2000 Talk About Movies
December
November
October
September
July/August
June
May
April
March
February
January

Little Notes
Letters

Confessions
Roamin' Catholic
Follow Me




Contents © 2000
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

THE THIRD MIRACLE

Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Starring Ed Harris, Anne Heche, Armin Mueller-Stahl. 1999, 119 minutes, English, Color. Available at Kensington Video

Matthew: Father Frank accuses God of playing games at the beginning of the film, and the cardinal accuses God of being capricious -- granting an "unwise miracle." But by the end of the film, you know what Frank meant when he said, "God is just God. He doesn't make bargains." There's providence at work outside our manipulations. Ernie: To say God is just God can be seen as deism -- God kicked the ball and now we're just rolling on it. Maybe that's the way Frank saw it, that God is fixed. But by the end, he interprets it in the better sense. He comes to have a sense that there is an active will of God into which he fits as a priest.

* * *

Ernie: The proceedings [when they examined the case for sainthood] were presented well. The correct questions were asked; everybody offered the adjudicator the proper amount of respect and deference. Our hero didn't stand up and rail against the hierarchy.

* * *

Ernie: The love scene did make me feel sick. Matthew: But it wasn't ridiculous. Ernie: And the fact that the rain reminded Frank of his duty says a lot. Matthew: A nice use of the symbol of rain as grace coming down and saving him.