jerayne1021 Reviews

Babette's Feast (1987)

My Favorite Film (and I Love movies)

[10/10 · 3 January 2005]

Babette's Feast, for me, is about healing: mending the schism between spirit and body in orthodox Christianity. This puritanical community in remote Denmark is missing an adequate appreciation of all of God's gifts in creation. They have taken the dualism of St. Paul to an extreme, and stress the life of the "spirit," not the life of the "flesh." Both elderly sisters, in their youth, were frightened by the lure of love and the temptations of life outside their simple village. They, and their parishioners, cling to the narrow biblical interpretation of their former leader, and the sisters' father. The aging congregation has become testy and quarrelsome, and the sisters don't know what to do. Enter Babette, a French stranger, and someone to whom they can show kindness. They have no way of knowing that she will ultimately return their kindness and give fertile soil to their dry, dusty theology. Babette will give everything she has, and in the process, will teach the sisters and their flock about grace, about sacrifice, about how sensual experience (as in the bread and wine of the Eucharist) can change lives, and about why true art moves us so deeply. When they can forgive each other, and themselves, they can focus on God's love that unfolds before them in a concrete way in the present. As a minister, and an artist, I can't recommend a movie more highly. True art and true grace!!

Going Upriver (2004)

A real opportunity

[10 October 2004]

Like many others, I was impressed by the quality of this film. The focus on the facts, interviews and archival footage brought a sense of truth and an immediacy that won't be easily forgotten. I was especially moved by the intimate photos of Kerry with family and friends that conclude the film, that are shown during the closing credits. He is obviously both a deep thinker with a subtle mind and a man of strong passions. My lasting impression is that we have a unique opportunity to elect a man who understands the workings and even (at times) the necessity of war, yet is reluctant to send people to fight unless it's absolutely necessary, due to his own unforgettable experiences. His maturity and feeling for others have my vote! I feel he will be best equipped to get us out of the "quagmire" of Iraq, as well as to bring his statesmanship to bear on any future situation in this increasingly complex world.