It’s NOT a Christian genre film! Streaming and iPod downloads of the entire movie are available here:

http://www.alchemistic.com/themasterplan/

I’d love to know what you thought of it. Personally, my favorite on the list is A Taste of Cherry, but I’m a Tarkovsky nut, too.

- Aron

I love this quote by the way, taken (if I’m not mistaken) from his interview-autobiography, “This is Orson Welles.”

Tsai’s What Time is It There? and Face were suggested elsewhere.

Just a couple of comments I might add:

- Regarding Kurosawa, his late films became increasingly overt in their religious grapplings. Both ‘Ran’ and ‘Kagemusha’ have at least a degree of Buddhist religious context (the latter even has a scene that intimates at Roman Catholic efforts to introduce Christianity into Japan). Using your standards, I’d surmise that his later film ‘Rhapsody in August’ is the most religious of his films, suffused with Buddhist ideas and with a moving depiction of a devout survivor of Nagasaki participating in a memorial ceremony on the anniversary of the bombing. His final film ‘Madadayo’ significantly quotes from ‘Hojoki,’ a classic Japanese Buddhist writing from the 13th Century.

- I think I’ve mentioned this film here previously, but Juzo Itami (of ‘Tampopo’ fame) made a fascinating film late in his life entitled ‘Daibyonin (Last Dance)’ with significant overtly Buddhist elements – I hate to say too much about it and spoil the surprises it contains.

- There actually is a film version of Endo’s ‘Silence’ directed by Masahiro Shinoda, who co-wrote the screenplay with Endo himself. It’s available on DVD, thanks to the fine people at Masters of Cinema.

Great list by the way.

OK, I reread your article and misunderstood the intent of list (though I look forward to reading the A&F top 100). In that case, one might add to your list Tender Mercies as a benign counterpoint to The Apostle, both starring Robert Duvall. Or how about select clips of Luke Skywalker being introduced to The Force by Obi Wan and Yoda? (”I don’t believe it!” “That is why you fail.”)

There are rumors of Martin Scorsese producing a version of Shusaku Endo’s “Silence.” If so, that one will certainly deserve consideration for your religious studies film list.

In the category of other literary works I wish could be made into films that would be great for a religious studies class examining “rites of passage,” etc., maybe someone will write and produce intelligent screenplays of “Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr” by Miguel de Unamuno and “The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher” by Rob Stennett. The former is a poignant portrayal of a revered unbelieving priest, the latter a funny satire on the American religious scene. (You can add these to the course’s suggested readings).