"To love beauty is to see light."–Victor Hugo
"He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."― Saint Francis of Assisi
Mother Teresa: The Legacy
Mother Teresa's works of love and selfless service affirmed the greatness and dignity of every human person and transcended religion and politics.
It's A Wonderful Life
Directed by legendary Frank Capra - one of the most inspiring spiritual films ever produced powerfully illustrating the value of a single human life and the importance of community.
Frank Capra said, "There are no rules in filmmaking, only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.” Spiritual exalting films do not have to be dull!
Lost Horizon
Another Frank Capra masterpiece-- showing the dream of Shangri-La, a Utopian society, and the love of "Twin Souls"
Star Wars (especially the first three films from the 1970s and 80s)
George Lucas's first Star Wars film is the classic story of the Hero's Journey, a spiritual journey we are called to take to reach our spiritual potential. "The Power of Myth" as taught by Joseph Campbell was foundational to Lucas's creation of this masterpiece that deals with universal themes and archetypes. How good do you feel at the end of this movie? We all felt inspired, uplifted, hopeful, like we can fight the good fight and reign victorious over the bad guys, right? The heroes are likeable (although quite human and prone to mistakes and shortcomings), but they still overcome all odds and do what is best. And the music is truly inspirational as well.
Very inspiring documentary about Desmond Doss, who served as a medic during World War II and would not carry a gun because of his religious beliefs. He was the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Desmond was unwilling to compromise his beliefs and his integrity and was also uncommonly brave and self-sacrificing for his fellow man.
Somewhere in Time
Produced by Stephen Simon starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, a love story that transcends time
Nicholas Nickleby
An absolutely beautiful rendition of Charles Dickens classic novel. Produced in 2002, it features a spiritually and morally exalted hero whose love and decency overcomes opposing forces of hatred, greed, lust and treachery.
Ghost
Illustrates the continuity of the life of the soul
Maytime
Starring Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald with a beautiful story of the enduring love of "Twin Souls" that surpasses time and place
Fairytale
A look into the world of fairies and magic - produced by Wendy Finerman who also produced "Forrest Gump.”
Life is Beautiful
Film critic Roger Ebert says: "Life Is Beautiful'' is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit. It is about rescuing whatever is good and hopeful from the wreckage of dreams. About hope for the future. About the necessary human conviction, or delusion, that things will be better for our children than they are right now." Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film is one of the great comics of Italian cinema. He has made a fable about the salvific powers of love and laughter. The movie won the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Actor, and Best Music in 1999, as well as over 50 other awards.
My Life
starring Michael Keaton, a tremendous story of personal growth and transcendence
Hero's Journey DVD at Amazon (with Joseph Campbell) "Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a scholar who achieved legendary status as an explicator of myths, is reverently profiled in this documentary that encompasses his long life and career. Campbell has many interesting philosophies. One of these ideas which he portrayed in the video was that human beings should listen to the inner-voice.”
One of the great heroes of spiritually-elevating films is the film director Frank Capra. He focused on the dignity and worth of every individual and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.
Director Frank Capra's advice to young film-makers:
"Don't follow trends. Start them!”
A Tribute To Film Director Frank Capra
from the web site ClassicMovies.com
Very few directors have had words coined from their names to describe their style. "Hitchcockian" comes to mind. And, of course, "Capra-esque.” Frank Capra's was a style and an approach to filmmaking that no others have consistently been able to emulate. Many of his stories, in other hands, would have been slapstick or maudlin or both. Attempts have certainly been made, about which the less said, the better.
Born in Italy on May 18, 1897, he came to America at the age of six, in steerage, the son of a fruit picker. After graduating from college with an engineering degree and serving in the military, he began his Hollywood career as a gag writer for Hal Roach and Mack Sennett, then became a writer and director for comedian Harry Langdon. Eventually he landed at Columbia Studios, and there began the work that would eventually land him among the greatest directors of all time.
Films such as The Younger Generation, The Miracle Woman (1929), (1931), The Bitter Tea of General Yen, Lady for a Day (1932), and (1933) put him on top. It Happened One Night (1934) became the first film to win all five major Oscars. He won two more Best Director Oscars, for Mr. Deeds Goes to TownYou Can't Take It With You (1936) and (1938), which also won Best Picture. His success was in part due to a colaboration with screenwriter Robert Riskin, who helped develop the characteristic stories of the little man who fights the establishment.
After directing Lost Horizon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1937) and (1939), Capra left Columbia and began working for Warner Brothers. Meet John Doe, Arsenic and Old Lace (1941) and (released in 1944) were the result.
He spent the WWII years making documentaries in the lauded Why We Fight, It's a Wonderful Life series. After the War, he, George Stevens and William Wyler formed Liberty Pictures, which produced (1946) and State of the UnionA Hole in the Head (1948), among others. Both were flops at the box office, but today are considered among his best efforts. Unfortunately, they were the last of his great films. Though (1959) and A Pocketful of Miracles (1961) were enjoyable films, they were also evidence that his greatest days were behind him. He died in 1991, an elder statesman of Hollywood.
Do You Want More Spiritually Uplifting Movies & Media Programs?
(Minneapolis, Minnesota - USA )- Joan Holman, President of Joan Holman Productions and creator and producer of the award-winning PBS television program The Legacy of Achievement featuring the lives and lessons of great achievers, has established The Spiritual Cinema Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting spiritually-elevating films and inspirational media as well as faith and family friendly media.
Ms. Holman says:
"The entertainment industry profoundly influences the consciousness and behavior of audiences worldwide. Darkness, gratuitous violence, pessimism, profanity and negativity has escalated at alarming rates in movies, television, video games and popular music. Environmentalists discuss the physical pollution of the planet, but I am just as concerned about the cultural pollution of the planet.
If we want a better world, a more spiritually elevated world, then we need to produce appealing films and media programs that feature spiritually uplifting messages, images and music. I founded the Spiritual Cinema Alliance to be a force in making this happen."
The Spiritual Cinema Alliance will work towards promoting spiritually-elevating movies and media programs in the entertainment industry. It will enlist cooperation from, and association with, individuals and organizations dedicated to supporting and promoting Spiritual Cinema.
The Spiritual Power of Movies & Media Programs
"Art is the first and last hope of humanity. Performing artists observe life more deeply and they transform life to others through their art....People are not aware that what they believe is causing how they behave. Beliefs create behaviors. Good art causes us to change our opinions about who we are."–Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God
Joan Holman Message to Media Producers About Using Their Art to Create A Better World:
"Let's use film to create a future world of peace, beauty and truth. Let's take people to this world -- on the screen -- and implant these images into their consciousness. Let us paint the beautiful pictures, play the beautiful music, and unleash the power of collective visualization to outpicture the world we all hope for.
We know that we create what we imagine, what we visualize. And, wherever we put our attention is where our our creative energies flow. By giving our life force to the creation and viewing of films that show darkness, despair, destruction, we are, in fact, creating that very future for ourselves and for this planet. That is the future through the eyes of people who embrace death, and not life.
The word 'image' represents the concept of 'i-magic,' or 'eye-magic.' When you have thousands, millions, hundreds of millions of people holding their attention on dark images of the future, that is what will be created for the future. So, let's accept the challenge from Hollywood producer Stephen Simon. He says that people are ready for positive futuristic movies. He spoke about the mythical 'Lemurian dreamers,' people who would dream realities for other people.
Let us be the dreamers who dream a reality of absolute magnificence, and who transform the face of the entertainment industry in America and the world. Of course, we must still adhere to the structural patterns of great storytelling, and these movies must be, as Christopher Vogler says, (author of "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers & Screenwriters') 'dramatic, entertaining, and psychologically true.' "
What Is A Spiritually Exalting Film?
It is a film that uplifts and inspires, that explores higher realities and the spiritual potential of individuals. It is a film that exalts the worth of the individual and shows the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. It is a film that differentiates between light and darkness and affirms light as the essential nature of all things spiritual. It is a film that leads people, through images, music and messages, to create inner and outer worlds of beauty, truth, love, harmony and happiness.
Allen Estrin’s Movie Recommendations–The producer of the Dennis Prager radio show, Allen Estrin, began his professional life as a film historian (The Hollywood Professionals: Capra, Cukor and Brown, AS Barnes, New York). He teaches screenwriting at the American Film Institute. His wife, Susan, has seen more movies and knows them better than anyone Dennis Prager says he knows. Together, Allen and Susan have put together a film list of must-see American films. It has Dennis Prager’s seal of approval. As a matter of fact, he says he uses it often.
Michael Wiese Productions
Association of Transformative Media Arts
ATMA serves as a meeting-ground and forum for media professionals who use their work to support the transformation of the media industry as well as the society in which it operates. ATMA supports the cultivation of personal, professional and creative integrity in the media business and encourages the creation of programs that educate and enlighten as well as entertain.
Family Guide Movies & Entertainment- A Parent's Guide to Films for Families
ParentPreviews.com - Family Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings
BestSpirituality.com - Database of spiritual movies, submitted and rated by users of the site
Inspirational Movies List - Laura Dawn Lewis writes: The films & stories that make you want to be a better person, fill you with hope or make you grateful for the gifts you have! Hankies in hand, get ready! These are the films you will watch from the first second all the way through just so you can experience the wonder of human triumph. They are the perennial favorites, the movies you want to share with your children, grandchildren and each other. These are the films you never tire of and welcome your heart like a long lost friend. In November 2009 we updated this list to include new films that have appeared since we originally created it in 2002. The films presented range from pure drama to comedy and true stories. Each has strong storylines, incredible characters and showcase the human spirit, hope and perseverance. If you need a mental pick-me-up or just a good cry through happy tears, you'll want to watch each of these films again and again.
Top 21 Inspirational Movies of All Time from 1980 to 2008 - Includes Sea Biscuit, The Pursuit of Happyness, Field of Dreams, Rudy, Chariots of Fire, Forrest Gump, Dead Poets Society.
Articles by Joan Holman
The Mystical Marriage: The Transforming Power of Love in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera
Harry Potter's Prisoner of Azkaban Takes Children Down the Wrong Road
The Passion of the Christ and Mel Gibson's Death Blow to the Hollywood Oligopoly
The film Solaris starring George Clooney
Violence in video games
Harmony, unity and vibration
Commentary / Film Reviews / Articles
FairyTale: A True Story--film review by Gary Johnson -- "Exactly because the filmmakers refuse to completely embrace the fantastic, Fairytale becomes all the more intriguing, and in the process, the movie's magical elements--dealt out in terms that manage simultaneously to embrace fairies while remaining skeptical--become all the more compelling. Fairytale--A True Story is a wonderful movie and one of the best movies ever made about children and the difference between an adult's conception of magic (i.e. "trickery," as embodied by Harry Houdini) and a child's conception of magic as a natural part of the world.
The Mystical Marriage, The Transforming Power of Love and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Movie The Phantom of the Opera
copyright © Joan Holman
Gaston Leroux wrote The Phantom of the Opera in 1911. Although there have been a number of film and television versions of the story, none have come close to the phenomenal success of Andew Lloyd Webber's stage musical adaptation of the novel.
MOVIE IS BASED ON LARGEST GROSSING PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD FOR STAGE OR SCREEN -- Lloyd Webber's stage musical ofPhantom is the largest grossing stage or screen production in the world, with worldwide box office receipts of over $3.2 billion. Since its debut in London in 1986, it has reached an estimated audience of 80 million people, with more than 65,000 performances in 18 countries. The original cast recording has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is the biggest selling cast album of all time.
A STUNNING WORK OF CINEMATIC ART-- Lloyd Webber has met the challenge of transforming his stage musical is an absolutely stunning work of cinematic art. This film works in all levels: artistically, musically and dramatically.
UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF THE PHANTOM -- The powerful and enduring appeal of the story of the Phantom results from its striking a common chord with men and women throughout the world. That chord is the universal archetypal characters and themes that tap into the collective unconscious of mankind.
click here to read entire article
Harmony, Unity & Vibration
The impact of angry, pessimistic, destructive and violent films on your consciousness and hence your life
by Joan Holman / copyright 2003 Joan Holman
There are unifying, common elements found in all great religions and cultures upon which we can focus to build cooperation in a diverse world. We need to focus on unity by finding common ground among people of different beliefs and backgrounds. A focus on unifying elements creates harmony and brings people together instead of dividing people, whether it be by religion, race, culture, political beliefs, or other differerences.
HARMONY IS CONSTRUCTIVE -- DISSONANCE IS DESTRUCTIVE
Everything is vibration. Harmonious vibrations build, and dissonant vibrations tear down. Creating harmony in a group through focus on common ground builds a resonance that is a foundation for cooperation.
For example, without the use of rules of orderliness, such as Parlimentary Procedure, groups of people with different opinions end up in argumentation, dissension, and nonresolution of issues.
There certainly is a time for debate and discussion of charged political and religious issues. However, as an artist, I want my focus to be on transcendent realities and common emotions that pull people together. I want to create art that builds harmony in society, that builds culture, rather than tears it down.