Digesting Films: The Importance of Being Critical
By Dan O., MJ

As Christians, we especially need to train ourselves to watch movies with a critical and active eye. It is well worth spending time thoughtfully digesting the films we see; otherwise, we risk being "swallowed" by what we have seen and heard. As His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, noted:

It is essential that the minds and inclinations of spectators be rightly trained and educated. Thus they will be enabled to practice some mature consideration and judgment on the various items which the film or television screen puts before them and not, as very frequently happens, be lured and arbitrarily swept away by the power of their attraction. If there is lacking this mental training and formation, enlightened by Christian teaching, then neither reasonable pleasures â?|nor the progress of mental training can be kept safe. The sound policy of Catholics who have encouraged, especially in recent years, the need to educate the spectators in this way, is most praiseworthy.
(On Motion Pictures, Radio and Television, Pius XII)

To critically evaluate a film means to avoid superficial reactions. Frequently, viewers are satisfied with a brief assessment such as "I liked it," or "I didn"t enjoy it." Deep critical evaluation implies a systematic analysis of the movie. This includes not only determining which values the film promotes, but also analyzing the elements used by the filmmaker to convey his message: camera work, costumes, dialogue, music, editing, acting, etc.. It is important to remember that films, along with television and radio, are merely media - conduits to transmit information. The messages that are communicated to our minds can be good or bad. But it is not accurate to conclude that, given Hollywood's generally anti-Christian slant, movies are inherently bad:

Those remarkable technical inventions which are the boast of men of our generation, though they spring from human intelligence and industry, are nevertheless the gifts of God, Our Creator, from whom all good gifts proceedâ?|[A]s is clear to all, these new forms of art exercise very great influence on the manner of thinking and acting of individuals of every group of men.
(ibid, Pope Pius XII)

Modern media such as film and television are powerful tools of communication. In fact, there is much truth in what Marshall McLuhan famously observed, that more and more in the modern age, "the medium is the message" because it is the "medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action." (Understanding Media, N. Y., 1964, p. 9) "Each medium, independent of the content it mediates, has its own intrinsic effects which are its unique message."

Thus, both content and form matter in communication and art. In fact, in a true work of art, form should be an organic extension of the content. This is true of poetry, paintings, ballet " and it is also true of films. Notice, for example, in The Passion of the Christ, how the poignant musical score matches very well with Our Lord"s compassionate look toward St. Peter moments after his denial.

So what separates a good film from a bad one? A good film is one that has a message that promotes human or Christian virtues and noble ideals; and in which the formal elements are artistically well done.

If there is a lack in either the content or the form, then the film will fall short. We have all endured watching films about explicitly religious topics which are poorly acted or filmed. And we know all too well the many cases of films which are technically excellent, with good acting, but which promote a bad message, sometimes in a very subtle way. For instance, many Christians enjoy watching A Christmas Story, which is filled with very funny and heart-warming scenes of a middle-class family celebrating Christmas. But, objectively speaking, it is a Christmas without Christ, much in line with the secularizing trend evident in western culture.

A Man for all Seasons, on the other hand, is clearly a film filled with excellent messages promoting faithfulness to conscience, fidelity to the Holy Father, the heroism of martyrdom, etc.. It is also outstanding in its formal aspects. The acting is generally first rate, the costumes historically accurate, the camera work masterful, the music beautifully matched with different scenes, etc.. But a film does not have to be about a saint such as St. Thomas More to be a good film. Stand and Deliver is an example of a movie that is not explicitly religious, but which promotes virtues such as generosity, courage and sacrificial love. The formal elements are also quite good, especially the acting performance of Edward James Olmos in his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the real-life teacher who dedicated himself to helping his inner city math students to pass a difficult calculus exam and thereby gain college credit and a better future.

What, then, is the practical consequence of all this? Well, next time you and your family or friends finish watching a movie, take ten minutes or so to analyze it " to "play the movie critic." Go through basic questions such as... Who were the best actors? How were the costumes and music? Was the camera work meaningful? Was the script well written? Etc., etc. Then conclude by discussing the key question: what were the main messages or ideas the filmmaker was trying to convey? Based on your evaluation of both the form and the content, you will be able to intelligently recommend good films to other people and save them from wasting their time on bad ones. And while this may not look like the full-blown "New Evangelization" called for by recent Popes, it is still a simple way to practice charity, to improve our own education, and to help elevate culture in a way pleasing to the Lord.

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