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Fatima (2020)
Fatima (2020): A Strong Film; An Unfaithful Adaption
As the most famous apparition of Our Lady in the twentieth century the appearances of Our Lady to the shepherd children of Fatima, Portugal have been profiled in various forms, including the books "Our Lady of Fatima" by William Thomas Walsh and "Fatima in Lucia's Own Words" written by the longest surviving seer. However, though the story of Fatima has been told through film various times including documentaries, only two films have been distributed through Hollywood, the 1952 classic "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima", starring Susan Whitney as Lucia Santos, and this years "Fatima", recently released October 27th on DVD.
Written by Valerio D'Annunzio, Barbara Nicolosi (whose original screenplay was reportedly butchered of most of it's Catholic material) and by Marco Pontecorvo, who also directs, "Fatima" stars Stephanie Gil as Lucia, who in the films prologue is visited by the Angel of Portugal, played by Ivone Fernandes-Jesus, while drawing on a cave wall. The Angel shows Lucia a vision of the ongoing World War including Lucia's own brother, Manuel, in battle. To quell Lucia's fears after seeing the vision, the Angel teaches Lucia a brief prayer: "I believe. I have hope. And I love God." The Angel departs instructing Lucia to pray for peace.
It is after this prologue that the film's proper begins as the framing device for the story of Fatima to be told is introduced, one almost alike to that used in 2000's "Padre Pio: Miracle Man". It is 1989 and the fictional Professor Nichols, played by Harvey Keitel, is on his way to visit Sr. Lucia, played as an adult by Sonia Braga, in order to interview her for a book he is writing. Just as the Inquisitor in "Padre Pio: Miracle Man", who comes to interrogate Padre Pio, Keitel's character is skeptical of the story he has heard associated with Sr. Lucia, believing in essence that visionaries are mentally ill. When Professor Nichols asks Sr. Lucia whether she has any regrets regarding her life, Sr. Lucia's answer that she hasn't done enough to please her mother, launches the central conflict of the film: how is Lucia to please her earthly mother, Maria Rosa and the heavenly mother, played by Joana Ribeiro.
From here, the film tells the story of Lucia's memories, of the appearances of Our Lady to Lucia and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco, and how the apparitions affected them and their families hitting the familiar plot points. However, it is the films telling of the story, particularly its omissions from the official history of Fatima, as recorded in Sr. Lucia's memoirs and various books, as well as additions for the sake of artistic license that cause the film to suffer as a faithful adaption of this story and message. One of the changes involves Lucia's brother fighting in the Great War (historically Lucia's brother was not in the war, rather it was the older brother of Jacinta and Francisco who was), which results in Lucia and her mother, Maria Rosa, going to the town of Fatima on the 13th of every month (the children lived in the village of Aljustrel in Fatima's vicinity) to hear the names of the soldiers who are listed as missing-in-action or dead, praying that Manuel's name won't be among them. Another change is the lack of involvement of Jacinta and Francisco in the story overall. Though they are present at the interrogations and the apparitions most of the film focuses on Lucia and her family rather than on the relationship between the three children.
However, changes such as these pale in comparison to one of the major omissions of the film as well as the choices made in depicting the Mayor of Ourem who kidnaps the children and the change regarding the request of Our Lady of Fatima for penance. Amongst various omissions made regarding the message of Fatima and what the children were shown (Our Lady walks on the ground rather than standing on the tree, as reported by the children, the Angel of Portugal appears to Lucia alone and does not give her Holy Communion etc.) is the crucial omission of the mention of Russia and the spreading of its errors around the world, which Our Lady warned the children of during the third apparition on July 13th, 1917. The elimination of Russia and the evils of Communism from the third apparition (they do depict the vision of Hell and the vision of a Pope being assassinated) are especially damaging in light of recent world events that are driving the Western World toward socialism and forward to Communist ideology. This direction of the western world is caused by years of millennials being made ignorant about the crimes of communism due to lack of education on the history of the Communist era in schools, both High School and Universities. By eliminating mention of Russia and the spread of its errors, the film becomes part of the problem.
There are also two major changes made in translation of the story to this film that also result in problems for the film. One of these changes is in the depiction of the Mayor of Ourem. As told in Sr. Lucia's memoirs and previous versions of the Fatima story, the Mayor of Ourem, Artur de Olivera Santos, was an evil man who not only abducted the children, as depicted in the film, but also locked them in prison with real prisoners (in the film Lucia is placed in solitary confinement) and threatened them with death via boiling oil (this part of their suffering was allegedly removed as to not scare child viewers). Fatima however depicts the Mayor and his wife in a fashion similar to the depiction of Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia Procles in The Passion of the Christ. In addition, Artur Santos was a Freemason, an organization strongly condemned by the Catholic Church, but this is not made mention of. The film's failure to portray the suffering the children underwent as a result of the Mayor not only undermines their heroism but undercuts the real dramatic tension found in the stories official history.
A final change made in the translation of the official history of Fatima to this film which has severe effects on the story is the elimination and undercutting of the penances the children undertook freely in reparation for sins. Lucia writes in her memoirs of how she and her cousins would go days without water, whip themselves with nettles, and eat acorns rather than eat the lunches their mothers gave them, all to save sinners from hell. Lucia also writes of how the children would wear ropes around their waists as penance. In the film we do see Lucia, in an act of emotional desperation, tie a rope around her waist, however in a subsequent apparition, the film's Blessed Mother tells the children not to hurt themselves with ropes, which not only contradicts the official history but also results in the children being depicted as if they are self-mutilators. This change also downplays the sometimes-difficult spirituality of Fatima.
These omissions and changes, though serious and damaging to the film, do not result in the film having nothing positive to be said for it. The film does note numerous times the request of Our Lady to say the Rosary daily as well, as previously noted, including the vision of hell and even a depiction of Our Lady's immaculate heart pierced with thorns due the sins committed against it. The music, by Paolo Buonvino, who also scored 2000's "Padre Pio: Miracle Man", is great as well as the costumes and cinematography. The songs sung by Andrea Bocelli are also a great asset to the film's soundtrack. The acting in the film is fairly solid as well. Admittedly, the film is engaging and does work as a film on its own merits. However, as an adaption of the Fatima story to the screen, the film suffers severely.
In an era where well-made Catholic (or Christian) films are difficult to find (Both Pureflix and most Italian Saint films sold by Ignatius Press fail as these) Fatima succeeds as a well-made film. Unfortunately however, the omissions and artistic licence taken with the official story of Fatima result in an unfaithful adaption of an important story to the big screen. I would encourage anyone watching this film to seek out both the memoirs written by Sr. Lucia as well as the books "Our Lady of Fatima" by William Thomas Walsh and "The Immaculate Heart: The True Story of Fatima" by Fr. John deMarchi. In addition, the films "Apparitions at Fatima", directed by Daniel Costelle and sold by the International Secretariat of Fatima as well as the documentary "Fatima: A Message of Hope", viewable on Amazon Prime are also great resources to learn the truth about this important story!
Aparição (1991)
The Definitive Film on the Apparitions at Fatima
In 2017 the Centenary of the Apparitions of Fatima was celebrated, both at the Fatima Shrine itself, as well as on Catholic Media such as EWTN. Over the decades leading up to the centennial EWTN had shown numerous documentaries and films discussing and depicting the most important religious event of the 20th Century. One of the films shown was "Aparição", known in English as "Apparitions at Fatima". Directed by Daniel Costelle and written by both he and Geneviève Maupeu, whose daughter plays Jacinta Marto (1910-1920) in this film, "Aparição" accurately depicts the apparitions of both Our Lady, also known as the Blessed Mother, as well as the Angel of Portugal.
Released on VHS in 1994 (and on DVD in 2006), "Aparição" tells the story of Fatima as taken directly from Sr. Lucia's (1907-2005) memoirs, both volumes I and II, published respectively in 1976 and 2000. Book-ended by footage of the 1991 Fatima celebrations in which the three actors who play the Shepherds are greeted and blessed by St. John Paul II , the film proper begins in 1915 on Lucia's first day as an eight year-old shepherdess. We are introduced (through narration exclusive to the dubbed versions of the film) to Lucia's family, particularly her parents Maria Rosa and Antonio and their way of life. More importantly, we are introduced to Francisco (1908-1919) and Jacinta Marto, brother and sister, who are Lucia's cousins. We are shown through dramatization that though these children were raised in strong Catholic families they were much like all children, playing games, begging to do something their parent wasn't sure of, and occasionally getting into trouble. This dramatization aids in developing the characters of the children and how we will see them change by the end of the film.
In 1916 (though the film incorrectly gives the year as 1915) Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco are visited by an Angel, the Angel of Portugal. This film marks only the second time the apparitions of the Angel were depicted on screen (the first time being the animated CCC film "The Day the Sun Danced" from 1988) and it aids in showing how the children were prepared for the visitations from Our Lady, though Lucia admits if not for Our Lady's appearances she and her cousins would have given little though the Angel's apparitions afterward.
Finally 1917 arrives and the children first see Our Lady on Sunday, May 13th (exact dates are not provided in the film). The remainder of the film dramatizes four of the six apparitions of Our Lady with two being either discussed after they have happened or Our Lady's words serving as exposition for another scene (this is the case in the apparition on August 19th). We witness the affects the apparitions have on their families after Jacinta tells her mother Olympia about them, with Olympia Marto and Antonio Santos being skeptical and Maria Rosa Santos being angered and resorting to beating Lucia to get her to recant her story. Manuel Marto, father of Jacinta and Francisco, is the only family member who believes from the start. The film also depicts the financial cost of the apparitions to Lucia's family due to the crops being trampled by the crowds coming to the Cova da Iria. As the film progresses, Lucia's parents start to come around with Antonio, after showing Lucia the destroyed crops, praying a Rosary with his daughter and Maria Rosa being mystified by a sweet-smelling branch Jacinta brings home from Valinhos where the children see our Lady in August.
However, the children have other sufferings to endure besides that of their families disbelief. The villagers of Aljustrel do not believe them, one woman declaring the children ought to be beaten for such "stories". Another villager opines that she only sympathizes with Maria Rosa who has a reputation in the Village as a good and pious woman. In addition, the Parish Priest, Fr. Ferrera does not believe them and Lucia is brought by Maria Rosa for questioning. And finally, the children and their families face suffering from the Government as the children are kidnapped, interrogated and subsequently imprisoned. In spite of all this suffering the children hold strong to what they seen and heard, stopping short of telling the secrets that they have been told to keep by Our Lady and keeping faith, as exemplified when Jacinta asks a fellow prisoner to hang a holy medal up on a nail and the children and prisoners kneel down and pray. In a last effort to them to recant the Administrator of Ourem, Artur de Olivera Santos threatens them with death by boiling oil. Silently the children accept what they believe to be their impending deaths. In the end it is all a farce as the children are taken back home. Other than kindness of the prisoners, the only person who comforts the children is the Administrators wife who brings them soup (or broth) and bread during the interrogations.
As the film begins its conclusion we are witness to an aspect of the story of Fatima that has never been fully depicted on film except here: the penances the Children self-inflict as reparation for sinners. As noted by Steven Graydanus in his review of this film, we see the children enduring thirst, noise and even wearing ropes as penance for the conversion of sinners. The depiction of these parts from Sr. Lucia's memoirs solidifies the very real heart of the Fatima message: to pray the Rosary daily and do penance to save sinners from the flames of hell, to be converted oneself. This is an aspect of the story that often is no longer spoken of, leading the story to become sanitized for modern audiences.
After a scene depicting the taking of the most famous photograph of the children of Fatima after the September apparition, the film proper concludes with the famous Miracle of the Sun on October 13th, 1917. As Steven Graydanus notes in his review, the Miracle of the Sun is not a technological marvel due to an assumed lack of budget for special effects. As well, a bit of the English dubbing for Our Lady's words at the July Apparition is incorrect (Our Lady told the Children that the Pope would Consecrate Russia to Our Lady, not that the Lord would do so as said in the English dubbed version) However, this does not hurt the overall message of the film which in the end is the most important aspect of the Fatima story.
When the film was released it was celebrated by Sr. Lucia Santos and ended up playing at the Fatima Shrine until the present day. A personal disappointment was that the film was not released by Ignatius Press for the Centennial of the Apparitions. With a new film on Our Lady of Fatima being released this month (August 2020) as written by Barbara Nicolosi and embraced by the Fatima Shrine, I hope that this film will not be relegated to the dustbin in favor of the new film which promises to be more technologically advanced and a more Hollywood-feeling production. This film, though being slightly outdated due to being released before the alleged Third Secret was revealed in 2000 and the passing of Sr. Lucia, is the most accurate and believable depiction of these famous events! I only hope this film will one day get the attention it truly deserves with a Special Edition DVD release and will continue to screen at the Fatima Shrine.