Vatican's list of films

In 1995, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications released Alcuni film importanti (Some Important Films), a list of 45 films divided into the categories of religion, values, and art. These films were recommended for viewing by Pope John Paul II and John Patrick Foley.

Compilation

The Pontifical Council for Social Communications released a list of 45 films to mark the centennial of Auguste and Louis Lumière's display of their films. These 45 films were divided into the categories of religion, values, and art. This list was released under the title Alcuni film importanti (Some Important Films). President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications John Patrick Foley, president of the Vatican Film Library Enrique Planas, and twelve experts on film, movie librarians, and academics compiled the list. Pope John Paul II recommended that these films be watched.

Analysis

Foley stated that this list showed that great films could be made without pandering to violent or pornographic elements. He stated that the Church wanted viewers to be more critical of films rather than passively consuming them.

The list features films that contain elements critical of religion and the Catholic Church. The Mission features missionaries being undermined by a church leader. Franco Zeffirelli was critical of the list for not including any of his films.

Florent Cardon, writing for Aleteia, proposed that the Vatican should update the list for 2025, and include films like A Hidden Life and Of Gods and Men.

List

Title	Year	Category	Ref(s)
				2001: A Space Odyssey	1968	Art
8½	1963	Art
Andrei Rublev	1966	Religion
Au revoir les enfants	1987	Values
Ben-Hur	1959	Religion
Babette's Feast	1987	Religion
The Burmese Harp	1956	Values
Bicycle Thieves	1948	Values
Chariots of Fire	1981	Values
Citizen Kane	1941	Art
Dekalog	1989	Values
Dersu Uzala	1975	Values
Fantasia	1940	Art
The Flowers of St. Francis	1950	Religion
Francesco	1989	Religion
Gandhi	1982	Values
The Gospel According to St. Matthew	1964	Religion
La Grande Illusion	1937	Art
Intolerance	1916	Values
It's a Wonderful Life	1946	Values
The Lavender Hill Mob	1951	Art
The Leopard	1963	Art
Little Women	1933	Art
A Man for All Seasons	1966	Religion
Metropolis	1927	Art
The Mission	1986	Religion
Modern Times	1936	Art
Monsieur Vincent	1947	Religion
Napoléon	1927	Art
Nazarín	1959	Religion
Nosferatu	1922	Art
On the Waterfront	1954	Values
Ordet	1955	Religion
The Passion of Joan of Arc	1928	Religion
Rome, Open City	1945	Values
The Sacrifice	1986	Religion
Schindler's List	1993	Values
The Seventh Seal	1957	Values
Stagecoach	1939	Art
La Strada	1954	Art
Thérèse	1986	Religion
The Tree of Wooden Clogs	1978	Values
Vie et Passion du Christ	1903	Religion
Wild Strawberries	1957	Values
The Wizard of Oz	1939	Art

Works cited

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