Persuasion (1995)

Artful adaptation of Jane Austen's 1818 novel about an upper-class English-woman (Amanda Root) who secretly regrets having rejected an impoverished seaman (Ciaran Hinds) years earlier, just as he is too proud to admit his feelings for her now that he is prosperous and ready to settle down. Director Roger Michell captures the look of the era and its rigid class distinctions while delicately exploring the repressed yearnings of the would-be lovers. Romantic complications and a few accident-related injuries.

Where the Lilies Bloom (1975)

Four sturdy Appalachian children keep the death of their widowed father a secret so the state won't take them away to an orphan's home and provide for themselves out of the profits of “wildcrafting” (collecting and preparing certain herbs and wild flowers prized for their medicinal qualities). The Robert B. Radnitz production directed by William A. G raham tells its story of youngsters learning to care for themselves in the adult world with warm humor and genuine sensitivity for the conditions of life for the rural poor.

Shot on-location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the film is an uplifting account of survival and unity in the face of a hostile environment. A rare and satisfying entertainment for the entire family.

Sink the Bismarck! (1960)

Stirring dramatization of the 1941 British naval victory over the TITLE German battleship after it slips into the North Atlantic, easily defeats the first British warships encountered, then becomes a sitting duck when its rudder is disabled by a carrier plane's torpedo. Directed by Lewis Gilbert, the sea action is intercut with the personal drama involving the Admiralty's director of operations (Kenneth More) his assistant (Dana Wynter), the officers of the ships following his orders and the Nazi admiral (Karel Stepanek) commanding the “Bismarck.” Wartime violence.

Video reviews from the Office of Film and Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. John Prizer will return next week.