Friars & Film

The time has come to consider Wes Anderson. His film of 2004, perhaps at the peak of his career, is a springboard to dive deep into a sea of certain life themes: childhood, heaven, and Bill Murray. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Rock n' Roll Suicide" by Seu Jorge.

Join us as we discuss Stanley Kubrick's 1964 dark comedy on the bomb. We also discuss great acting. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn.

Both of them. A discussion of Denis Villeneuve's modern masterpieces side by side. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Desert Rose" by Sting.

A discussion of the 1966 stage-play-turned-film by Mike Nichols, starring Elizabeth Taylor. Topics include: Modern society, alcohol, marriage, divorce. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?" by Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra.

A discussion of Terrence Malick's 2015 critique of Hollywood life in a tapestry of camera, literature, and classical music. Topics include: ancient sources of the film, night life, modern life, nature, searching for a spouse, all things. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan.

Join us as on journey into tales of Vikings and Valkyries as we discuss Robert Egger's 2022 epic film. It is the primitive version of Hamlet, it is highly detailed, and it is cold in the northern lands. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music from the film: "The King" by Robin Carolan & Sebastian Gainsborough.

Join us as we discuss the 2018 film by acclaimed Colombian director Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego. Topics include: family roots, destructive business and drugs, Caribbean locales, and more. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Tonada De Luna Llena" by Natalia Lafourcade.

Join us as we discuss a film of mixed reviews, Stanley Kubrick's 1975 historic and pastoral drama on Continental Europe. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Czech Suite, I. Praeludium Pastorale" by Antonin Dvořák.

A discussion of the 1964 classic by Michael Cacoyannis. Join us on the isle of Crete for a mere half of an hour to discuss virtue and vice. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Ο Χορός Του Ζορμπά" by Mikis Theodorakis.

A discussion of Terrence Malick's 2011 winner of the Palme d'Or. Radiance and gratitude, gratitude and radiance. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Hymn to Dionysus" by Gustav Holst.

A discussion of Walt Disney's 1940 film where Mickey meets classical music. Topics covered include: music itself, liking or not liking symphonies, and all things from the mind of Fr. Luke, a piano performance major from the University of Michigan. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Paul Dukas.

A discussion of Christopher Nolan's new film on the bomb and the man that made it. Listen to hear more of Fr. Luke's odyssey of the soul as a devotee of Nolan and more on Fr. Alan's concerns for civilization. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" by Henryk Górecki.

A discussion of 1953's elaborate advertisement to visit Rome in your free time. A discussion of the phenomenon of the actress that is Audrey Hepburn. Possibly our most metaphysical episode to date. As IMDB describes the film: "A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome." Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "On An Evening In Roma" by Dean Martin.

A discussion of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 film about Moses and the exodus out of Egypt. How true is the movie to the text? Tune in as we finish our trilogy of historic epics on the podcast. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Exodus" by Wojciech Kilar.

A discussion of an absolute classic. Instead of spending four hours of your life on the film, find out all about it here as we discuss: depictions of Christ in film, Civil War fan fiction, the narrative arc of epics, and the protagonist himself Judah Ben-Hur. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Your Long Journey" by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.

A discussion of the 1962 classic by Sir David Lean. Come wander in the desert with us as we discuss elements of the film and the World War I context. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music from the film.

And we're back... our first new episode in seven months. Technical difficulties have been overcome. Join us as we journey to North Africa to a 1990s Trappist monastery in Xavier Beauvois' film which won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Topics include: theology of martyrdom, Muslim-Christian dialogues, and the dialogues of human and divine love. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Alleluia Adorabo" by Choeur des moines de l'abbaye Notre Dame de Fontgombault.

Lost in the vault, this episode has come into the light after many months. Love it or leave it, we're discussing the 1939 classic film, New York State, Coronado Island, and above all the litmus test of each artist evaluating human nature which we all share. If this doesn't make sense, listen in! Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.

Join us as we review Woody Allen's 1989 film, covering themes of New York City, sin, the director himself, and philosophical responses to WWII. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Introitus: Requiem aeternam" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

"Run so as to win," said Paul to the Corinthians. Join us in our review of Hugh Hudson's 1981 film of British runners in training for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Expect to hear about synth, slow motion shots, the sabbath, and a philosophical analysis of sport itself. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: theme from the film.

 Join us on the docks of New Jersey for Elia Kazan's 1954 signature film of a washed-up prize fighter. Topics include Augustine's City of God, the strength of innocence, and an attempt to get at why Marlon Brando is the greatest actor of his generation. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Confession" by Fool Saint.

A discussion of Joel and Ethan Coen's 2007 film based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Topics include violence, its source and mystery. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Man in Black" by Johnny Cash.

A discussion of Joel Coen's new film with Denzel as Macbeth. What more need be said? Topics include: murder, witchcraft, the proper pronunciation of the Bard's name, and the nature of theater. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Crown on the Ground" by Sleigh Bells.

A discussion of Ermanno Olmi's 1978 film of vignettes from rural Lombard life. The style dubbed by one of our hosts as "a poor man's Terrence Malick" film, tune in as we offer a defense of why this movie is worth three hours of your time. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BMV 694" by J.S. Bach.

A discussion of Ridley Scott's 1982 film of humanoid replicants, and Harrison Ford will be the one hunting them down. Themes include artificial intelligence, cool neon vibes, and our quest to define what is a human person. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music from the film.

A discussion of Roberto Rossellini's 1945 film of Italy's occupation during World War II, one of the first of its genre. Themes include grace under fire, priests portrayed in cinema, and mortality. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "On an Evening in Roma" by Dean Martin.

A discussion of the Fritz Lang's 1927 science-fiction film of various images robotic, familial, Marian, even Babel. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" by Sufjan Stevens.

Join us as we discuss Vittorio De Sica's 1948 neorealist film about, yes, a bicycle thief. Other themes: children looking up to their parents, original sin, mob mentality, and the like. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Put The Blame On Mame" by Rita Hayworth.

Our Fellini foray is here finished. We try to tackle his two greatest films and find ourselves limited. Follow us to the early 1960s as we cover nearly 6 hours of film, tracking the decline of journalist Marcello Rubini and that of the director himself. Other themes include: Biblical fish, serial adultery, and self-absorbed artists. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Experimental Film" by They Might Be Giants.

Pope Francis' favorite film is Federico Fellini's 1954 story of a clown who with dignity and grace navigates her life on the road. We discuss mid century Italian life and the danger of living a life of perhaps too much comedy. We are joined by another guest, Joseph McHenry. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "E' bella la strada" by Claudio Chieffo.

A discussion of John Ford's 1939 film, self-described as "a powerful story of 9 strange people." We discuss the western genre, the concept of home, and John Wayne's faith. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Rawhide" by Frankie Laine.

Maybe you saw Christopher Nolan's most recent film and had no idea what happened. We reveal all secrets here. Listen for more. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Floating on Air" by Spa Music.

Luxury, revolution, matchmaking, and the strong ocean currents of Sicily. Join us for a discussion of Luchino Visconti's 1963 film, an adaptation of the earlier novel by Lampedusa. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Mamba Italiano" by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

For everyone interested in more Swedish drama films, this is the one for you. Join us as we discuss our second Ingmar Bergman film and once again look death in the face. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles.

A discussion of the1922 silent vampire film by F.W. Murnau. This edition should delight and inform the average movie viewer, while perhaps frustrating true Stoker scholars of this field. It is a field in which we are not experts. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Nosferatu" by Blue Oyster Cult.

Our third time covering Terrence Malick, here in his early 1978 film on migrant workers. You can see Richard Gere harvesting wheat in the Texas Panhandle, echoing the story of Abraham and Sara, all shot in natural light and very often at dusk. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: suite from the film by Ennio Morricone.

A discussion of Martin Scorsese's 2016 film on Jesuit missionaries to Japan. Based on an earlier novel by Shūsaku Endō, we discuss themes of colonialism, courage before death, whether Star Wars and Spiderman actors were a good choice as priests, and whether the film's theology is snuff with that of the Church. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "You Know How I Do" by Taking Back Sunday.

Search for paradise with us in Terrence Malick's 1998 film on the Guadalcanal campaign. The director, as always, has various musings: war in nature and in men, the animal kingdom, the inner philosopher in each man, and our inevitable task of facing death. It is also Jim Caviezel's first film, flanked by a celebrity cast of just about any actor you can name, besides Tom Hanks who was busy with Saving Private Ryan. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Jisas Yu Holem Hand Blong Mi" by Melanesian Choir and Hans Zimmer.

Be prepared to face human nature as such, as we discuss Andrei Tarkovsky's 1966 classic on the Middle Ages, the power of sweeping visuals, the texture of mud, the place of artists in society, and the mortal condition, i.e. we will all die one day. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Final Teleutaion Antiphon Before the Entrance" by Cappella Romana.

A return to the Dutch filmmaker, Carl Theodor Dreyer, and his 1955 film on three brothers, crazed prophets, and the possibility of miracles. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "The Word" by The Beatles.

A discussion of the1963 film for which Sidney Poitier won Best Actor at the Academy Awards. The story of a migrant worker, traveling through rural Arizona and then taken in by Catholic German nuns, is based on a William Edmund Barrett novel of the same name. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Amen" from the film itself.

A discussion of George Seaton's 1947 Christmas film, set in Macy's, and igniting yet again the great Santa question: should we tell children of him or not? Find the final answer in this very episode. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole. 

A discussion of Carol Reed's 1949 noir film set in postwar Vienna, where a American western novelist turns detective to solve his friend's murder. Names as big as Graham Greene and Orson Welles! A mystery film to thrill all ages! Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "The Third Man Theme" by The Band. 

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. 1942. No explanation necessary. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "As Time Goes By" by Dooley Wilson.

A discussion of Philip Gröning's 2007 documentary on the monks of the Grande Chartreuse. One of the most hidden religious communities in the world, they replied to his letter after 16 years, granting him 6 months access to film within cloister walls. Wait until the right contemplative mood to watch this film. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum.

A discussion of Maurice Cloche's 1947 film on St. Vincent de Paul, his work as father to the poor and galvanizing help from the higher-ups. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Vincent" (not de Paul) by Don McLean.

A discussion of Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 film on the final days of medieval Europe's best-documented female saint. Involves: wide eyes, wicked theologians, and slowly panning cameras. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Poets and Mirros" by Hope & Justin.

A discussion of Roberto Rossellini's 1952 film and its not-so-stellar depiction of the saint from Assisi. Notwithstanding, of course, a few good takeaways. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music from the film.

A discussion of Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film about industry, love, and being an artist. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Smile" by Nat King Cole.

A discussion of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film about human origins, human futures, and zero-gravity jogging. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.

A discussion of Terrence Malick's 2019 film about conscience, heaven, the Alps, and Franz Jägerstätter. Intro music: "Magne Pater" by Dominican Schola Cantorum. Outro music: "Salve Regina" by Arvo Pärt.