The hard working film mavens of Just Seen It give For Greater Glory an enthusiatic review in the video above. It is one of the more perceptive reviews of the film that I have seen. The two reviewers come at the film from a purely secular viewpoint and had little if any knowledge of the Cristero War prior to viewing it. The message of religious freedom that the film conveys is obviously the most important part of the film, but even leaving that aside the movie is a masterpiece of the filmmaker’s craft.
Just Seen It Reviews For Greater Glory
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
I saw the film and enjoyed it. The scene where Jose made his own via dolorosa brought to mind scenes from The Passion of the Christ for me. Overall this review is favorable but I’m missing her point about the last 10 minute. Any help?
She is a non-Catholic Michael, and perhaps not overly sympathetic to the Church judging from that remark. That of course makes her fairly enthusiastic endorsement of the movie as a film notable.
Her concern was that it “developed a religious agenda.”
Good thing secular movies are agenda free.
“developed a religious agenda.”
I heard what she said but I’m having a hard time relating her opinion to what I saw. Apparently her co-review did as well. But I’m looking at things with Catholic filters so I wondered if anyone might have a better sense of what she was getting at. Sorry, don’t mean to beat a dead horse.
@ Donald – Agree that her non-Catholic POV does add power to her endorsement.
My non-Catholic mother-in-law saw the film before we mentioned anything about it. I found her take on the General’s character interesting. Her view, as an Evangelical, was that General Gorostieta was a believer but didn’t like “all of the rules” of the Catholic Church. I must have gone to the bathroom during that scene.
SPOILER ALERT! – Re: the “agenda” in the last 10 minutes, just a guess, but there was the dream sequence with the flashbacks to several key lines and Enrique awakes and realizes they are about to be attacked, yet he first wants Fr. Vega to hear his confession instead of leaping into action… Maybe that’s the Catholic agenda? As to the “all the rules” observation, there was the earlier related scene where Fr. Vega is distributing Communion and Gen. Gorostieta is in line, and the priest says, “You need to confess,” and Enrique says, “Doesn’t He already know?”
“Fr. Vega is distributing Communion and Gen. Gorostieta is in line, and the priest says, “You need to confess,” and Enrique says, “Doesn’t He already know?”” Yes, He already knows and Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Confession to make sure that we know.
“Good thing secular movies are agenda free.” You are kidding? Right?
The reviewers did not say anything about Calles or the communist agenda or being surprised by the speed/ force of the crackdown on people of faith– that crackkdown was stunning, and it stuns me that the reviewers don’t even express anything about it.
They also didn’t say anything about the ambassador or the offer of planes, or interest in oil rights– in fact, they seemed pretty unfazed by some history presented in the movie.
Even if the lady isn’t catholic, just as a PERSON I think she would have been a bit fazed about human atrocity instead of bristling about Catholic political incorrectness (apparently thinking the movie was promoting the Faith at the end of the movie)/ She comes off as too shallow to review a movie so deep.
Of course this secular reviewer would not say anything about what the Communists did. ‘”Bad people” doing bad things’ is the film industry’s bread and butter. It’s pretty normal for people to be abused badly during the course of a film. People facing it with blatant faith, as well as great ingenuity and bravery is almost unheard of.
Secondly, this disruption of her comfort level is the footprints of the Holy Spirit through an unformed conscience. It is no wonder that she’s not clear about her discomfort. Sin is inured to sin, and greatly disturbed by holiness. God willing, these images of faith will stay with her, whereas the endlessly repeating horrors and engineered shock value will fade away into nothing.