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Today's Christian, January/February 1998
Reel Love
Movies that portray love as more than romance
by Barbara Curtis
Ah, love! Each February, Valentine's Day lends love a special focus. But for Christians, love can be a celebration every day—and hardly limited to romance.
For the early Christians (and us), Paul described the many facets of love in 1 Corinthians 13. In contemporary America, film is a powerful medium that occasionally portrays true love. A few movies have given us a vision of characteristics of love that echo Scripture. Here are some of the best:
Love is patient, love is kind
Driving Miss Daisy
Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, Dan Ackroyd, 1989.
Even if you saw this Academy Award winner in 1989, like a good friend you will appreciate it more with each visit. Chronicling a quarter century in the life of a cantankerous and aging Southern lady, this story shows how religion, race, and class keep us apart. The steadfast love of a black chauffeur is sweet to behold, and we rejoice when Miss Daisy finally sees it. Rating:
PG.
It does not envy, does not boast, is not proud
Babette's Feast
Swedish, with subtitles, 1987.
Set in a deeply religious and comfortless Swedish village in the late 1800s, this movie tells the story of two sisters who receive, as a servant, a refugee from the 1871 Paris revolt. Through the years, she demonstrates the humility and sacrifice that the people she serves only discuss. Rating: G.
It is not rude, is not self-seeking
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Graham Faulkner, Alec Guiness, 1973.
This stirring movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli portrays the life of Francis of Assisi. His selflessness and boundless love for Christ, as well as for
"the least of these," focuses attention on the need for reformation in the church and in our hearts. Rating: PG.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs
Cry, the Beloved Country
James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, 1996.
In this film, a black minister from a small South African village goes looking for family members astray in the big city. He arrives too late, for while he was searching, his son killed a young white man during a bungled robbery attempt. Ironically, the victim is from the same small village, though apartheid had kept their paths from crossing. That his murdered son was an active champion of black Africans adds to the confusion and despair of the victim's father. In the end, through his son's legacy of unprejudiced love, the father finds peace, healing, and love for his black brothers. Rating: PG-13.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth
The Spitfire Grill
Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, 1996.
Tender and moving, this tale of a spiritually dead, small town in New England portrays the damage done when hearts have grown hard. A newcomer, struggling to overcome a painful past, finds love and healing mixed with mistrust and harsh judgment. In the end, her love helps redeem the town. Rating: PG-13
(some profanity).
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres
Corrina, Corrina
Ray Liotta, Whoopi Goldberg, 1994.
A little girl left motherless stops speaking. Her young father—lonely, stoic, atheistic—has little to offer her. Corrina, hired as a maid, smuggles in a dash of humor and hope. Molly speaks again. Her father, Manny, loves again, and for the first time begins to believe. That Corrina is African-American and Manny's heritage is Jewish adds poignancy to a story set in a flawlessly 1950s culture. Without a single profanity, sex scene, or bit of violence, this movie will capture your heart and emotions. Rating: PG.
These movies run the gamut of settings, historical periods, and emotional tone, yet share a common theme. Through injustice, hypocrisy, evil—even death—love can triumph. As Christians, we know this theme well: Love never fails.
Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
Click here for reprint information.
January/February 1998, Vol. 36, No. 1, Page 87
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