, The Flowers of St. Francis is hard to find on video, but can be found in some libraries and rare video stores.

Content advisory: Nothing objectionable.