 | 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) |
|
