What if we asked you this question: What is one of your favourite films of all time, and why? Well, that’s exactly what we asked Fr. James Martin, Naomi Shihab Nye, Brian Doerksen, Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, and Tom Jackson – and we loved their very different responses. We hope you will, too!
James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, editor-at-large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and author of many books including Jesus: A Pilgrimage; The Jesuit Guide, and Building a Bridge. You can follow him on Twitter at @JamesMartinSJ.
“My favorite movie changes every few days. Some days I think it’s Lawrence of Arabia, the movie I’ve watched perhaps more times than any other; other days I think it’s Out of Africa, which appeals to someone like me who worked for two years in Kenya; and more recently I think it’s Grand Budapest Hotel, with its Christ-figure of “Monsieur Gustave.” But lately I’ve been thinking that my favorite film is a recent one, which you may not have seen or even heard of: Good Ol’ Freda, from 2013.
It’s an incredible documentary about the longtime president of the Beatles’s fan club, Freda Kelly. Ms. Kelly was chosen for that job when she was “just seventeen,” to borrow a line from one of the Beatles’ songs. Essentially, she was with the Beatles from the very beginnings of their career as a local Liverpool band in the early 60s, until the breakup of the Fab Four in the early 70s. Her memories will astonish you: especially her tale of playfully requiring John Lennon to go down on his knees and apologize to her for a slight. (He did.) But the reason this movie is my new favorite is that it is a profound meditation on humility. Freda Kelly has never before told her story, never profited from it in any way, and never even filled in many of her friends on her remarkable past. When asked onscreen by the interviewer if she dated John, Paul, George or Ringo, which could have made for a juicy story, the still self-effacing woman just smiles, and says, “Pass. That’s personal.”
And what is she doing today? She’s a secretary, still, making a living. Rather than selling off all of her Beatles memorabilia, which could have made her a wealthy woman – something she frankly acknowledges – she gave it away to the other “Beatles People,” i.e., fans, in the early 70s after the band’s painful breakup. I’ve watched Good Ol’ Freda five times now, and every time I’m moved by this woman’s quiet humility. She’s way beyond compare, if you know what I mean.”
Trailer for Good Ol’ Freda (2:32):
A self-described “wandering poet”, Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Palestinian father and an American mother. She has lived in Ramallah in Jordan, the Old City in Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she currently resides. In her writing, she has been inspired by her experiences as an Arab-American, as well as by richness and diversity of the people and places she has encountered. She has written several poetry collections, as well as essays and novels. Her many honors include four Pushcart Prizes, a Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, a Paterson Poetry Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Fellowship. You can read some of her wonderful work on the Poetry Foundation website.
“I would like to recommend The Cats of Mirikitani, directed by the astonishing Linda Hattendorf, made in 2007. This fascinating documentary feels even more moving in 2018 than when I first saw it. My mom and I viewed around 22 films (some very short) at a Dallas documentary film festival in 2-3 days in 2007, but this is the one that stayed with us most profoundly.
I think everybody should see it. Though Jimmy Mirikitani, beautiful star of the film, died in 2012, his message about making art, not war, and treating each other with respect, lives on, and is desperately needed. All high schools, universities and White House corridors should show this film. Perfect for peace and justice courses. Perfect for spiritual retreats.”
Trailer for The Cats of Mirikitani (1:50):
Brian Doerksen is a JUNO award-winning recording artist, and writer of such beloved songs as ‘Come, Now is the Time to Worship,’ ‘Faithful One’ and ‘Refiner’s Fire’. Since 2013 he has been a part of the band ‘The SHIYR Poets’, and he also teaches songwriting in the Music & Worship Arts program at Prairie College in Alberta. Brian released a new collection of original songs in 2017 on his latest album GRATEFUL, which you can check out at briandoerksen.com
“I have screened Alive Inside several times to aspiring songwriters and musicians and watched the shine of wonder in their eyes and the tears on their cheeks. This film powerfully reminds us musicians and songwriters of the unique opportunity we have to stock up people’s memory banks, their ‘back up hard drives’, in a way that can be drawn upon when suffering strikes in our latter years. The songs we learn and love in our youth remain in our memories and are the last things to fail. When people suffer from conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, they often lose the ability to communicate with their loved ones. Alive Inside demonstrates how music can help reawaken parts of their brain, which not only brings the suffering person pleasure, but helps them communicate again with the ones who are caring for them. Music becomes the key which unlocks the door from both sides.
It reminds me of a thank you note we received a few years ago from a couple who had been kidnapped. In their months of imprisonment they created a ‘Captivity Hymnal’, a collection of songs that they knew by heart, because these songs in their memory were all they had with them to keep their spirits up while they waited for their ordeal to end. A number of the songs just happened to be songs that I had written, so they wrote to say thank you. This illustrates the vital connection between music and memory which Alive Inside so poignantly shows us. I highly recommend that you watch this film. It will move you and inspire you, and I encourage everyone who knows someone who is elderly and struggling with their memories to connect that person with their favourite music from their youth and watch what happens.”
Trailer for Alive Inside (2:17):
Rabbi Elyse Goldstein is spiritual leader of City Shul Congregation, a Reform Synagogue in downtown Toronto. She was the first woman to be elected as president of the interdenominational Toronto Board of Rabbis, and is the founder of Kolel, the Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning. Rabbi Goldstein is a community activist and a popular public speaker and guest lecturer. She has written four books: ReVisions: Seeing Torah through a Feminist Lens; The Women’s Torah Commentary; The Women’s Haftarah Commentary; and New Jewish Feminism: Probing the Past, Forging the Future.
“When I saw the Pixar film Inside Out, I could not stop thinking about it. There are 100 sermons in that film—actually the film is, in essence, one big sermon. A seemingly innocent “children’s movie,” the premise is simple: we get a peek inside the mind of an 11-year old girl to meet her emotions: disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and anger. Throughout the film we see how those emotions battle each other, how they end up working together, and how, in the end, the girl’s life is put back together when her parents acknowledge that her feelings of sadness are real, valid, and shared. The “morality message” of the film is clear: we will have—nay, we even need— some sadness in our lives so that others reach out to us in empathy and love, and so that we ourselves grow and change.
During the film there is a clever use of “core memories”— pictured as small rolling balls— that help bring joy to the 11 year old. But interestingly, when sadness touches one of the core memories, it doesn’t shatter or even disappear. It is also collected into the storehouse of memory and that core experience, touched by sadness, becomes part of who we are. That piece of the film made me think of my mother Terry who suffered “two deaths,” the first when Alzheimer’s robbed her of those core memories, and the second her actual physical passing. The loss of my mom reflected the duality I speak of above, as she had a very joyous and successful life although her last years were agonizing for us. And while I was very sad, I received much joy from the comfort of friends and family, as well as from the strong and beautiful life she lived. It was the embodiment of joy and sadness intermingling—I’d say even cooperating.”
Trailer for Inside Out (2:36):
Tom Jackson is an actor and musician, well known for his extensive charitable work – in particular, his long-running Huron Carole Christmastime concert tours for Canadian food banks. He was born on the One Arrow Reserve in Saskatchewan, and now lives in Calgary. Tom is currently an Ambassador for the Red Cross. He was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000, received the 2007 Juno Humanitarian Award, and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2014. His latest album, The Essential–Tom Jackson is a retrospective of original music spanning 30 years. Learn more at tomjackson.ca
“Christmas is and always has been a special time of year for me. There’s just something about Christmas that touches me, very deeply. So it might not be a surprise that one of my favourite movies of all time is Miracle on 34th Street, because it tells the story of an elder (Santa) whose vision is to give love, and whose message breaks through to the world through the eyes of a child. It always reminds me that we need to respect and preserve the wisdom of our elders, and see their guidance as a blessing and a treasure.”
Trailer for Miracle on 34th Street (1:05):
Note: The above films are often available for loan from public libraries.
The Cats of Mirikitani is featured on the online Video Gallery of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (Dalzell Lance Campus) – you can view it here.
