Vatican Film List

A slightly shorter film list this time ... 45 films recommended by the Vatican in 1996. With thanks to the Decent Film Guide.

Religion

Andrei Rublev * Andrei Tarkowsky (1969, USSR)

The Mission * Roland Joffé (1986, UK)

La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc) *
Carl T. Dreyer (1928, France)

La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ (Life and Passion of Christ) * Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien Nonguet (1905, France)
Identified on the Vatican film list as La Passion Pathé

Francesco, giullare di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis / Francis, God’s Jester) * Roberto Rossellini (1950, Italy)

Il vangelo secondo Matteo (The Gospel According to Matthew) * Pier Paolo Pasolini (1964, France/Italy)

Thérèse * Alain Cavalier (1986, France)

Ordet (The Word) * Carl T. Dreyer (1955, Denmark)

Offret — Sacrificatio (The Sacrifice) * Andrei Tarkowsky (1986, Sweden/UK/France)

Francesco * Liliana Cavani (1989, Italy/Germany)

Ben-Hur [A Tale of the Christ] * William Wyler (1959, USA)

Babettes gæstebud (Babette’s Feast) * Gabriel Axel (1987, Denmark)

Nazarín * Luis Buñuel (1958, Mexico)

Monsieur Vincent * Maurice Cloche (1947, France)

A Man for All Seasons * Fred Zinnemann (1966, UK)

Values

Gandhi * Richard Attenborough (1982, UK/USA/India)

Intolerance * D. W. Griffith (1916, USA)

Dekalog (The Decalogue) * Krzysztof Kieslowski (1987, Poland)
Identified on the Vatican film list as Il Decalogo

Au Revoir, Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) * Louis Malle (1987, France)

Dersu Uzala * Akira Kurosawa (1974, Japan)

L’albero degli zoccoli (The Tree of the Wooden Clogs) * Ermanno Olmi (1978, Italy/France)

Roma, città aperta (Open City) * Roberto Rossellini (1946, Italy)

Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) * Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)

Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) * Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)

Chariots of Fire * Hugh Hudson (1981, UK)

Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) * Vittorio de Sica (1948, Italy)

It’s a Wonderful Life * Frank Capra (1946, USA)

Schindler’s List * Steven Spielberg (1993, USA)

On the Waterfront * Elia Kazan (1954, USA)

Biruma No Tategoto (The Burmese Harp) * Kon Ichikawa (1956, Japan)

Art

2001: A Space Odyssey * Stanley Kubrick (1968, UK/USA)

La Strada * Federico Fellini (1954, Italy)

Citizen Kane * Orson Welles (1941, USA)

Metropolis * Fritz Lang (1927, Germany)

Modern Times * Charlie Chaplin (1936, USA)

Napoléon * Abel Gance (1927, Italy)

8½ * Federico Fellini (1963, Italy)

La grande illusion (Grand Illusion) * Jean Renoir (1937, France)

Nosferatu * F. W. Murnau (1922, Germany)

Stagecoach * John Ford (1939, USA)

Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) * Luchino Visconti (1963, Italy/France)

Fantasia * (1940, USA)

The Wizard of Oz * Victor Fleming (1939, USA)

The Lavender Hill Mob * Charles Crichton (1951, UK)

Little Women * George Cukor (1933, USA)

Well, an interesting and varied list. I've seen 15, should have seen more, look forward to seeing others.