 | Legally
Blonde (2001)
 | (About 20.19 on DVD)
As California sorority girl Elle Woods arrives at
Harvard, she clearly doesn't fit the picture of a Harvard Law
Student--and she is treated like it, in this and
subsequent themes. (F.
Elizabeth Givens, Associate Pastor, Reveille UMC,
Richmond, VA) |
|
"Though we might question the validity of such a
message in real life, the truth is that every person is far more than the
superficial categories in which our first-impression stereotypes place them."
(Cinema in Focus, review
by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman) |
|
| Chocolat (2000)
| The small French town has been kept "clean"
by the Comte de Reynaud and his family ever since the first Comte ran
off the Huguenots. He controls everything, even writing the young
priest's sermons. He is meticulous, especially in observing Lent. But
Vianne and her daughter comes to town and opens (during Lent!) a
Chocolate shop, which magically feeds the needs of those who eat it. The
Comte knows she must be stopped. Before long, some "River
Rats" (including Roux, who romances Vianne) also come along. There
is a battle between these "clean" forces and the
"unclean." Although before long it becomes obvious that those
who are "unclean" are living out a life a goodness. (Darrel
Manson, Artesia, CA) |
| The movie, Chocolate, presents a wonderful
opportunity to talk about the nature of evil, the goodness of creation,
and the reality that nothing human is alien to us. Just as is true of
the Biblical stories, something of every character lives inside each of
us. The people whom we like the least can function as sacraments to
invite us to look at those aspects of ourselves which we dislike or of
which we are ashamed, and which we therefore project onto others in
order to avoid meeting them in ourselves - and therefore cutting
ourselves off from the possibility of opening them to God's love, (which
accepts all of us - not just the "good" parts) and allowing it
to heal and transform us so that we may live life from our true center,
which is Love - and which is the only power more powerful than
the power and the reality of Evil. (Senter Crook)
|
| Pere Henri's (the young priest) Easter Sermon: “I
want to talk about Christ’s humanity, I mean how he lived his life on
earth: his kindness, his tolerance. We must measure our goodness, not by
what we don’t do, what we deny ourselves, what we resist, or who we
exclude. Instead, we should measure ourselves by what we embrace, what
we create, and who we include.” (Carla Thompson Powell, Livonia, MI) |
|
| Remember the Titans
(2000)
|
| Men of Honor (2000)
| Carl grew up on a plantation in
the south, the son of slaves. As he went off the navy, his
father made him promise he would never allow himself to live the
life that his parents had. It would be very difficult, but he
should never settle for less than what he wanted. Watching some divers in action, he knew
immediately what he wanted: to be master (I don't remember the
exact title.) He knew he could be the best. But being
black was a major impediment. This was in the 40's or 50's.
Only one white guy (a stutterer) was willing to sleep in the same
barracks. The list of discriminations goes on and on.
(Marcy Keefe-Slager, Jackson, MI) |
|
| Gladiator (2000)
| Maximus is portrayed as a devout, even pious man.
He is is reminder not to associate "pagan" with "godless."
We should be careful not to Christianize his beliefs. (submitted by Mike
Clark, Hamilton, Canada) |
|
| Three Kings (1999)
| The American soldiers learn to see Arabs/Iraqis as
people instead of as stereotypes. |
|
| Angela's Ashes (1999)
| Humiliation of Frankie and family because they are poor
and because Frank's father is a northerner. (DVD ch 6, 14, 22, etc) |
|
| Boys Don't Cry (1999)
| Much of this movie is an exploration of clean/unclean
acceptance/non-acceptance themes in self and in others. |
|
| Summer of Sam
(1999)
| Ritchie's affinity for punk music and
his affectation of different cultural styles leads his community to
suspect him of being the killer - he becomes "unclean" to them |
|
| Sunshine (1999)
| The movie "Sunshine" contains a
good conversion theme, although it does not work the way one might
expect. Members of a Hungarian Jewish family convert to
Christianity thinking it will help them integrate into society.
They remain targets and outcasts. In the end the surviving member
changes his name back into it's Jewish form. He realizes that he
must be himself. (submitted by Michael Clark, Hamilton, Canada) |
|
| Three Kings (1999) |
| Pleasantville (1998)
| Pleasantville is a place in which people
literally have to learn to live "in colour" . Each one is
transformed by discovering the passion within them which has been
repressed in order to maintain the black and white "status
quo". It seemed to me that this has a lot to say to us about the
ways in which we respond to Christ's offer of "Life in all its
fullness" and are transformed into richer individuals and churches
and societies by a risky and sometimes frightening process. The changes
in us are not always welcomed by others, just as those who were
transformed and healed by Christ were persecuted. The scene where the
Dad comes home and finds his wife not there and no dinner anywhere is an
achingly accurate picture of the bewilderment of those who demand that
Christ tells the crowds not to cheer him as he enters Jerusalem. Those
who don't welcome this growth seek out the security of old bastions.
"We are safe for the moment because we are in the bowling
alley" comments the mayor. Can our churches sometimes be black and
white bastions against growth , rather than colourful invitations to
life? (submitted by Anne Gordon) |
|
| A Simple
Plan (1998)
| Hank sees Jacob as the
"unclean" one in the family - uncouth, ignorant, stupid. Yet
it is Jacob who knows more about the family and who eventually
sacrifices himself for his brother. |
|
| Beloved
(1998)
| Sethe is haunted not
only by Beloved, but also by being the "unclean" one in the
community, until toward the end where the community confronts and
accepts her, and she is healed. |
|
| As Good
As It Gets (1997)
| It seems to me that the relationships that develop
amongst the characters in "As Good As It Gets" fit the Good Sam story
wonderfully. Nicholson's character is firmly established as reprehensible
in every way (the Samaritan of their world). He comes upon a couple of
people-the gay neighbor beaten half to death and the ill child of a waitress
who does not even begin to have the resources to reach the doctors whose
expertise might change her child's world-and he responds. He provides the
doctor for the child; he takes the beaten man into his own home. He cares.
And the world of those touched is changed. Even as he (Nicholson) is still
seen as lacking in so many ways. (Joe Piercey) |
|
| Amistad
(1997)
| Attitudes about the
"uncleanliness" of black people/non-Christians make the
institution of slavery seem positive - good Christian people enslave
them in order to bring them to Christ. |
| Because Cinque is black, he is imprisoned. If he were
white, he'd be called a hero for the same actions. (DVD ch 21) |
|
| Sling
Blade (1996)
| Karl and Vaughn are both scorned by
Doyle for their kindnesses to Frank and Linda because they are
"unclean" characters. |
|
| A Time to Kill (1996)
| A good movie to talk about prejudices and sexual
control. (Rev. Rebecca Thomas, First Lutheran Church of Sauk Centre) |
|
| City
Hall (1996)
| The mayor attracts Calhoun as his aide, because Calhoun
thinks he has finally found a "clean" politician. At the end,
he discovers that though the mayor is a pretty good man - he is not
clean at all, but participated in fixing a trial and then stood by while
the cover-up took place. Calhoun must decide whether to "ride out
the storm" with the mayor, or stay clean himself. He encourages the
mayor to step down and the movie ends with Calhoun running himself for
councilman. Will he be able to stay clean?? (submitted by Marie Loewen) |
|
| Pocahontas (1995)
| ...the scene when John Smith is about
to be killed. The song in the background goes back and forth
between stereo types the Indians have for the Whiteman and the Whiteman
for the Indians. (Susan Cochran) |
|
| Babe (1995)
| This movie is, on the surface, about life on a sheep
farm. The central character is Babe, a pig. This movie explores the
prejudices we all have towards people that are not like us through
delightful encounters with all sorts of farm animals. Babe breaks the
boundaries of stereotypes and challenges the other animals to do so as
well. (Amy Southerland) |
|
| The Stand (1994)
| The flu as evil/uncleanliness. The bureaucracy attempts
to keep themselves pure from it by using sterile rooms/suits, but it
goes right through their suits, and unwittingly their
"sterile" behavior adds to its spread (DVD part 1, chapter 10) |
| Nick Andros, Mother Abigail, Tom Cullen - seen as
"unclean" by many, are compassionate saviors in the story. |
|
| Natural Born Killers
(1994)
| While decrying violence as negative, the media feeds
the public fascination for it because it sells. Violence is rhetorically
"unclean", but is invisible and/or encouraged through societal
systems. |
|
| Philadelphia
(1993) |
| Strictly Ballroom
(1992)
| Scott and Fran are declared "unclean" because
they dare to challenge the culture of Competitive Ballroom Dancing. |
|
| Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) |
| The Fisher King
(1991)
| The scene where the disabled veteran
explains his place in society. |
|
| What About Bob? (1991)
| The "clean" acceptable psychiatrist shows
that inside he is "unclean," while the "unclean" Bob
shows and develops his personal integrity. |
|
| The
Silence of the Lambs
(1991)
| Anthony Hopkins has said that he
patterned the voice of Hannibal Lecter after the voice of H.A.L. in 2001:
A Space Odyssey because HAL was a very "clean" and orderly
and would cooly kill anyone who got in the way of his goals. If there is
one thing that Hannibal Lecter could not stand, it was
"messiness" in his life, and he was willing to go to
unspeakably horrifying lengths to keep his life "orderly".
Sometimes evil is our attempt to keep our lives "clean". |
|
| Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
Country (1991)
| Another clip is from Star Trek the
Undiscovered Country. It is when the Klingons come to dinner.
It is a "guess who is coming to dinner moment" This clip
is good because it takes "racism" out of a racial context and
puts it humans to aliens. Makes a great point. (Susan Cochran) |
|
| The Giant of
Thunder Mountain (1991)
| Eli Weaver, "the giant," lives like a hermit
on thunder mountain, due to the hostility, gossip, and rejection of the
local townspeople, who, without evidence, accuse him of murdering his
parents. A young girl, Amy Wilson, seeks to turn the tables by
befriending the giant–learning that Eli was innocent of the tragic
deaths of his parents. Eventually, she succeeds in winning his heart,
and Eli agrees to visit the townspeople again, only to be rejected and
cast out a second time. However, Amy and her brothers persist in keeping
their friendship alive with the giant. Through a series of
suspense-filled events, which are totally misunderstood by the
townspeople, a lynch mob erroneously hunts down Eli. However, the truth
is revealed in the nick of time, and Eli is instrumental in capturing
the real criminals, associated with a travelling carnival. The
townspeople, finally accepting the truth, regard Eli as a hero. Eli, in
several respects, comes across as a Christ-figure in the movie:
suffering many hardships from the rejection, scorn and derision of the
townspeople, reminding me a little of William Butler Yeats’
"rough beast" exterior, contrasted with the biblical tender,
gentle Jesus who loves and welcomes children. Themes:
How destructive hasty judgments and gossip can be to an individual’s
reputation (Matthew 7:1ff., James 3:5ff.), think before you speak and
act, external appearances are often very deceptive and have tragic
consequences, God’s and Christ’s love for the outcasts of society
(Matthew 11:19, Luke 15, etc.), risking one’s life and loving others
(John 15:12ff.). Highly recommended for family viewing. (Reviewed by the
Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson) |
|
| Do
the Right Thing (1989)
| racial violence
inevitably erupts as various groups consider the others less than human |
|
| The Little Mermaid (1989)
| "Just used today [Epiphany 4B] "The Little
Mermaid," where she willingly goes to see Ursula, the sea witch, in
hopes of becoming a human because she is in love with such. We pointed
out how blind we are to the "unclean" spirits within and
without us when we are centered on self gratification. The clean
"spirits" are pulling and tugging at the mermaid but she
continues to walk the path of destruction. Good clip ... keeps the kids
attention. |
|
| Dominick and Eugene
(1988)
| Violence toward Nicky. |
|
| The Color Purple (1985)
| Traveling blues singer Shug Avery comes home and
becomes a sensation in a local "juke joint." She is staying
with a couple, and it is known throughout the community that she is the
man's lover. She enters a church building in order to speak to her
father, the pastor. Upon seeing her enter the otherwise empty sanctuary,
he sits in one of the pews with his back to her. She reminisces about
how things were when learned to sing in church as a young girl. Her
father gets up and walks away from her. She says that she understands
that he won't answer her, considering the way things had turned out. He
goes through a door on the other side of the sanctuary and closes it
behind him. (submitted by David K. Miller) |
|
| Trading Places (1983)
| With a little manipulation, Dan Ackroyd and Eddie
Murphy "change places" in terms of being clean/unclean. |
|
| The Elephant Man (1980)
| Someone who is "unclean" is brought into
community. Line when being teased "I am human!" (submitted by
Ann K. Fontaine) |
|
| Taxi
Driver (1976)
| Travis Bickel wants to clean the filth
out of New York. The hope that "someday a real rain will come and
wash all this scum off the streets" becomes his alienated psychotic
motivation to violence. |
|
| Macbeth (1971)
| There have been over two dozen movies by this name,
most if not all containing the famous scene where Lady Macbeth
sleepwalks and tries to get the imagined spots of her victim's blood off
her hands. (submitted by David K. Miller) |
|
| Dr.
Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
(1964)
| General Jack D. Ripper tells Group Capt. Lionel
Mandrake about his ideas concerning "purity of essence:"
General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to
fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt,
flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream,
Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I-- no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen
forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie
conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance
is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of
the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your
hard-core Commie works.
(Note that there is discussion of a sexual component of "purity of
essence" in this scene.) (submitted by David K. Miller) |
|
| West Side Story (1961)
| Maria and Tony are "unclean" in each others'
worlds. |
|
| 12 Angry Men
(1957)
| 11 Jurors vote immediately to convict a man of murder
based on their racial/social prejudices until Henry Fonda convinces them
to look again. Juror #10: "Look, these people are lushing it up and
fighting all the time, and if somebody gets killed, so somebody gets
killed! They don't care. Oh sure, there are some good things about 'em
too. I'm the first one to say it. I've known a couple who were okay, but
that's the exception..." |
|
| The Searchers (1956)
| Ethan attempts to "save" his niece,
despite the increasingly obvious fact that she doesn't want/need
"saving". |
|
I'm afraid I disagree with the idea that Ethan was out
to save his niece despite her unwillingness to be saved. I think the
movies main theme of racial prejudice by both the Europeans and
Amerinds does not support the notion of Ethan saving her. Marty
realizes Ethan's goal is to "save" Debbie by killing her,
hence his determination to stay with the pursuit. (submitted by Dean
Cramer)
|
|
| Rebel
Without a Cause (1955)
| Prejudices and Fear lead
to the fatal confrontation at the end of the movie |
|
| Grapes of Wrath
(1940)
| Gasoline Attendant: You and me got
sense. Them Okies got no sense and no feeling. They ain't human. Human
being wouldn't live the way they do. Human being couldn't stand to be so
miserable. |
|
