Most Inspirational Movies of the Century
AFI is polling for the Most Inspirational Movies of the Century. That’s an interesting concept for a list. Betsy Newmark offers her suggestions for the list and I’m sure more will be coming. I thought I’d mention a few of my own thoughts.
- Forest Gump
To say that Forest wasn’t the brightest of kids would be an understatement. He was considered useless by the powers that be, and only through the love of his mother was he given a chance in life. In the end, he achieved greatness in multiple ways, but never understood the wide impact he had on the world. He was humble and content. - The Truman Show
Truman was raised from childhood in a prison not of his own making. His whole life was spent in this prison, and he never had a clue. Unaware of his slavery, he nonetheless sought to escape it. Once he became aware of the walls around his life, he was willing to face his greatest fears until he literally broke through the wall, then walked through the door to his future of freedom. - Apollo 13
Having read this story many times through the words of those who lived through it, I was inspired long before the movie came out. After a disaster, the crew of Apollo 13 are faced with certain death. The odds are stacked against them in every way, except one. On their side, working from afar, are the best and brightest that NASA has to offer, working on every aspect of their problem. “Failure is not an option” becomes the catchphrase of the movie, and the darkest day of NASA turns into their finest hour indeed. This movie, and the true story it tells, are a stab in the eye to every defeatist, anti-American, anti-individualist naysayer in American today, in my opinion. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, the crew and support team of Apollo 13 showed what can be done when the best put their best to the test. - It’s a Wonderful Life
Sure, it’s sappy and hokey, but there’s something to this story of the man who saw himself as a nothing in life. In the end, though, he discovers that his positive attitude and giving nature have affected everyone around him, and made their lives better. - Babe
The first exposure I had to this movie was to see the last ten minutes in the electronics section at Wal-Mart. I was almost in tears, standing there in the aisle. A pig with a heart of gold becomes a friend to the other barnyard animals as well as the farmer. Prejudices abound among the sheep, dogs, and other animals, but all of that begins to wear away in the presence of Babe the pig. The humble pig goes on to be a champion, and since there was a sequel, we can assume he didn’t also go on to become a sausage. If you haven’t seen this movie, drop everything and rent it today. - The Passion of the Christ
Berated by unbelievers, and unappreciated by Hollywood, Mel Gibson told the story of Jesus in a way that has never been done before. By focusing on the sacrifices and the violence done to Christ, the message of Christ is passed along in a moving way. All this was done as punishment, not for his presumed sacriliege, but so that those of us who have accepted him may be absolved of our own crimes before God. In the end, Jesus walks from the tomb, placing the capstone on this part of the story. He may have walked willingly into death for us, but Jesus had the God-given power over death itself, and lives today. Wow!
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Good choices, beloved.
But what about one of my favorite movies of all time:
Braveheart
That scene at the end where they’re torturing and disembowling him and he shouts out “FREEDOM!!” makes me cry (and I mean weep and wail, not just leak tears) every single time!