Good shit man. I am not a Christian by any means, but the climax of this movie (when Jesus tells the missionary to step on him) is one of the most beautiful, spiritual, humanitarian movie moments I have yet to witness. I thought it was an incredibly beautiful portrayal of the mercy that Christians teach about Jesus Christ. It also bore testament to how fantastic and diverse Scorsese can be. Such a great movie. If I wouldn't have committed to watch all of it I would have missed out on a true cinematic treat.
For the first half of the film, I was furious at the behavior of the missionaries, believing this was just some Christian apologetic film about glorifying suffering and persecution. By the end, I realized this was a false setup, a product of the skewed first person perspective of the film, and that this structure was intended to promote reflection on the deep seated conflicts held by the film's characters. It's really a work of art and this is an excellent spiritual analysis of it.
I'm a moderate Atheist, but this movie was undeniably fantastic. Amazing acting and a very nuanced look at persecution and religion. Its also really book accurate, which genuinely surprised me. I wish more movies like this exist. instead we get lots of pureflix garbage instead. Great Video as always.
I agree. In fact, I would go even further and say that it can apply to any passionately held belief system (e.g. political beliefs). Is strict adherence to dogma an act of courage or hubris? Is compromising one's beliefs necessary in an imperfect world? If so, is it even a sin? Or is "pragmatism" just a coward's term for selling out? These are questions that everyone, religious or not, must ask themselves in some form.
Another great analysis, I only wish you would have addressed the issue of hubris and how that may have played into the refusal to apostatise. To further complicate things, the priests were under additional pressure NOT to apostatise because it could devalue everything the locals had gone through to protect the priests and their own expression of faith.
If one only focused on the God's Not Dead's, Prayer Room's and evangelical films of America, one could easily miss that we are experiencing a renaissance of religious themes in film, often explored with great sensitivity and wisdom. Calvary and Silence are some of the most piercing explorations of religious pain ever created, and some of the finest films I've ever seen. Add to this Last Days in the Desert, Noah, The Revenant, The Vessel, Selma, Don Verdean, and The Witch - all of which explore deeply religious themes and motifs with aplomb, and things are looking good for God in cinema.
On the subject of God's jealousy, it's worth pointing out that in Hebrew and Greek, "jealous" and "zealous" are the same word (and even in English, they share the same root). "Qinah" and "zelos" denote something like ardor, vehemence, or passion, and the biblical scriptures (particularly the OT) use the terms in both positive and negative senses. Thus theological "jealousy" lacks the inherent negative connotations of the modern word, and in certain contexts, such as a faithful marital relationship, is a natural and even necessary posture.
I always thought, given the religious education I received, the choice would be difficult but ultimately unquestionable. You publicly step on the image as while things such images of Jesus and other religious works may be symbols of faith they are not holy and divine themselves, merely images. And as such stepping on them, when under duress is not a renunciation of faith. Faith is carried inside oneself a lot more than it is through any outward displays.
Not only that, but even renuncing to Jesus publically or in private means NOTHING. It's funny that people think Jesus loves conditionally or that he has no self-esteem of his own to care what anyone thinks of him lol Some christian make Jesus oh so holy........and then seem to almost think they somehow have power over him. Jesus came to teach about love. Thats it. Anything done as an act of love (ie respect and concern for one's fellow humans) is kosher.
It was a renunciation though. Public renunciation ritual followed by routine written testaments of renunciation and relentless scrutiny by the authorities to make sure you are not still Christian in lifestyle, word or deed. They let Japan blot out their religion and its practice. Now as for the matter of the monk and his personal faith- hidden under a bushel, never uttered, never shared, abandoning his spiritual duties and position as a priest to the Japanese christians- that's a matter between him and God, but it is presented to provoke thought, not judgement. I dont think it was right based on christian teachings and even the very words of Jesus. He greatly emphasised the importance of remaining true and not being ashamed of Him in view of others.
When I first saw this movie, I wasn't sure how to feel about it since I felt so exhausted by the end of it. Watching it cold without much prior knowledge can be laborious. As the week went on, I couldn't stop thinking about the film, and the more I thought about, the more brilliant I thought it was. I'm normally not one for making predictions, but I think this could eventually become an underrated classic that filmmakers will study. *SIDE NOTE* Regarding what you said about the film, Incendies, in another video, I couldn't agree more. I only saw the film once around the time it was just released on DVD, and it was a movie that rocked me to my core. Denis Villenueve is working on another level.
Leon contributed an interesting aspect: How trivial it would be to step on a physical object. I haven't seen this brought up very often since. Way to go ^^
The reason Christianity failed to spread in Japan, and it still does today, is that Japan puts harmony beyond everything. You have Buddhism and Shintoism living side by side, and often there is a mixture of rituals of both these religions (people prefer a Shinto marriage and a Buddhist funeral). Christianity doesn´t allow this. Either you´re a Christian or not, and that´s it. Also, saying that Christian persecution prevented colonization is very far fetched. Many countries whose population had a Muslim or another religious majority ended up being colonized. The reason the Philippines or the American continent were taken was because they were very easy to conquer as their military technology was backward. Japan would have been also conquered by the Europeans in the middle of the XIXth century, as its years of isolation had made its military technology backward (they still used XVIIth century modeled arquebus), hadn´t it been the Meiji Restoration which took a path to immediately modernize the country.
jake michael Watch the movie you'll understand, sometimes silence is also better than bothering other people with your beliefs or asking stupid questions.
Why do you think this wasn't nominated for more Oscars? It only got nominated for Best Cinematography and didn't win. I really thought this would also be nominated for Best Picture since they can nominate ten films but it wasn't - did the people that decide the Oscars not think it was a good film?
G. Perez I'm perplexed that "Lion" and "Hidden Figures" received Best Picture noms, but Silence got severely snubbed. Did the academy seriously feel like "Hacksaw Ridge" was the better period drama about faith starring Andrew Garfield?
Another interpretation of "faith" that I've heard is that it's "the anticipation of a blessing" ... in other words, thanking God for something that hasn't reached you yet, trusting in him that the blessing will come when God decides the time is right.
This was a fantastic and well crafted video on Silence. The only thing I would like to add is that Faith does not mean accepting something that is irrational or not based on evidence. Faith, in most instances, is mainly a synonym for trust. In the Gospels, the disciples see what Jesus is doing and base their belief in that, an empirical observation. The later Christians then based their beliefs on the testimony of the Gospel writers, not just on some whim. Furthermore, in philosophical circles their are an exorbitant amount of arguments for God's existence and characteristics. This is not to say that we know everything about God, but we can come to certain conclusions about him based on reasoning. It also doesn't suggest that belief in God is based on superstition and "woo-woo" but rather on solid logic and reasoning as seen by authors such as Alvin Plantinga and Robert Spitzer. Faith was discussed well in this video, but I think that it is important to state that Faith does not require anybody to ignore common reason, but rather that Faith actually works in tandem with reason. For example, you could drive your car and know everything their is to know about your vehicle inside and out. However you can never be one hundred percent certain that your vehicle will get you to your destination simply because your knowledge of what may happen on is uncertain, therefore you need. Faith, even in a secular sense.
Is it really that good? I’m a huuuuuge Scorsese fanatic, and I’ve been hesitant about this film due to the religious theme.. but, I’m reading from atheist, that they enjoyed this movie greatly; so I ask from you, is it a film a scorsese fanatic would be happy about? I know it’s a pretty ignorant question, but- I have to ask.
I enjoyed this review as it was a well balanced effort to understand a world view, Catholicism, that is not your own. I think it it worth considering that God does recognize mitigating circumstances in the face of human weakness and sin. Even a suicide, one who discards God's great gift of life, may be forgiven if the souls is in a state in which the person may be less or not at all responsible. This kind of apostasy is a kind of spiritual violence but there is reason to believe that, while the martyrs are especially courageous, those who fail to do the same can be similarly forgiven. This point is, and I don't know if I'm making this well, is that this is not a matter of shades of gray but some rights and wrongs are more clearly seen by God than man.
Mm, it would be nice if more of a... certain type of Western Christian watched this movie to get some perspective on what genuine religious persecution of Christians looks like. Of course that would rely on them to have the self-awareness to realise how good they have it. That aside, a fascinating exploration of what god allegedly "wants" by both you and the movie Leon.
Jesus demanded suffering for one's faith. This leads that certain kind of Christian to basically seek persecution, and in it's absence, create it. Having it so good has created this feeling that treating other faiths, or lack of faith, equally to Christianity, is the same as persecuting it. It's the same as the gay marriage debate. Where, somehow, treating same sex marriage equally to hetereo marriage is equivalent to devaluing hetero marriage. Or how white supremacists feel about treating people of other ethnicities. To many people, of many ideologies, you can't bring others up, without bringing them down.
Did Tadanobu learn some English for this film? I know he learned some Mongolian in 2006. He's such an elegant actor, and still compelling even when speaking a foreign tongue...
So Leon, how do YOU feel about Silence? I know you're secular, so I'm curious if this made you think or if it was something you respected but just couldn't really get into.
I'm not a Patreon member, but I think First Reformed might be worth analyzing. It is probably one of the most subversive Christian movies ever. It turns the "damaged atheist" trope of Kevin Sorbo films on its head, and the church in the film are the oppressors/bystanders rather than the oppressed.
I don't really have anything profound to say, just that this was one of the most powerful films I've ever seen. That moment when the voice of Jesus speaks, I was so overcome I started praying in the theater. Inappropriate? Engineered? I think the emotional trip up to that point justified such a reaction.
😢😢i cried so much for this, why..?is not just about the movie, but what happen next after the rapture,those who left behind, will face the most meanest and the wicked torture ever, i can imagine..so i just cry, for this , and this is an example for little scale, even is so brutal and painfull,so prepare your self , for the time near come. Hopely all the believer will be saved.
I loved this movie. I'm an athiest, and in some ways I think it was more enjoyable becuase I was an athiest. This movie asked questions about religion, cultural differences, and humanity with such an elegant nuance that so many christians, especially in America, don't even know exists. I especially love how at the end the christian priests have decided Japan is somewhat better off without christianity and they don't have the right to push their religious beliefs onto other cultures, and that despite intergrating into the Japanese culture and religion, they are still christians inside. Coming from a christian culture where I'm conditioned to hide my beliefs, I like Christian films acknowledge that there are other beliefs out there and they aren't any better or worse than ours.
Catholism was built as an iconodule religion. People or deities represented in those images are venerated, is not the image itset but who's represented in it.
I know most of your episodes are done by commission and that you plan out much of your schedule months in advance, but have you ever thought of doing a Scorsese Month like the Kurosawa and Kubrick months of past years? I think I recall you mentioning you have another featured director month coming later this year, but I can't remember for sure. Keep up the great videos!
Rodriguez wanted to do what Jesus did and make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of others. He thought this ultimate sacrifice would be his life, but because he was so willing to give it up for others his life was not the ultimate price he needed to pay. He needed to pay with the safety of his eternal soul. He had to sacrifice his faith to sacrifice everything for others and in that way he really was like Jesus.
This movie portrays Christians as if they don’t believe that heaven exists. Or that they don’t believe Christ when he said “blessed are you when others persecute you”. “To live is in Christ and to die is to gain”. The people in this movie cling on to life as if it’s the most important thing in the universe. But this movie forgets that Jesus defeated death.
they portrayed this a lot actually. The Japanese soldiers didn't kill Rodriguez because they knew Christians thought that "to die is to gain". Meanwhile, the Japanese Christians didn't really understand the religion and misunderstood a lot of it. At the end of the day, they are simply common folk trying to get by.
Great video! Side note: The portuguese names don´t end with a "z" ... that´s spanish ... It´s Rodrigues ... You think that is meaningless but for a portuguese native is apalling ...
It would've been my favorite movie of the year if not for the unnecessary, frankly proposterous, amount of voiceover in this film. The impact of otherwise raw and on point imagery, facial expressions and actions that could speak tons on themselves, the ambiguity of some scenes -- all lost or greatly diminished under the 'well now I feel and think exactly that, and that is what you, the audience, should see here'. Ugh. By the middle of the movie, every time I heard the inner monologue of the protagonist (and that's every other minute here), the only thing I would think was "Shut up! Shut the hell up and let me *see* for myself!!!" There's too much voiceover here for the movie called "Silence". But, other than that, this film is brilliant. You can watch it from any perspective and mindset, and see value, reasonings and conflict within it. Personal struggling with faith and doubt in an outrageous situation, duty, hubris, a commentary on the destructive nature of colonialism and meddling with other cultures, etc. - it's all here, it's all explored; there's room for analysis and enterpretation.. It's visually beautiful and brutal, raw and mesmerizing; the sound (except the vo) and editing is great. I sorely wish someone would make a version without the voiceover from the Garfield's character POV.
nah, if we ever saw him we'd see him with imperfect and subjective eyes, some more concerned with god's beauty, god's terribly booming voice, his pride, jealousy, etc. To see him talk or see him would lead to fear, if you believe in the bible, most people who heard him or even got a glimpse of him are described as petrified. If you don't we'll have to wait to find out. If he isn't there: nothing to worry about If he is: I dunno/ I can't assume to much.
It kinda feels like this movie is advocating absurdism. That by trying to find inherent meaning in the universe, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment and suffering.
It sort of goes toward an absurdist outlook, but near the end of the movie when the silence is broken, when god speaks, or Rodriquez breaks. The fil suggest that god is still the arbiter and that he's very much in control. Seen when Jesus tells him to step on it. and when he's told that he's suffering with Rodriguez. The final being the final line where it's said that god alone will decide Rodriquez's faith. Which is coupled with a view of a cross in Rodriquez's hands. Far from suggesting that meaning is nonexistent, it sort of encourages a faith that never dies, and merecy for the apostate priest.
Jesus Christ: "Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven"... This is where the whole conundrum lies... Plus: "For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it"
Although Japan was cruel to innocent Christians, what they did was smart for their own survival against western colonization. If it was just about religion, then they would be fine with it. But it wasn't, it was about power and influence. Unfortunately, it's hard to live in a world where religion can just exist and not be used to harm and control others.
I found this film hard to watch because it's so nihilistic. There is NOTHING positive. Religion comes out as a lie, faith is waisting one's life, Japanese and European culture are horrible (for different reasons) and life is meaningless. I found the tiny cross at the end an affirmation of his continued, pathetic faith. What else does he have but the reality he waisted his life and suffered horribly in pursuit of something that does not exist? And he inflicted this same end on all the people he converted, only they met death by the most horrendous torture. I can't imagine watching this movie a second time.
I love Nihilism because it's inherently optimistic, at least in my view. Sure you could say he wasted his life... so what? What's so bad about that? He learned a great deal by the end of his life and died knowing he did the right thing by renouncing his faith and saving those people.
I don't like the way this movie deals with the languages people speak. It's really dumb to me. Also, I'm not religious so I can't really relate very well with this.
While it's true that Christians faced persecution like this, this movie still had an air of Catholic propaganda. What really sealed that concept for me was the inquisitor being so ratty and smarmy. The film starts to go into more interesting territory with Japanese views on spirituality, then just goes back to "he loved god the whole time!" Yes, it's not right how they were treated, but around the same period in time, Christians were burning people for being witches. And I personally feel that the Japanese had a right to purge foreign influences, not in such a violent manner, of course. Christians at the time weren't the most accepting people, so one can only imagine the hostile reaction Christian lands would have issued with a similar situation from let's say Buddhist or whomever.
![What Scorsese's 'Silence' Teaches Us About Filmmaking [light spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qjhqcv9gR_Q/mqdefault.jpg)
![What Scorsese's 'Silence' Teaches Us About Filmmaking [light spoilers]](/img/tr.png)
"Faith and doubt do not oppose each other. They define each other, like light and shadow". Brilliant. Wonderful review, as usual. :)
Good shit man. I am not a Christian by any means, but the climax of this movie (when Jesus tells the missionary to step on him) is one of the most beautiful, spiritual, humanitarian movie moments I have yet to witness. I thought it was an incredibly beautiful portrayal of the mercy that Christians teach about Jesus Christ. It also bore testament to how fantastic and diverse Scorsese can be. Such a great movie. If I wouldn't have committed to watch all of it I would have missed out on a true cinematic treat.
By the way, I don't think that's a great deal, given christianity does not permit idol worship. what has it to do stepping on it.
For the first half of the film, I was furious at the behavior of the missionaries, believing this was just some Christian apologetic film about glorifying suffering and persecution. By the end, I realized this was a false setup, a product of the skewed first person perspective of the film, and that this structure was intended to promote reflection on the deep seated conflicts held by the film's characters. It's really a work of art and this is an excellent spiritual analysis of it.
I’m glad this film shed light on the persecution of Christian’s
"So pray, Rodriguez, but pray with your eyes open!"
One of the most powerful lines in cinema
I'm a moderate Atheist, but this movie was undeniably fantastic. Amazing acting and a very nuanced look at persecution and religion. Its also really book accurate, which genuinely surprised me.
I wish more movies like this exist. instead we get lots of pureflix garbage instead.
Great Video as always.
a misunderstood masterpiece from one of the greatest filmmaker alive.
I hope people will understand it's not just Christian believe film
the Christian god is not the only silent one, indeed
reverendchip I truly think silence in not limited to Christianity but about any religious u can think of.
I agree. In fact, I would go even further and say that it can apply to any passionately held belief system (e.g. political beliefs). Is strict adherence to dogma an act of courage or hubris? Is compromising one's beliefs necessary in an imperfect world? If so, is it even a sin? Or is "pragmatism" just a coward's term for selling out? These are questions that everyone, religious or not, must ask themselves in some form.
gokinsmen I completely agree with you
Another great analysis, I only wish you would have addressed the issue of hubris and how that may have played into the refusal to apostatise. To further complicate things, the priests were under additional pressure NOT to apostatise because it could devalue everything the locals had gone through to protect the priests and their own expression of faith.
in my opinion it was one of the best American movies in recent memory, and by far the best of 2016,
and i'm jewish.
I think PureFlix should just make a film called "Noise".
I would love that
"Shut The Hell Up, It's Too Loud"
A Film by Martin Scorsese
If one only focused on the God's Not Dead's, Prayer Room's and evangelical films of America, one could easily miss that we are experiencing a renaissance of religious themes in film, often explored with great sensitivity and wisdom. Calvary and Silence are some of the most piercing explorations of religious pain ever created, and some of the finest films I've ever seen. Add to this Last Days in the Desert, Noah, The Revenant, The Vessel, Selma, Don Verdean, and The Witch - all of which explore deeply religious themes and motifs with aplomb, and things are looking good for God in cinema.
Not much of that in Selma.
I still can't get over the fact that it got snubbed by the academy
On the subject of God's jealousy, it's worth pointing out that in Hebrew and Greek, "jealous" and "zealous" are the same word (and even in English, they share the same root). "Qinah" and "zelos" denote something like ardor, vehemence, or passion, and the biblical scriptures (particularly the OT) use the terms in both positive and negative senses. Thus theological "jealousy" lacks the inherent negative connotations of the modern word, and in certain contexts, such as a faithful marital relationship, is a natural and even necessary posture.
I always thought, given the religious education I received, the choice would be difficult but ultimately unquestionable. You publicly step on the image as while things such images of Jesus and other religious works may be symbols of faith they are not holy and divine themselves, merely images. And as such stepping on them, when under duress is not a renunciation of faith. Faith is carried inside oneself a lot more than it is through any outward displays.
I'm an apostate and even I thoroughly agree with you on this.
Not only that, but even renuncing to Jesus publically or in private means NOTHING. It's funny that people think Jesus loves conditionally or that he has no self-esteem of his own to care what anyone thinks of him lol Some christian make Jesus oh so holy........and then seem to almost think they somehow have power over him. Jesus came to teach about love. Thats it. Anything done as an act of love (ie respect and concern for one's fellow humans) is kosher.
It was a renunciation though.
Public renunciation ritual followed by routine written testaments of renunciation and relentless scrutiny by the authorities to make sure you are not still Christian in lifestyle, word or deed.
They let Japan blot out their religion and its practice. Now as for the matter of the monk and his personal faith- hidden under a bushel, never uttered, never shared, abandoning his spiritual duties and position as a priest to the Japanese christians- that's a matter between him and God, but it is presented to provoke thought, not judgement.
I dont think it was right based on christian teachings and even the very words of Jesus. He greatly emphasised the importance of remaining true and not being ashamed of Him in view of others.
Damn, just discovered this channel. It's a real gem, Leon.
Glad you did Silence, what a wonderful film.
When I first saw this movie, I wasn't sure how to feel about it since I felt so exhausted by the end of it. Watching it cold without much prior knowledge can be laborious. As the week went on, I couldn't stop thinking about the film, and the more I thought about, the more brilliant I thought it was. I'm normally not one for making predictions, but I think this could eventually become an underrated classic that filmmakers will study.
*SIDE NOTE* Regarding what you said about the film, Incendies, in another video, I couldn't agree more. I only saw the film once around the time it was just released on DVD, and it was a movie that rocked me to my core. Denis Villenueve is working on another level.
one of the greatest films of 2016 that deserved way more recognition (same with '20th Century Women')
Leon contributed an interesting aspect: How trivial it would be to step on a physical object. I haven't seen this brought up very often since. Way to go ^^
I was absolutely floored by this film, and that's coming from a non-religious gay man!
floored?
Fun fact: despite being 1 percent of the population, 8 out the 24 PMs of Japan have been Christians.
The reason Christianity failed to spread in Japan, and it still does today, is that Japan puts harmony beyond everything. You have Buddhism and Shintoism living side by side, and often there is a mixture of rituals of both these religions (people prefer a Shinto marriage and a Buddhist funeral). Christianity doesn´t allow this. Either you´re a Christian or not, and that´s it.
Also, saying that Christian persecution prevented colonization is very far fetched. Many countries whose population had a Muslim or another religious majority ended up being colonized. The reason the Philippines or the American continent were taken was because they were very easy to conquer as their military technology was backward.
Japan would have been also conquered by the Europeans in the middle of the XIXth century, as its years of isolation had made its military technology backward (they still used XVIIth century modeled arquebus), hadn´t it been the Meiji Restoration which took a path to immediately modernize the country.
The most thought provoking film since Schindler's List.
This is my all time favorite movie-and I have seen over 1,100 movies!
Silence is the key for a better understanding.
between who and who? just curious.
jake michael Watch the movie you'll understand, sometimes silence is also better than bothering other people with your beliefs or asking stupid questions.
I did. Thanks by the way, I read that as silence the movie rather than silence the word.
Why do you think this wasn't nominated for more Oscars? It only got nominated for Best Cinematography and didn't win. I really thought this would also be nominated for Best Picture since they can nominate ten films but it wasn't - did the people that decide the Oscars not think it was a good film?
I think it was probably too political for the conservative Oscar voting crowd.
Probably cos it was released SO late in the year. Same with Live By Night.
G. Perez
I'm perplexed that "Lion" and "Hidden Figures" received Best Picture noms, but Silence got severely snubbed. Did the academy seriously feel like "Hacksaw Ridge" was the better period drama about faith starring Andrew Garfield?
lol Live By Night wouldn't have got nominated for anything regardless.
Don't take the Oscars seriously. It's hardly surprising that they snubbed the best film of the year.
Another interpretation of "faith" that I've heard is that it's "the anticipation of a blessing" ... in other words, thanking God for something that hasn't reached you yet, trusting in him that the blessing will come when God decides the time is right.
This was a fantastic and well crafted video on Silence. The only thing I would like to add is that Faith does not mean accepting something that is irrational or not based on evidence. Faith, in most instances, is mainly a synonym for trust. In the Gospels, the disciples see what Jesus is doing and base their belief in that, an empirical observation. The later Christians then based their beliefs on the testimony of the Gospel writers, not just on some whim. Furthermore, in philosophical circles their are an exorbitant amount of arguments for God's existence and characteristics. This is not to say that we know everything about God, but we can come to certain conclusions about him based on reasoning. It also doesn't suggest that belief in God is based on superstition and "woo-woo" but rather on solid logic and reasoning as seen by authors such as Alvin Plantinga and Robert Spitzer. Faith was discussed well in this video, but I think that it is important to state that Faith does not require anybody to ignore common reason, but rather that Faith actually works in tandem with reason. For example, you could drive your car and know everything their is to know about your vehicle inside and out. However you can never be one hundred percent certain that your vehicle will get you to your destination simply because your knowledge of what may happen on is uncertain, therefore you need. Faith, even in a secular sense.
This gives me a delightful feel akin to the "shogun" mini-series. This pleases me.
This is lovely. Thank you ❤ Silence is such an underrated masterpiece. One of my favorite movies ever
Is it really that good? I’m a huuuuuge Scorsese fanatic, and I’ve been hesitant about this film due to the religious theme.. but, I’m reading from atheist, that they enjoyed this movie greatly; so I ask from you, is it a film a scorsese fanatic would be happy about? I know it’s a pretty ignorant question, but- I have to ask.
I enjoyed this review as it was a well balanced effort to understand a world view, Catholicism, that is not your own. I think it it worth considering that God does recognize mitigating circumstances in the face of human weakness and sin. Even a suicide, one who discards God's great gift of life, may be forgiven if the souls is in a state in which the person may be less or not at all responsible. This kind of apostasy is a kind of spiritual violence but there is reason to believe that, while the martyrs are especially courageous, those who fail to do the same can be similarly forgiven. This point is, and I don't know if I'm making this well, is that this is not a matter of shades of gray but some rights and wrongs are more clearly seen by God than man.
Mm, it would be nice if more of a... certain type of Western Christian watched this movie to get some perspective on what genuine religious persecution of Christians looks like. Of course that would rely on them to have the self-awareness to realise how good they have it. That aside, a fascinating exploration of what god allegedly "wants" by both you and the movie Leon.
WBC?
Jesus demanded suffering for one's faith. This leads that certain kind of Christian to basically seek persecution, and in it's absence, create it. Having it so good has created this feeling that treating other faiths, or lack of faith, equally to Christianity, is the same as persecuting it. It's the same as the gay marriage debate. Where, somehow, treating same sex marriage equally to hetereo marriage is equivalent to devaluing hetero marriage. Or how white supremacists feel about treating people of other ethnicities. To many people, of many ideologies, you can't bring others up, without bringing them down.
Did Tadanobu learn some English for this film? I know he learned some Mongolian in 2006. He's such an elegant actor, and still compelling even when speaking a foreign tongue...
Renegade Cut Great analysis of the film. Could you maybe do an analysis on the latest Godzilla film, Shin Godzilla?
So Leon, how do YOU feel about Silence? I know you're secular, so I'm curious if this made you think or if it was something you respected but just couldn't really get into.
Awesome! I loved it, too.
My favorite movie of 2016
Isn't it a 2017 film?
Korey Marshall No. But I think that the release was delayed in some areas or something.
I'm not a Patreon member, but I think First Reformed might be worth analyzing. It is probably one of the most subversive Christian movies ever. It turns the "damaged atheist" trope of Kevin Sorbo films on its head, and the church in the film are the oppressors/bystanders rather than the oppressed.
I don't really have anything profound to say, just that this was one of the most powerful films I've ever seen. That moment when the voice of Jesus speaks, I was so overcome I started praying in the theater. Inappropriate? Engineered? I think the emotional trip up to that point justified such a reaction.
awe? It's bone crushing.
kay thanks
The voice is ambiguous, it could be - the Devil, Jesus , his consciousness or the priest
sebastio becomes more christlike by sacrificing his pride imo
😢😢i cried so much for this, why..?is not just about the movie, but what happen next after the rapture,those who left behind, will face the most meanest and the wicked torture ever, i can imagine..so i just cry, for this , and this is an example for little scale, even is so brutal and painfull,so prepare your self , for the time near come. Hopely all the believer will be saved.
Wonderful
Spiderman and Han Solo's son as priests, likely....
Handsoap Don't forget qui gon jinn to.
jesus was also played by green goblin in another one of martins movies.
I loved this movie. I'm an athiest, and in some ways I think it was more enjoyable becuase I was an athiest. This movie asked questions about religion, cultural differences, and humanity with such an elegant nuance that so many christians, especially in America, don't even know exists. I especially love how at the end the christian priests have decided Japan is somewhat better off without christianity and they don't have the right to push their religious beliefs onto other cultures, and that despite intergrating into the Japanese culture and religion, they are still christians inside. Coming from a christian culture where I'm conditioned to hide my beliefs, I like Christian films acknowledge that there are other beliefs out there and they aren't any better or worse than ours.
If you need an image to remind you and assure you of your faith, then do you really believe?
Catholism was built as an iconodule religion. People or deities represented in those images are venerated, is not the image itset but who's represented in it.
What’s the music used in the background :( it sounds really good
This was great. Congratulations.
why don't you mention anything about masahiro shinoda or shushaku endo!?
04:14 what music is that in the background?
I know most of your episodes are done by commission and that you plan out much of your schedule months in advance, but have you ever thought of doing a Scorsese Month like the Kurosawa and Kubrick months of past years? I think I recall you mentioning you have another featured director month coming later this year, but I can't remember for sure. Keep up the great videos!
Thanks for this video, you got this atheist tear up about faith (:
what's that song playing in background?
One of the best movies in religious terms
What is the beautiful song in the background in the first five minutes?
Rodriguez wanted to do what Jesus did and make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of others. He thought this ultimate sacrifice would be his life, but because he was so willing to give it up for others his life was not the ultimate price he needed to pay. He needed to pay with the safety of his eternal soul. He had to sacrifice his faith to sacrifice everything for others and in that way he really was like Jesus.
Side note... good on the japanese for keeping their religion as the main.
a very good analysis! love it!👌
If faith is different from certainty, why does faith matter?
This movie portrays Christians as if they don’t believe that heaven exists. Or that they don’t believe Christ when he said “blessed are you when others persecute you”.
“To live is in Christ and to die is to gain”.
The people in this movie cling on to life as if it’s the most important thing in the universe.
But this movie forgets that Jesus defeated death.
they portrayed this a lot actually. The Japanese soldiers didn't kill Rodriguez because they knew Christians thought that "to die is to gain". Meanwhile, the Japanese Christians didn't really understand the religion and misunderstood a lot of it. At the end of the day, they are simply common folk trying to get by.
Great video!
Side note: The portuguese names don´t end with a "z" ... that´s spanish ... It´s Rodrigues ... You think that is meaningless but for a portuguese native is apalling ...
It would've been my favorite movie of the year if not for the unnecessary, frankly proposterous, amount of voiceover in this film. The impact of otherwise raw and on point imagery, facial expressions and actions that could speak tons on themselves, the ambiguity of some scenes -- all lost or greatly diminished under the 'well now I feel and think exactly that, and that is what you, the audience, should see here'. Ugh. By the middle of the movie, every time I heard the inner monologue of the protagonist (and that's every other minute here), the only thing I would think was "Shut up! Shut the hell up and let me *see* for myself!!!" There's too much voiceover here for the movie called "Silence".
But, other than that, this film is brilliant. You can watch it from any perspective and mindset, and see value, reasonings and conflict within it. Personal struggling with faith and doubt in an outrageous situation, duty, hubris, a commentary on the destructive nature of colonialism and meddling with other cultures, etc. - it's all here, it's all explored; there's room for analysis and enterpretation.. It's visually beautiful and brutal, raw and mesmerizing; the sound (except the vo) and editing is great.
I sorely wish someone would make a version without the voiceover from the Garfield's character POV.
What is the song you used at 3:20? But Besides that I really love the philosophical view on this movie. Looking at religion and its flaws.
Your philosophy through film is similar to a book I read Psychology through SF.
"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God. "For proof denies faith and without faith, I am nothing."
nah, if we ever saw him we'd see him with imperfect and subjective eyes, some more concerned with god's beauty, god's terribly booming voice, his pride, jealousy, etc. To see him talk or see him would lead to fear, if you believe in the bible, most people who heard him or even got a glimpse of him are described as petrified. If you don't we'll have to wait to find out.
If he isn't there: nothing to worry about
If he is: I dunno/ I can't assume to much.
And here I was just quoting Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
And thus god disappeared in a puff of logic
Well, *I* walk by putting one foot in front of the other.
Good ol' "Death of Ase" in the background
Why was Buddha tolerated?
It kinda feels like this movie is advocating absurdism. That by trying to find inherent meaning in the universe, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment and suffering.
It sort of goes toward an absurdist outlook, but near the end of the movie when the silence is broken, when god speaks, or Rodriquez breaks. The fil suggest that god is still the arbiter and that he's very much in control. Seen when Jesus tells him to step on it. and when he's told that he's suffering with Rodriguez. The final being the final line where it's said that god alone will decide Rodriquez's faith. Which is coupled with a view of a cross in Rodriquez's hands. Far from suggesting that meaning is nonexistent, it sort of encourages a faith that never dies, and merecy for the apostate priest.
I'm not familiar with Absurdism but what you're describing sounds like eastern philosophy in general.
Jesus Christ: "Everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven"... This is where the whole conundrum lies... Plus: "For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it"
Only god I saw in Silence was Bast, goddess of cats.
👍👍👍
When did you hear a rooster crowing? I just rewatched the scene and didn't hear anything, it's literally silent.
Those are not the definitions of " jealousy and envy"
Losing my religion
Although Japan was cruel to innocent Christians, what they did was smart for their own survival against western colonization. If it was just about religion, then they would be fine with it. But it wasn't, it was about power and influence. Unfortunately, it's hard to live in a world where religion can just exist and not be used to harm and control others.
still I feel like their actions are unjustified
I found this film hard to watch because it's so nihilistic. There is NOTHING positive. Religion comes out as a lie, faith is waisting one's life, Japanese and European culture are horrible (for different reasons) and life is meaningless. I found the tiny cross at the end an affirmation of his continued, pathetic faith. What else does he have but the reality he waisted his life and suffered horribly in pursuit of something that does not exist? And he inflicted this same end on all the people he converted, only they met death by the most horrendous torture. I can't imagine watching this movie a second time.
I love Nihilism because it's inherently optimistic, at least in my view. Sure you could say he wasted his life... so what? What's so bad about that? He learned a great deal by the end of his life and died knowing he did the right thing by renouncing his faith and saving those people.
I dont know if its message is nihilstic per se but I dont really see a problem with nihilism
Ah, thosy wacky invisible sky spirits!
No logical person can pursue any religion.
I don't like the way this movie deals with the languages people speak. It's really dumb to me.
Also, I'm not religious so I can't really relate very well with this.
While it's true that Christians faced persecution like this, this movie still had an air of Catholic propaganda. What really sealed that concept for me was the inquisitor being so ratty and smarmy. The film starts to go into more interesting territory with Japanese views on spirituality, then just goes back to "he loved god the whole time!"
Yes, it's not right how they were treated, but around the same period in time, Christians were burning people for being witches.
And I personally feel that the Japanese had a right to purge foreign influences, not in such a violent manner, of course. Christians at the time weren't the most accepting people, so one can only imagine the hostile reaction Christian lands would have issued with a similar situation from let's say Buddhist or whomever.