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The
Green Mile
(1999)
- Official
Warner Brothers site
- Information at Internet
Movie Database
-
Looking Closer, review by Jeffrey Overstreet, "searching for truth, beauty
and meaning in the movies."
-
Cinema in
Focus, a social and spiritual commentary by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman.
- Visual film review at Hollywood
Jesus
- Movie
Parables review
-
"The
Green Mile and the Gospel According to Stephen King," Steve Lansingh, TheFilmForum:
Christian Conversation about the Movies.
-
Review, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health -
Spiritual Practices for Human Being.
- Themes
- Baptism
- This movie is about death row in a Louisiana
prison. The last walk, from the cell to the electric chair is known
at this prison as The Green Mile, due to the color of the floor. One
item of special emphasis is that when the condemned man is seated in
the electric chair, the prison guard in charge of the execution is
supposed to place a wet sponge on top of the head of the prisoner,
just before the head strap is secured with one
of the main wires for the electrical current. This is meant to speed
up the execution on the basis that water is a very good conductor of
electricity, and the wet sponge conducts the the current immediately
into the brain of the prisoner. This kills the inmate quickly, and
mercifully (as mercifully as this method can make possible). When I
saw this scene in which one of the inmates was electrocuted, the
placement of the wet sponge seemed to immediately suggest to me the
action of baptism. The water was placed on the name of the inmate,
symbolically in the name of the state, which authorizes the
execution. The preparation for the execution
is ended, just before the juice is turned on,
with the words: "God have mercy on your soul!" It was also
interesting that, when one prisoner is executed, and the guard in
charge fails to use water on the sponge, there is a very ugly,
painful and vicious electrocution in which the prisoner does not die
immediately, but is badly burned and thrashes back and forth until
the body is essentially a pile of charred remains. That suggests a
continuation of the baptismal theme, with a negative result occuring
when "baptism" does not occur. Perhaps that result is a
little bit like burning in hell? (submitted by Bob Kaltenbaugh,
Reading, PA)
- Call
- Tom Hanks' character is "called" from his
accepted (and societally acceptable) role as head honcho for Death
Row to the cause of grace in the unlikely person of his enormous
black inmate at the time of his being grasped through the bars by
the compassion of his prisoner and healed of his terrible urinary
tract infection, of all things. He is, as are we all when touched by
the hand of God, irrevocably called and committed to a cause, a
person, well beyond the pale of his previous existence. (submitted
by Katherine Merrell Glenn, Alamosa Colorado)
- Children (Child Types) as Mediators
- John Coffin (J. C.) is 'child-like' following where
he is needed, bring light and life, afraid of the dark, yet bringing
healing to people, judgement to the system, forgiveness to the
merciful, and an awesome experience of gentle love to any who will
receive it. (submitted by Dennis Sylte)
- Crucifixion
- John Coffey's death
- an innocent healer who prays for and forgives those who execute
him
- Determination/Perseverance
- The prison guards are determined to
bring John Coffey to heal the warden's wife.
- Divine Human
- John Coffey (J.C.) as healer,
miracle worker, redeemer, super-human, suffering servant.
- Forgiveness
- John Coffey (J.C.) forgives his
executioners before his death.
- Guilt/Regret
- "I felt the scene where Hank's character was
explaining to his lady friend in the nursing home why he was really
much older than he appeared, brought out Pope John Paul's message
that even though we are not directly responsible for the sins of
society, that we carry the responsibility to pray and sacrifice for
atonement of these sins, that we are members of the Body, and
therefore share in the responsibility."
- Healing/Healers
- John Coffey (J.C.) as healer who restores health and
prolongs life.
- Institutional Evil
- Percy as the Personification of Institutional Evil. (see
review at Hollywood
Jesus)
- Miracles
- John Coffey the
healer.
- John Coffey brings
the mouse back to life.
- Prayer
- John Coffey prays with the warden
before his death.
- Evil as
"Possession"
- "Wild Bill = the evil that can and does possess
anyone." (see review at Hollywood
Jesus)
- Sanctuary
- Execution room is set up like a
church sanctuary. (See review and photo at Hollywood
Jesus)
- Seeing/Seeing
something differently
- through John Coffey (J.C.), the
warden learns to see the world differently
- Suffering of the Innocent
- the wrongfully-convicted John
Coffey (J.C.) as a suffering servant figure.
- Suffering Servant
- Wrongly Accused
- John Coffey is mistakenly accused of killing the girls.
Index of Movie Titles
Index of Movie Themes
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