Father Robert Lauder can’t begin to count how many movies he has seen. He has been enjoying them for more than 80 years. Still, his favorites make for a short list. Here they are:
On The Waterfront (1954)
The film — starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, and Eva Marie Saint — is about longshoremen who resist extortion and racketeering on the docks around New York Harbor. The scenes are similar to the real-life struggles of union organizer Pete Panto of Brooklyn, who was murdered by the mob in 1939.
“My favorite,” Father Lauder said of the film. “I think it’s a deeply religious movie. Remember the homily the priest [Karl Malden] gives in the hull of the ship? He starts out saying, ‘You guys think the crucifixion only took place on Calvary. Well I got news for you. Anytime you treat somebody badly, that’s a crucifixion.’ That sermon is the greatest of any American film ever. When you’re watching, look for crosses all over.
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann, the film stars British actor Paul Scofield reprising his stage role as St. Thomas More, the English statesman who served King Henry VIII. Although knighted, More later opposed the king on his separation from the Roman Catholic Church and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
“When I give a talk on film, I often say ‘A Man for All Seasons’ is the perfect film,” Father Lauder said. “Everything works. It’s about living up to your conscience, and that, of course, costs him his life. It’s a great story. It’s a true story. It’s great acting, great color, great plot, etc. So with everything that makes a movie great, it hits a home run.”
Places in the Heart (1984)
Sally Field won the Oscar for best actress in her performance of a widow in Depression-era Texas who must harvest a cotton crop by herself to support her family.
Father Lauder said the mysterious final moments include the best scene of the Eucharist in any American Film. “It’s phenomenal,” he said. “That took tremendous nerve by the director to put that scene in there, knowing that an awful lot of people wouldn’t get it. I think the whole film is just terrific.”
Cry, The Beloved Country (1995)
There are two film versions of this film, the first one, made in 1951, is in black-and-white and stars Sidney Poitier. Father Lauder prefers the 1995 version directed by Darrell Roodt. This one is in color and stars James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. The scene is South Africa during the mid-1940s. A black minister (Jones) goes looking for his son who, it is learned, murdered a white man.
“It’s really a retelling of the story of Job,” Father Lauder said. “This Anglican priest — everything that could possibly go wrong in his life, goes wrong. His son commits murder. His sister becomes a prostitute. And they hang his son at the very moment the son’s illegitimate baby is being born. And at the end, he’s praying. I mean, it’s just great.”
Shane (1953)
Alan Ladd stars in this Western directed by George Stevens. It’s about a former gunfighter who becomes a farmhand for a family of Wyoming homesteaders. A ruthless cattle baron sends thugs to steal the family’s land claim, forcing Shane to protect them in an epic shootout.
“Shane — he’s a Christ figure,” Father Lauder said. “We don’t know where he comes from, but he has given up gunfighting and he’s trying to live a normal life. But then he has to go out and rescue people. And remember the movie? He rides off into the sunset, right? No! He rides into the sunrise — a Resurrection symbol.”
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Gene Kelly co-directed and co-starred in this musical, which also featured Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor. It’s about silent-film performers suddenly faced with transitioning to “talking” films, with lots of singing and dancing along the way.
“I think ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is the greatest Hollywood musical ever made,” Father Lauder said. “It has great dancing, great singing, and it’s a very funny movie. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it — just a joy from beginning to end. It has nothing to do with religion — except joy.”