A&F 100: Spiritually Significant Films (2004-2006)

Another edition of the Arts & Faith list of 100 spiritually significant films is gearing up. We're in the nominating phase until January 30, voting will take place until the middle of February, and we'll announce the new hundred right around the time of the Academy Awards. Much fun! I put the first one together back in 2004 - as well as being a lot of fun, I saw it as a way to find films to write about in my Soul Food Movies book. A&F webmaster Alan Thomas engineered the next two, and now that the conversation board is under the aegis of IMAGE journal, some of their staff are playing midwife on this one. I like the fact that the approach and methodology keep adjusting, just as the A&F membership keeps shifting and evolving, ensuring that each of the lists has a different character.

The various versions have yielded an intriguing mix of films, ranging from high art by the masters of spiritual cinema - Tarkovsky, Bresson, Rossellini, Bergman, the Dardenne brothers - to straight up pop movies with explicit or implicit spiritual/Christian resonance - The Matrix, Signs, Groundhog Day - as well as plenty of world cinema and indie film in between. There are selections that baffle me, and omissions that rankle me, but hey - that's the fun of a list. Qualms and quibbles apart, it makes a darn fine departure point for a grand tour of Soul Food film.

Here's a list of the 145 titles which have made the list at least once.


13 Conversations About One Thing (2001, USA, Sprecher) 2004, 2005, 2006
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, USA, Kubrick) 2004, 2005
The Addiction (1995, USA, Ferrara) 2004, 2005, 2006
After Life ("Wandafuru raifu" 1998, Japan, Koreeda) 2006
Amadeus (1984, USA, Forman) 2004, 2005
American Beauty (1999, USA, Mendes) 2004
Andrei Rublev (1969, USSR, Tarkovsky) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Apostle (1997, USA, Duvall) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Apu Trilogy ("Pather Panchali / Aparajito / Apur Sansar" 1955/1956/1959, India, Ray) 2005, 2006
l'Argent ("Money" 1983, France, Bresson) 2006
Au Hasard Balthazar (1966, France/Sweden, Bresson) 2004, 2005, 2006
Autumn Afternoon ("Sanma no aji" 1962, Japan, Ozu) 2005
Babette's Feast ("Babettes gaestebud" 1987, Denmark, Axel) 2004, 2005, 2006
Bad Lieutenant (1992, USA, Ferrara) 2004
Becket (1964, UK/USA, Glenville) 2005, 2006
The Believer (2001, USA, Bean) 2005
The Bicycle Thief ("Ladri di biciclette" 1948, Italy, De Sica) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Big Kahuna (1999, USA, Swanbeck) 2004, 2005, 2006
Black Robe (1991, Canada/Australia, Beresford) 2006
Blade Runner (1982, USA, Scott) 2004
Breaking The Waves (1996, Denmark/etc, von Trier) 2004, 2005, 2006
Changing Lanes (2002, USA, Michell) 2004
Chariots of Fire (1981, UK, Hudson) 2004, 2005, 2006
Close-Up ("Nema-ye Nazkid, 1990, Iran, Kiarostami) 2004, 2005, 2006
Code Unknown ("Code inconnu" 2000, France/Germany/Romania, Michael Haneke) 2004
Cries & Whispers ("Viskningar och rop" 1972, Sweden, Bergman) 2005, 2006
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989, USA, Allen) 2004, 2006
Day of Wrath ("Vredens Dag" 1943, Denmark, Dreyer) 2004, 2005, 2006
Days of Heaven (1978, USA, Malick) 2004
Dead Man Walking (1995, USA, Robbins) 2004, 2005, 2006

Decalogue ("Dekalog" 1989, Poland, Kieslowski) 2004, 2005, 2006
Dersu Uzala (1975, USSR/Japan, Kurosawa) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Diary of a Country Priest ("Journal d'un cure de campagne" 1950, France, Bresson) 2004, 2005, 2006
Dogma (1999, USA, Smith) 2004
Dogville (2003, Denmark/Sweden/USA/UK/etc, von Trier) 2004, 2005, 2006
La Dolce Vita ("The Sweet Life" 1960, Italy/France, Fellini) 2004
The Elephant Man (1980, USA, Lynch) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, USA, Gondry) 2004, 2005
Europa 51 ("The Greatest Love" 1952, Italy, Rossellini) 2005
Faust (1926, Germany, Murnau) 2005, 2006
Fearless (1993, USA, Weir) 2004, 2006
Fiddler On The Roof (1971, USA, Jewison) 2006
Fight Club (1999, USA, Fincher) 2004
The Flowers of St Francis ("Francesco, giullare di Dio" 1950, Italy, Rossellini) 2005, 2006
The Gospel According to St. Matthew ("Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo" 1966, Italy, Pasolini) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Gospel of John (2003, Canada/UK, Philip Saville) 2005, 2006
Grand Canyon (1991, USA, Kasdan) 2004
The Green Ray ("Le rayon vert" AKA "Summer" 1986, France, Rohmer) 2006
Groundhog Day (1993, USA, Ramis) 2004,
Hell House (2001, USA, Ratliff) 2004, 2006
Henry V (1989, UK, Branagh) 2004
The Hiding Place (1975, USA, Collier) 2005, 2006
Hotel Rwanda (2004, USA/UK/Italy/South Africa, George) 2005, 2006
Ikiru (1952, Japan, Kurosawa) 2004, 2005, 2006
In America (2002, Ireland/UK, Sheridan) 2005
It's A Wonderful Life (1946, USA, Capra) 2004, 2005, 2006
Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring ("Manon des sources" 1986, France/Switzerland/Italy, Berri) 2004, 2005, 2006
Jesus Of Montreal (1989, Canada, Arcand) 2004, 2005, 2006
Jesus Of Nazareth (1977, UK/Italy, Zeffirelli) 2004, 2005, 2006
Koyaanisqatsi ("Life Out Of Balance" 1982, USA, Reggio) 2006

The Last Days of Disco (1998, USA, Stillman) 2004
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, USA, Scorsese) 2004, 2005, 2006
Late Spring ("Banshun" 1949, Japan, Ozu) 2005
Life Is Beautiful ("La Vita e bella" 1997, Italy, Benigni) 2004, 2005
The Life Of Brian (199, UK, Jones) 2004
Lilies Of The Field (1963, USA, Nelson) 2005, 2006
The Lord Of The Rings (2001/2002/2003, New Zealand / USA, Jackson) 2004, 2005
Luther (2003, Germany, Till) 2005, 2006
Magnolia (1999, USA, Anderson) 2004, 2005, 2006
A Man Escaped ("Un condamne a mort s'est echappe" 1956, France, Bresson) 2004, 2005, 2006
A Man For All Seasons (1966, UK, Zinnemann) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Man Without A Past ("Mies vailla menneisyytta" 2002, Finland, Kaurismaki) 2004
The Matrix (1999, Australia/USA, Wachowski) 2004
Millions (2004, UK, Boyle) 2005, 2006
The Miracle Maker (2000, UK/USSR, Hayes & Sokolov) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Mirror ("Zerkalo" 1974, Russia, Tarkovsky) 2004, 2005, 2006
Les Miserables (1998, UK/Germany/USA, August) 2005, 2006
The Mission (1986, UK, Joffe) 2004, 2005, 2006
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (AKA "Father Damien", "Molokai: The Forbidden Island" 1999, Belgium/Netherlands/Australia, Cox) 2006
A Moment of Innocence ("Nun va Goldoon" 1996, Iran, Makhmalbaf) 2006
Most ("The Bridge" 2003, USA / Czech Republic, Garabedian) 2006
My Night At Maud's ("Ma nuit chez maud" 1969, France, Rohmer) 2004, 2005, 2006
Nazarin (1958, Mexico, Bunuel) 2005, 2006
The Night Of The Hunter (1955, USA, Charles Laughton) 2004, 2005, 2006
Nostalgia ("Nostalghia" 1983, Italy/France/Soviet Union, Tarkovsky) 2005
Not Of This World ("Fuori dal mondo" 1999, Italy, Piccioni) 2004, 2005, 2006
On The Waterfront (1954, USA, Kazan) 2004
Open City ("Roma, Citta Aperta" 1946, Italy, Rossellini) 2004, 2005, 2006
Ordet ("The Word" 1955, Denmark, Dreyer) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Passion Of Joan of Arc ("Le Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" 1928, France, Dreyer) 2004, 2005, 2006

The Passion of the Christ (2004, USA, Gibson) 2004, 2005, 2006
Peter and Paul (1981, USA, Day) 2004, 2005, 2006
Pickpocket (1959, France, Bresson) 2005
Places In The Heart (1984, USA, Benton) 2006
Ponette (1996, France, Doillon) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Prince Of Egypt (1998, USA, Chapman / Hickner / Wells) 2004
La Promesse ("The Promise" 1996, Belgium, Dardenne) 2004, 2005, 2006
Punch-Drunk Love (2002, USA, Anderson) 2004
Rashomon (1950, Japan, Kurosawa) 2005
Romero (1989, USA, Duigan) 2005, 2006
Rosetta (1999, Belgium, Dardenne) 2005, 2006
The Sacrifice ("Offret" 1986, Sweden, Tarkovsky) 2004, 2005, 2006
Sansho The Bailiff ("Sansho Dayu" 1954, Japan, Mizoguchi) 2004, 2005, 2006
Schindler's List (1993, USA, Spielberg) 2004, 2005, 2006
Secrets and Lies (1996, UK/France, Leigh) 2004, 2006
The Seventh Seal ("Det sjunde inseglet" 1956, Sweden, Bergman) 2004, 2005, 2006
Shadowlands (1993, UK, Attenborough) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, USA, Darabont) 2004, 2005
Signs (2002, USA, Shyamalan) 2004
The Silence ("Tystnaden" 1963, Sweden, Bergman) 2005
The Sixth Sense (1999, USA, Shyamalan) 2004
Solaris (1972, USSR, Tarkovsky) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Son ("Le fils" 2002, Belgium, Dardenne) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Song of Bernadette (1943, USA, King) 2006
Songs From The Second Floor ("Sanger fran andra vaningen" 2000, Sweden/Norway/Denmark, Andersson) 2004
Stalker ("Сталке" 1979, USSR/Germany, Tarkovsky) 2004, 2005, 2006
Star Wars (1977, USA, Lucas) 2004
Stevie (2002, USA, James) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Straight Story (1999, USA, Lynch) 2004, 2005, 2006
Stromboli (1949, Italy, Rossellini) 2006

Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927, USA, Murnau) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Sweet Hereafter (1997, Canada, Egoyan) 2004, 2006
A Taste Of Cherry (1997, Iran/France, Kiarostami) 2005, 2006
Tender Mercies (1983, USA, Beresford) 2004, 2005, 2006
Three Colours: Blue ("Trois couleurs: Bleu" 1993, Poland/France/Switzerland/UK, Kieslowski) 2004, 2005, 2006
To End All Wars (2002, USA, Cunningham) 2005, 2006
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962, USA, Mulligan) 2005, 2006
Tokyo Story ("Tokyo monogatari" 1953, Japan, Ozu) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Trial of Joan of Arc ("Proces de Jeanne d'Arc" 1962, France, Bresson) 2005, 2006
The Trip To Bountiful (1985, USA, Masterson) 2005
The Truman Show (1998, USA, Weir) 2004
Ugetsu (1953, Japan, Mizoguchi) 2005
Unforgiven (1992, USA, Eastwood) 2004, 2005
Vanya On 42nd Street (1994, USA, Malle / Gregory) 2004
Virgin Spring ("Jungfraukallan" 1959, Sweden, Bergman) 2005
Waking Life (2001, USA, Linklater) 2004, 2006
The Werckmeister Harmonies ("Werckmeister harmoniak" 2000, Hungary/etc, Tarr / Hranitzky) 2004, 2005, 2006
Wild Strawberries (1957, Sweden, Bergman) 2004, 2005, 2006
The Wind Will Carry Us ("Bad ma ra khahad bord," 1999, Iran/France, Kiarostami) 2004, 2005, 2006
Wings Of Desire ("Der Himmel uber Berlin" 1987, Germany/France, Wenders) 2004, 2005, 2006
Winter Light ("Nattgardvasterna" 1961, Sweden, Bergman) 2005, 2006
Wit (2001, USA, Nichols) 2005, 2006
Witness (1984, USA, Weir) 2004
The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982, Australia, Weir) 2004, 2006
Yi-Yi ("A One and A Two" 2000, Taiwan/Japan, Yang) 2004, 2005, 2006

(I just realized, my three favourite films are all on here: Tender Mercies, Dogville and Magnolia. I've got 40 left to see. Lots of good watching ahead...)