{"id":593,"date":"2011-05-05T13:17:35","date_gmt":"2011-05-05T17:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=593"},"modified":"2011-05-05T13:27:44","modified_gmt":"2011-05-05T17:27:44","slug":"there-be-dragons-and-the-true-story-of-opus-dei-plus-sing-to-your-baby-and-headlines-starring-michael-moore-steven-tyler-and-norma-mccorvey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2011\/05\/there-be-dragons-and-the-true-story-of-opus-dei-plus-sing-to-your-baby-and-headlines-starring-michael-moore-steven-tyler-and-norma-mccorvey.html","title":{"rendered":"“There Be Dragons” and the true story of Opus Dei; Plus “Sing to Your Baby and headlines starring Michael Moore, Steven Tyler and Norma McCorvey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Movie Review:\u00a0 There Be Dragons<\/em> tells a riveting story of the Catholic Church literally under fire.<\/strong>
\nSynopsis: A journalist working on a biography of\u00a0 the late Spanish priest (and Opus Dei founder) Josemar\u00eda Escriv\u00e1<\/a> as he is considered canonization <\/em>discovers a disconcerting story involving his own father. In a fictionalized saga revealed to the audience through flashback, he learns that his estranged dying father knew Escriv\u00e1 as a young man — and of the strikingly different paths their lives took during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930’s.\u00a0 Their diverging and, ironically, converging journeys serve both to tell a story of a Catholic Church literally under fire and as a parable on the healing power of forgiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n

This excellent movie, especially when considered alongside the recent Of Gods and Men<\/em><\/a>, suggests that films offering positive views of religious faith (and even the Catholic Church) are making a bit of a comeback in the movie industry.\u00a0 If nothing else, There Be Dragons<\/em> serves up a far less sinister view of Opus Dei<\/a> (Latin for “Work of God”<\/a>) than, say, The Da Vinci Code<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 I can tell you that the English-language movie is masterfully written and directed by Roland Joff\u00e9<\/a> and features strong performances all around, particularly by Charlie Cox<\/a> (as the real-life Escriv\u00e1<\/em>) and Wes Bentley<\/a> (as his fictional friend\/antagonist Manolo).<\/p>\n

As for the film’s accuracy, I decided to seek the perspective of Brian Finnerty, the U.S. media relations director for Opus Dei.\u00a0 Like me, he liked the movie but, unlike me, he brought a wealth of knowledge and understanding about its subject to the viewing of it.<\/p>\n

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To Finnerty the movie is “a wonderful reminder that the Church is blessed with many good and holy priests.”<\/em> He is particularly pleased at the timing of its release — less than a week after the beatification of Pope John Paul II.<\/p>\n

He notes that writer\/director Joff\u00e9 (who he has not met) describes himself as “a wobbly agnostic”<\/em> but has created a film that depicts the Catholic faith in a positive light and finds something deeply attractive in the personal struggle of\u00a0 a saint.<\/p>\n

Finnerty says that, while Joff\u00e9 is quoted as saying that he doesn’t view his movie as a Catholic answer to The Da Vinci Code<\/em>, he (Finnerty) would encourage anyone who has read that book or seen Ron Howard’s movie adaptation of it to see There Be Dragons<\/em> which he describes as “an artistic representation that is very well grounded in truth.” <\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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View the film’s trailer here<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Here’s a profile of\u00a0 Josemar\u00eda Escriv\u00e1 produced by Opus Dei.<\/div>\n
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