|
An interesting
aspect of Navis Pictures is the Catholic view of its director, Jim Morlino, of how movies can
be beneficial:
The arts
comprise a hugely influential component of our culture. If we can
inspire one child to take up a career in those arts, and to create
stunning beauty so as to lift men’s souls toward God, and in doing so
glorify Him, we will have succeeded. To that end we are creating a new
genre of film: Children’s Cinema.
In a tribute to
the actors in The War of the Vendee, he exclaims:
This film
features stunning performances by an exuberant cast of over 250 young
people, and will inspire audiences of all ages with its timeless
themes of courage, faith, and love.
And continuing in a terse
vignette, he beautifully describes the film’s historical background,
inspiration and object:
In 1793, after
enduring three and a half years of mounting persecution of the Church
by the architects of the French Revolution, a small band of faithful
peasants and nobles began a Catholic "counter-revolution". This is the
largely unknown story of the valiant, six year struggle of the people
of a small section of western France, to restore their Holy Religion
and their King. Steeped in the influence of St. Louis de Montfort, and
wearing their rosaries and emblems of the Sacred Heart, their
sacrifices resulted in countless martyrdoms, and ultimately won the
restoration of religious freedom for all of France. This film is a
love-letter to the Vendean people, and was produced to honor the
memory of these brave men and women who willingly sacrificed their
lives, "for God and King".
Thus it is with
great satisfaction that Americans can read from a French blog,
Riposte Catholique, this remarkable admission concerning the
film's efforts:
…upon
discovering the trailer of a wonderful movie, really, only Americans
can dare to do... It's called The War of the Vendee, Vendee
War.
It was a war
that lasted until 1799―the first “total war” in modern
times―nevertheless one that remains rather unknown, despite being
well-documented. Much of this general ignorance stems from the French
government’s continual refusal to acknowledge its existence,
particularly in the school’s history books. The press has also
contributed by imposing a “media blackout” on the subject―for example,
when the famed Russian gulag author, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, assisted
in 1993 at the dedication of a monument at Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne to
the heroic Catholic defenders, the event passed virtually unreported.
And despite
having previously beatified several Vendeans as martyrs in 1984, when
Pope John Paul II urged the French youth to follow the example of the
Martyrs of the Vendee, very few knew what he was referring to―an
incident related by Michael Davies in the foreword of his excellent
book, For Altar and Throne: The Rising in the Vendee.
Hopefully this
film will not only increase awareness of this incredible defense of
the Faith in the Vendee, but furthermore inspire the younger
generations to have a greater devotion to the Kingship of Christ which
will overflow into more efforts for Catholic expression through the
audio-visual arts.
|
