Magnificent Obsession

In 1954 this overblown melodrama by Douglas Sirk tear-stained millions of faces and ensured immortality for Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. Half a century later, our tastes soured by the TV regime of soap operas and sentiment turned nasty and violent, this classic retains an innocence and enduring wholesomeness. And the story, of a playboy turned penitent, seeking to redeem his life from disaster and accident that could befall any of us, has an old-fashioned nobility about it. However bad the odds, goodness still wins out, says this movie. Alleluia. Amen.

Rain of the Children

No Kiwi film-maker jangles the spiritual nerve ends of Aotearoa more skilfully than Vincent Ward. In his best film since Vigil, Ward returns to the Uruwera mountains and picks up Puhi’s story where he left her 30 years ago, struggling alone to bring up her mentally ill son Wiki. His first film (“In spring one plants alone”) didn’t reveal that Puhi believed she lived under a curse from marrying the son of prophet Rua Kenana and giving birth to 14 children. The whole ugly story of Rua’s persecution by government forces (with some Anglican cheerleading) is woven through Puhi’s saga by an artful mix of brilliant re enactments (played by Temeura Morrison and Rena Owen), old photos and archival footage. There is mystery, magic and drama here to rival any epic anywhere, and its all ours, right here.

The Band’s Visit

Captain Tewfig (played wonderfully by Israeli star Sasson Gabai) brings his Egyptian police band to Israel for a concert in an Arab Cultural Centre to promote peace and goodwill in a region starved of both. But the band ends up in the wrong town, everything that could goes wrong and is only redeemed by the hospitality of a hard-case restauranteur called Dina. If you have ever felt awkward and out of place, unsure of your welcome, watch this film that should have won an Oscar Foreign Film award but was disqualified because too much English is spoken! It’s a celebration of grace and generosity that crosses and erodes all barriers, even those that lock down Israel and her neighbours.

Man on Wire

James Marsh’s modestly framed documentary, on French highwire artist Philippe Petit’s 1974 walk between the tops of New York’s Twin Towers, has the punch of a big-screen, big-budget extravaganza. A mix of black and white enactments and archival footage, this gem of a movie engrosses you in the meticulous, secret preparation for the walk that wowed New Yorkers and created such sympathy that the illegality of this crazy stunt was quickly forgiven. It’s a parable of courage, skill and foolishness in equal measure, hugely poignant in light of what happened to the Twin Towers a quarter of a century later. The costs and gains in human terms are beautifully expressed.

Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood’s last film? Oh yeah. The 78-year-old veteran plays Walt Kowalski, Korean War vet, grumpy, embittered and racist about his Korean neighbours. But in spite of himself and his prejudices which are pretty hard to hear, Walt gets involved with the neighbouring Hmong family and ends up giving his life for them, in a very explicitly Christian way. There’s an in-your-face theological tone to this so called secular movie. Eastwood is preaching to us, through a story as raw and crude as a crucifixion. Funnily enough, the critics didn’t notice.

John Bluck is a retired bishop living north of Auckland.

JohnBluck@xtra.co.nz>