Loading ...
In keeping with our recent military theme, I thought I would mention that the Doctor and I just watched The Great Raid and found it to be, not only an enjoyable movie, but also delightfully Catholic. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s the story of the 6th Ranger Battalion in WWII, and their mission to rescue 500 American soldiers from the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines.
We like military films (the Doctor has something of an interest in military history), and that’s what induced us to rent it, but we were pleased to find that it was extremely pro-Catholic. Some soldiers devoutly cross themselves before being executed; others kiss a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe before going into combat; priests bravely put themselves in harm’s way to stand up for innocent people. It’s a straightforwardly patriotic movie about men who want to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. The subject matter is a little too heavy for it to properly be called a “family movie” but I would certainly endorse it for Catholic teenagers or adults.
Finally, if I may add a word to Simplex Sacerdos: being somewhat occupied with personal matters last week, I was unable to comment on the interview you so generously offered us. So I wanted to mention here, where you’re more likely to see it, that I think your work is very admirable, and I will keep you and your men in my prayers.
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort,
Pope St. Pius X,
St. Joseph,
St. Ambrose of Milan,
St. Thomas Aquinas,
St. Francis (and St. Clare),
St. Catherine of Siena,
St. Alphonsus Ligouri,
St. John Chrysostom,
At your recommendation, I watched The Great Raid and found it to be time well spent. It has some Catholic elements in it, which were refreshing to see. In reality, I would suppose that there were even more. The portrayal of the Japanese was a little much, though. I once read a short pamphlet written by a traditional priest, Hugh Thwaites, S.J. As a young man he enlisted in the British Army and was taken prisoner during WW II. He worked on the construction of the famous bridge over the river Kwai. The point of his writing was to counteract the hatred displayed against the Japanese after the war by relating how he and his fellow prisoners were treated quite humanely. From what I remember they were allowed to keep their personal belongings, watches, money, pictures etc. They spent the money on food from peddlers coming to the camp and bartered their valuables. A priest was allowed to travel freely on a small circuit of camps in order to say Mass and hear confessions. Eventually toward the end of the war, they were transferred to another camp where they were allowed to turn an empty building into a chapel. I do not doubt that atrocities occurred but it wasn’t all black. Thank you for the recommendation.