The Fifty Best Catholic Movies of all Time.
This list was released in 1997 © Crisis. The list was compiled by William Park and appeared in Crisis (March 1997). William Park teaches literature and film at Sarah Lawrence College.
From William Park: The best religious films, and therefore the best Catholic films, convey the great truths of Christianity implicitly rather than explicitly. This list consists primarily of films that deal with Catholic characters, Catholic society, and the Bible in ways that are not hostile to the Church. Most of them were made by Catholic directors. Commentary on the list can be found here .
3 Godfathers (1948)
Age of Innocence, The (1993)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Assisi Underground, The (1985)
Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987)
Bachelor Mother (1939)
Banshun (1949)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Casablanca (1942)
Champ, The (1931)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
City Lights (1931)
El Cid (1961)
Going My Way (1944)
Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Ikiru (1952)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Journal d'un Cure de Campagne (1951)
La Grande Illusion (1937)
La Última Cena (1976)
Ladri di Biciclette (1948)
Ma Nuit Chez Maud (1969)
Man for All Seasons, A (1966)
Miracle Worker, The (1962)
North by Northwest (1959)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Pickpocket (1959)
Pinocchio (1940)
Quiet Man, The (1952)
Quiz Show (1994)
Roma, Citta Aperta (1945)
Sign of the Cross, The (1932)
Song of Bernadette, The (1943)
Trois Couleurs: (1993, 1994, 1994) 1
Un Condamné à Mort s'est échappé (1956)
Vertigo (1958)
Viaggio in Italia (1953)
You Can't Take It With You (1938)
1 only 'Blue' (the first film in the trilogy) was originally listed.
Please note: there are only 45 films on the list.
Images in the header are from: Antwone Fisher (© Fox Searchlight, 2002); Stand by Me (© Columbia Pictures, 1986); Jesus of Nazareth (© ITV (1977); The Passion of The Christ (© Newmarket Films, 2004); Rabbit-proof Fence (© Buena Vista, 2002); Amazing Grace (© Bristol Bay Productions, 2006) and Il Postino (© Cecchi Gori Group, 1994).
