films films films... today: Federico Fellini
went for a seminar just now on film criticism and yes, this is the Fellini class that i had a lecture for this morning.
first of all, i have to say that Marcello Mastroianni really really looks like an italian version of George Clooney! and we all agree that george clooney is cute. plus Claudia Cardinale is pretty! the two of them acted in I soliti ignoti (1958) and i was pleasantly surprised to see them in serious stuff like Fellini. and Giulietta Masina totally reminds me of Lucille Ball. much as i liked I Love Lucy, she can be a bit too in-my-face for my liking.
anyway, to the point. in fellini's films there is a lot of reference to the catholic church and he criticises them for being false and totalitarian in lots of ways. there was a scene in Nights of Cabiria (1956) where cabiria, a prostitute in search of some meaning in her life, goes to a catholic ritual procession to pray to the madonna (the virgin mary). the camera shows shots of devout followers holding up huge crucifixes and altars and she is so earnest in her prayer for the madonna to show her grace but after it all she becomes disillusioned because she feels that nothing has changed. the scene was very haunting because it was just so wrong that these people are in essence worshipping idols so of course their prayers dont get answered. i remember going to jerusalem and walking into the church of the holy sepulchre and totally feeling uneasy because of all the ornaments and idols and statues. God isnt in any of these figurines and we can never create an image for Him because it can never do justice to His glory. It is no different from the israelites creating the bronze calf and worshipping it because with statues, we look to the statue, not God.
i totally sympathized with guido (a famous film director) in 8 1/2, another fellini film, when he became disillusioned with the catholic church for the punishment he received as a child in a catholic school for associating with a vagrant. the church is supposed to be about grace and mercy, not about condemnation. and how can they call the vagrant, saraghina, the devil? yea she looks freaky but to immediately label her as the devil? what DID she do? maybe if the church showed compassion and accepted her in she have turned out a different person.
thinking about all this in class, i suddenly felt very glad to have grown up knowing the one true God and having such a personal relationship with Him. more and more each day i realise i am truly truly blessed... isnt it amazing?
first of all, i have to say that Marcello Mastroianni really really looks like an italian version of George Clooney! and we all agree that george clooney is cute. plus Claudia Cardinale is pretty! the two of them acted in I soliti ignoti (1958) and i was pleasantly surprised to see them in serious stuff like Fellini. and Giulietta Masina totally reminds me of Lucille Ball. much as i liked I Love Lucy, she can be a bit too in-my-face for my liking.
anyway, to the point. in fellini's films there is a lot of reference to the catholic church and he criticises them for being false and totalitarian in lots of ways. there was a scene in Nights of Cabiria (1956) where cabiria, a prostitute in search of some meaning in her life, goes to a catholic ritual procession to pray to the madonna (the virgin mary). the camera shows shots of devout followers holding up huge crucifixes and altars and she is so earnest in her prayer for the madonna to show her grace but after it all she becomes disillusioned because she feels that nothing has changed. the scene was very haunting because it was just so wrong that these people are in essence worshipping idols so of course their prayers dont get answered. i remember going to jerusalem and walking into the church of the holy sepulchre and totally feeling uneasy because of all the ornaments and idols and statues. God isnt in any of these figurines and we can never create an image for Him because it can never do justice to His glory. It is no different from the israelites creating the bronze calf and worshipping it because with statues, we look to the statue, not God.
i totally sympathized with guido (a famous film director) in 8 1/2, another fellini film, when he became disillusioned with the catholic church for the punishment he received as a child in a catholic school for associating with a vagrant. the church is supposed to be about grace and mercy, not about condemnation. and how can they call the vagrant, saraghina, the devil? yea she looks freaky but to immediately label her as the devil? what DID she do? maybe if the church showed compassion and accepted her in she have turned out a different person.
thinking about all this in class, i suddenly felt very glad to have grown up knowing the one true God and having such a personal relationship with Him. more and more each day i realise i am truly truly blessed... isnt it amazing?
posted by ade at
2:46 pm
1 Comments:
Just because you've seen some films and THINK you know something about the Catholic faith doesn't give you the right to demean it against your own brand of Christianity. Your ONE true God is the very same God that the Catholics pray too. The only difference between you and them are your practices and just berating them when you don't UNDERSTAND their practices just about makes you an ignorant and foolish little girl. Grow up.
By
Anonymous, at 7:42 pm
Post a Comment
<< Home