LOS ANGELES, 02 Jan. 17 / 12:57 pm (ICA).- This month of January will be premiered in the united States and Spain the movie "Silence" (The Silence), which is about two jesuit priests who face violent persecution when they travel to the Japan of the SEVENTEENTH century in search of his missing mentor, who is rumored, renounced his faith under torture.
"Silence" was directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson, who shot the film in Taiwan between January and may 2015.
The premiere for Latin america will be in February.
Mons. Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, makes the following criticism about the film:
a long time Ago that I am a fan of the films of Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, The Last Waltz, Casino, are some of the most important films of the last forty years. The drama about crime, The Departed (2007), was the main theme of one of the first comments that I made on YouTube.
The catholicism of Scorsese, although mitigated, and in conflict, inspires the greater part of his work. The film, more recently, the long-awaited Silence, based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo, is an addition worthy of his filmography. Like many of his other films, is marked by a magnificent cinematography, excellent performances from both main actors as supporting actors, a narrative, exciting and enough complexity themes to keep you thinking in the foreseeable future.
The story is set in mid-SEVENTEENTH century in Japan, where it is launched a fierce persecution against the catholic faith. To this dangerous country come two young jesuit priests (played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield), spiritual descendants of St Francis Xavier that are sent out to find the P. Ferreira, his mentor and seminary professor who, according to rumors, had apostatized under torture, and, in fact, he had gone to the other side.
(Warning for spoiler)
Immediately upon reaching the ground, you are greeted by a small group of japanese christians who had maintained their faith under the ground for many years. Because of the extreme danger, the young priests are forced to hide during the day, but may participate in the ministry in a clandestine night: to baptize, to catechize, confessing, celebrating the Mass. However, in a short time the authorities became aware of their presence and they began to suspect of the local christians, who surrounded and tortured with the hope of attracting the light to the priests.
The most memorable scene of the film, at least for me, was the crucifixion in the sea of four of these courageous believers, lay people, tied to crosses on the shore, are beaten by the tide to drown in the course of several days.
Later, their bodies are placed on pyres of straw and burned to become ashes, appearing for all the world as burnt offerings offered to the Lord. With time, the priests, are captured and subjected to a unique form and terrible psychological torture.
The film focuses on the struggles of the P. Rodrigues. As japanese christians, men and women who had risked their lives to protect it, are tortured at his presence and invites you to renounce your faith to put an end to the torment. With just trampling on a christian image, perform a mere external sign or an empty formality, will release his colleagues in the pain, but as a good warrior, it is denied.
Even when a christian japanese is beheaded, do not give up. Finally, and this is the scene most devastating in the film, is brought to the P. Ferreira, the mentor I had been seeking since his arrival in Japan.
All the rumors were true: this old teacher of the christian life, this hero jesuit, renounced his faith, he took a japanese wife and lived as a kind of philosopher under the protection of the State.
Using a variety of arguments, the priest in disgrace to try to convince his former student that abandons the mission to evangelize in Japan, a country known as a “swamp” where the seed of christianity can never take root.
The next day in the presence of christians terribly tortured, hung upside down inside a well filled with excreta, you are given the opportunity once again of stepping on a representation of the face of Christ.
At the height of his distress, to resist from the bottom of his heart, Rodrigues hears what he believes is the voice of Jesus himself, and finally breaks the silence divine, telling him that tramples on the image. When it does, a rooster crows in the distance.
in the wake of his apostasy, it follows in the footsteps of Ferreira and becomes a ward of the State, a philosopher, well-fed and well-supplied, to those who regularly are called to step on a christian image, and to renounce formally to their faith. Then, take a japanese name, a japanese wife and lives for many years in Japan until the day of his death at the age of 64, to receive a dignified burial, in a ceremony buddhist.
What should we do with this story strange and disturbing? Like any great film or novel, Silence obviously resists a univocal interpretation or unilateral. In fact, almost all of the comments that I’ve read, especially religious people, emphasize how Silence brings a beautifully complex, layered and ambiguous nature of the faith.
Recognizing fully the profound psychological truth, and spiritual of that statement, I wonder if you could add a voice to something dissenting to the conversation. I would like to propose a comparison, fully justified by the instincts of a soldier named Ignatius of Loyola who founded the jesuit order to which belonged all the missionaries of Silence.
Suppose that a small special operations team of american and highly trained is placed behind the enemy lines for a dangerous mission.
Suppose, in addition, they were aided by civilians loyal in the field, who are finally caught and proven to be willing to die rather than betray the mission.
Suppose, finally, that the own troops are finally arrested and, under torture, to renounce their allegiance to the united States, joining their opponents, and live a comfortable life under the auspices of their old enemies. How would someone anxious to celebrate the complex layers and the rich ambiguity of his patriotism? Do not we would see directly as cowards and traitors?
My concern is that all the tension on the complexity, multivalency and ambiguity is at the service of the cultural elite of today, that is not so different from the elite japanese culture represented in the film.
What I mean is that the secular establishment always prefer christians to be hesitant, uncertain, divided and anxious to privatise their religion. And is too willing to dispose of people passionately religious tildándolas of dangerous, violent, and let’s face it, not so bright.
Check the address for Ferreira to Rodrigues about the course christianity simplistic of the laity japanese if you doubt me on this point. I wonder if Shusaku Endo (and perhaps Scorsese) we was inviting to look away from the priests and redirecting it to that wonderful group of godly, dedicated, and pacifists lay people who kept alive the christian faith under the most unforgiving environments imaginable, and that in the decisive moment, they witnessed to Christ with their lives.
While the specially trained Ferreira and Rodrigues became lackeys paid a tyrannical government, simple people who continued to be a thorn in the side of tyranny.
I know, I know. Scorsese shows the corpse of Rodrigues within her coffin, holding a small crucifix, which proves, I suppose, that the priest remained in some sense a christian.
But again, this is exactly the kind of christianity that the culture prevailing like: fully privatized, hidden, harmless. So well, maybe a medium drink for Rodrigues, but three drinks with full glasses by the martyrs crucified on the beach.
you may Also be interested in:
No comments:
Post a Comment