We often read of Hollywood's distaste for traditional religion and are irritated by the stereotypes they often present of people of faith. Yet there are occasionally films made - though not always by "Hollywood" - which present Christians in a realistic and favorable fashion, sometimes explicitly and sometimes in a more understated way.
I've tried to think of some examples that I've seen over the years and the following list is what I've come up with. I've limited the list to non-fantasy and thus have not included the Narnia films (e.g. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian), and I've not included films based on the Biblical narrative such as The Passion of the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, etc.
Here's my list:
- The Mission
- Saints and Soldiers
- The Scarlet and the Black
- Chariots of Fire
- Amazing Grace
- Romero
- The Big Kahuna*
- Luther
- End of the Spear
- The Apostle
- Facing the Giants
My friend Byron suggests some further possibilities:
- Babette's Feast
- The Hiding Place
- Joni
- Long Walk Home
- Remember the Titans
- To End All Wars*
- Matewan
- Entertaining Angels
* indicates an R-rating
I'm sure that there are many other films that we've overlooked so recommendations from readers would be welcome. You can send them along via our Feedback function.
RLC