Postscript: I knew I would miss or butcher certain subtleties of this story (Silence). I should be clear: in the BOOK we hear a rooster crow (a certain reference to Peter's betrayal of Jesus after his capture) and we do NOT see Rodrigues/Okada San'emon cupping a crucifix after his death. That is a Scorsese flourish (which I really love) but it's not in the original story. The book leaves things rather more ambiguous, asking whether or not Rodrigues was still actually a Christian, where the film focuses on whether or not Rodrigues's actions are justified within the Christian tradition (but establishes that he still believed).
James, congratulations on revisiting such a triumphant film, acted with such gusto, which raises more questions than it answers.
In literature and art, and in the modern world, on film, these issues of reconciling one's faith in God and all things unseen have roots dating back millennia. The added challenge of trying to explain all of this to people for whom it is quite beyond their understanding - that is what makes great art.
It doesn't matter whether it's a Roman tribune in the 1953 Hollywood blockbuster "The Robe," where the character, observing Christ's Crucifixion, is driven insane by guilt because he killed a man who was unjustly and brutally executed, The concept of Jesus to his followers was completely foreign to his pagan and pantheistic world of cynical nobility. Until he returns to Palestine and retrieves the robe that "bewitched" him, and lives in Galliee among those who knew Jesus and loved him, and believed in Christ as surely as they did - Christ lived to these people as surely as they did. The cumulative effect is the Roman's conversion - no spoilers here, but you're far too intelligent not to predict the Tribune's fate - bravely and courageously, with nary a scintilla of fear and doubt - much to his father, a Roman Senator fighting ardently to retain whatever was left of the Roman Republic against the ever-increasing tyranny of the Emperors.
I am also reminded of the 1984 television production, "The Jewel in the Crown," from Britain's Granada. In the post-war world, English ex-patriots have gone native as the British Raj ends, and the story is sweeping, but very thoughtful and nuanced. Among them is a Christian missionary, a woman of the British working class, eschewed and mocked by the upper crust who subject her to the worst kind of indignities ad nauseaum.A woman of unwavering faith and purity of heart, she questions God's plan and the purpose of her life's work. She is a captivating character that I have never forgotten. again, as was the case in "Silence" - faith, conversion, bringing the natives to Christ with doubt upon doubt upon doubt. Extraordinary in EVERY way, it was twelve-part series that is a MUST and something I KNOW you would find mesmerizing and unsettling - as you were, it seems, even though you appear to be in a far better place in your journey now than you were in 2016. The missionary woman endures a mental collapse and is admitted to a hospital on the eve of the Allies’ bombardment of Japan. A deeply thoughtful and kind young woman, the missionary’s sole confidante and the only individual to show her genuine compassion, visits her in the facility.
As the missionary seems to transition into another state of being, she remains silent towards her young friend. This silence prompts the friend to ponder, “Perhaps God does hear you; He just hears in silence.” This reflection echoes Rodrigues’s sentiment, “I pray but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?” It also resonates with the Inquisitor’s proclamation, “The price for your glory is their suffering!” and with Jesus’s voice during the exchange with Rodrigues. Despite God’s silence, Rodrigues affirms, “I did your work, Christ.” And it is in this silence that he recalls hearing Christ’s voice.
It sounds like you had a profound experience watching this film, especially with the contemplative atmosphere that Easter brings. It’s wonderful that you’re open to gaining a new perspective from it. Films that delve into the depths of the human condition often offer new insights with each viewing.
Postscript: I knew I would miss or butcher certain subtleties of this story (Silence). I should be clear: in the BOOK we hear a rooster crow (a certain reference to Peter's betrayal of Jesus after his capture) and we do NOT see Rodrigues/Okada San'emon cupping a crucifix after his death. That is a Scorsese flourish (which I really love) but it's not in the original story. The book leaves things rather more ambiguous, asking whether or not Rodrigues was still actually a Christian, where the film focuses on whether or not Rodrigues's actions are justified within the Christian tradition (but establishes that he still believed).
If you want a rather different take on the film I recommend this brief reaction video by Bishop Robert Barron: https://youtu.be/5Th7Tiz1cEk?si=DgEMwz0HD5743VnP
James, congratulations on revisiting such a triumphant film, acted with such gusto, which raises more questions than it answers.
In literature and art, and in the modern world, on film, these issues of reconciling one's faith in God and all things unseen have roots dating back millennia. The added challenge of trying to explain all of this to people for whom it is quite beyond their understanding - that is what makes great art.
It doesn't matter whether it's a Roman tribune in the 1953 Hollywood blockbuster "The Robe," where the character, observing Christ's Crucifixion, is driven insane by guilt because he killed a man who was unjustly and brutally executed, The concept of Jesus to his followers was completely foreign to his pagan and pantheistic world of cynical nobility. Until he returns to Palestine and retrieves the robe that "bewitched" him, and lives in Galliee among those who knew Jesus and loved him, and believed in Christ as surely as they did - Christ lived to these people as surely as they did. The cumulative effect is the Roman's conversion - no spoilers here, but you're far too intelligent not to predict the Tribune's fate - bravely and courageously, with nary a scintilla of fear and doubt - much to his father, a Roman Senator fighting ardently to retain whatever was left of the Roman Republic against the ever-increasing tyranny of the Emperors.
I am also reminded of the 1984 television production, "The Jewel in the Crown," from Britain's Granada. In the post-war world, English ex-patriots have gone native as the British Raj ends, and the story is sweeping, but very thoughtful and nuanced. Among them is a Christian missionary, a woman of the British working class, eschewed and mocked by the upper crust who subject her to the worst kind of indignities ad nauseaum.A woman of unwavering faith and purity of heart, she questions God's plan and the purpose of her life's work. She is a captivating character that I have never forgotten. again, as was the case in "Silence" - faith, conversion, bringing the natives to Christ with doubt upon doubt upon doubt. Extraordinary in EVERY way, it was twelve-part series that is a MUST and something I KNOW you would find mesmerizing and unsettling - as you were, it seems, even though you appear to be in a far better place in your journey now than you were in 2016. The missionary woman endures a mental collapse and is admitted to a hospital on the eve of the Allies’ bombardment of Japan. A deeply thoughtful and kind young woman, the missionary’s sole confidante and the only individual to show her genuine compassion, visits her in the facility.
As the missionary seems to transition into another state of being, she remains silent towards her young friend. This silence prompts the friend to ponder, “Perhaps God does hear you; He just hears in silence.” This reflection echoes Rodrigues’s sentiment, “I pray but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?” It also resonates with the Inquisitor’s proclamation, “The price for your glory is their suffering!” and with Jesus’s voice during the exchange with Rodrigues. Despite God’s silence, Rodrigues affirms, “I did your work, Christ.” And it is in this silence that he recalls hearing Christ’s voice.
It sounds like you had a profound experience watching this film, especially with the contemplative atmosphere that Easter brings. It’s wonderful that you’re open to gaining a new perspective from it. Films that delve into the depths of the human condition often offer new insights with each viewing.