Movies/Scenes
Representing Hope/Hopelessness
- Signs (2002)
- "The comfort and hope of being watched over by a God who can work all things together for the good of those who love him is a message continually needed in a world that feels as though it is falling apart." (Cinema in Focus, Review by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman)
- Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings is a movie which in following the book well enough, addresses many issues pertaining to emotions, faith, hope, pity, call, confronting evil, discernment, and many many more themes. This movie is rich to bursting with possibilities, as it follows the book which was written around a mythical and religious basis. (Michael K. Doran)
- Cast Away (2000)
- "One day logic was proven all wrong because the tide lifted, came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have *ice* in my glass. And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I have to keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
- The Hurricane (1999)
- Carter's internal struggle between hope and hopelessness.
- The Bone Collector (1999)
- Lincoln Rhyme's loss of hope causes him to contemplate suicide. As the film progresses, it is his hope that gives him the will to live.
- Jakob the Liar (1999)
- Robin Williams stars in this movie that has certain similarities with Life is Beautiful that came out at the same time. Williams play a Jew living in the Warsaw ghetto. It's a pretty gloomy place. There is at least one suicide each night. One day in the German headquarters he hears a radio telling where a battle is going on only a few hundred km away. When he relates this to a friend to keep him from doing something stupid, it becomes assumed that Jakob has a hidden radio. He is then pressed to tell more news. As long as there is news, there are no suicides in the ghetto. They have hope that deliverance is at hand. The movie ends with the smashing of that hope, but with an alternative possibility in which all the hope was fulfilled. (submitted by Darrel Manson, Artesia CA)
- "Sometimes hope is more important than food."
- The
Blair Witch Project (1999)
- hopelessness results from fear at being lost. (See review at Hollywood Jesus)
- Hope Floats (1998)
- "Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will."
- The Prince of Egypt (1998)
- Eye of God (1999)
- the litany of deaths toward the end of the film.
- Life
is Beautiful (1997-1998)
- Guido smiling in the rain at the concentration camp. (See review at Hollywood Jesus.)
- The Postman (1998)
- "The Postman" is a Kevin Costner movie that is set in a USA of the future. The country has come through a major war and has been broken up into small, isolated and scared communities. A private army terrorises the communities. Into this scene a wanderer stumbles across the uniform of a USA postman and a mail bag. He starts to deliver mail and pretends he is the representative of a new government. A whole new postal service is started that gives people real hope as they reconnect with loved ones in other places. (submitted by Alan Missen)
- The
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- Red's hope for a life after prison. " I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it is in my dreams. I hope....."
- Andy's motivating hope and battle with hopelessness.
- Schindler's List (1993)
- Amon Goethe: "You're cruel Oskar. You're giving them hope. Now *that's* cruel!"
- Six Degrees of
Separation (1993)
- Paul gives hope, though it is through his own dishonesty. "He opened up a whole new world to us. That's all anyone wants, isn't it?" (DVD ch 20)
- Rudy (1993)
- The
Jerk (1979)
- I have used the movie "The Jerk" to talk about hopelessness. Toward the end of the movie the main character has lost everything that is important to him. He feels a failure and is in his home announcing that "I don't need you!" and preparing to leave. But before he leaves he starts a litany of sorts. "I don't need anything ... except this ashtray (picks up ashtray). I don't need anything except this ashtray and this remote (adds the remote)." He continues like this until his arms are full of useless things. It is a vision of utter hopelessness and he is reaching for something to hold onto and finding all the wrong things. I will often ask people, "what would you pick up if you lost all hope?" It leads into some more meaningful reflections. (submitted by Thomas Hay)
- The Poseidon Adventure
(1972)
- "Maybe by climbing out of here, we can save ourselves." (DVD ch 12)
- A Bell for Adano (1945)
- WWII movie about occupying american troops who restore religious faith in the village by restoring the bell for the church. (submitted by Don Keast)
