FILM
Catholic culture and America in film BY AARON LAMBERT Writer from Denver
22
T
hough it may seem like a distant memory today, there was once a time when the Catholic Church was as much a part of American culture as baseball. While it certainly still maintains a prevalent presence in American culture today, many long for the times when the Church was a fearless advocate for all that is true, good and beautiful among the American people. Of course, a good gauge of any institution’s influence on culture is the ways in which it’s depicted in the art produced by the culture, and for the better part of 100 years, film has arguably been the dominant art form and the standard by which cultural trends are measured. The Church hardly has a presence in modern films,
and if it does, it is oftentimes a caricature of what the Church actually is and what it stands for. However, looking back over the last 75 years or so, there have been many great films that not only represent the Catholic Church, or at the very least Catholic themes, fairly and truthfully, they also reflect the critical role the Church has played in shaping American culture. These films are worth another watch, as they hearken back to times when the Church had a more respected presence in American society and offer glimpses of how the Church can reclaim its status as a moral authority in a world that’s all but lost its way. One such film is “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945), starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Crosby reprises the role of Father O’Malley, which he played the year prior in “Going My Way”, and Bergman plays Sister Benedict, a stark contrast from her role as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca, for which she’s best known.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO