Saturday Night at the Movies: Now Playing

Revival

Apologies for the light posting; family vacation. New non-cinematic content coming early next week!

A first, and more than likely a last, here at our movie night: I’m recommending a movie you can see in theatres right now.

Jesus Revolution is, oddly, not a message movie. It’s not even particularly pro-Christian, nor is it anti-Christian. What it is, is a seemingly pitch-perfect portrayal of a fascinating moment in recent American history. I say seemingly because I wasn’t there, but people who were, even those at theological odds with the movie’s stars, say that it is an accurate time capsule of the “scene.” The scene at hand being California in the late 60s, overrun by hippies, drugs, and sex – and the efforts of a few Christian leaders to bring those lost sheep to their Shepherd.

Regardless of one’s opinions of contemporary Christian music (which has its origins in this time period), charismatic movements, or filthy hippies, the movie does prompt much thought about the best (and worst) ways to reach out to a lost generation. As Pastor Wilson puts it in one of the above links, “movie is a good reminder of how a sovereign God can work with the most unlikely materials.”

If you can only see one contemporary Christian movie, make it The Most Reluctant Convert, because CS Lewis can’t be beat. But if you have room for one more, and want to know where “Jesus freaks” came from, this one is worth your time.

Since I view my purpose here not as advertising today’s films but bringing your attention to ones from yesterday, allow me to suggest two classic movies to go along with Jesus Revolution:

-          Elmer Gantry. One of my rules in life is to always watch any movie with Burt Lancaster in it. His screen presence cannot be overstated. My favorite is his role as the all-powerful gossip columnist bossing Tony Curtis around in The Sweet Smell of Success, but Elmer Gantry is definitely a role worth watching.

-          The Miracle Woman. One of my other rules in life is to always watch any movie with Barbara Stanwyck in it. This is not one you’ll hear about often, or perhaps ever again, but it’s directed by Frank Capra (!), based on the famous evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, and is must-see-viewing for anyone interested in the cinematic portrayal of the flawed figures behind America’s religious revivals.

Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoy!