This year marks the anniversary of some very important movies, heavy with Christian imagery and themes.
Children of Men was released in 2006 and has stood the test of time as it reaches its twentieth anniversary. Platoon depicting the Vietnam War is 40 years old, which makes me feel old. The Mission is also 40 years old. All three are worth watching if for some crazy reason you have not seen them already. The 80s and 90s were a time when the movies told a story that reflected what it is to be human – the heroes, the villains, the challenges, failures and victories.
Children of Men is based on the novel of the same name by PD James. It is set in 2027 when humanity has stopped reproducing and everyone has turned against immigrants. This is not so far from today’s reality. It is worth noting that in both dystopias Children of Men and The Handmaid’s Tale by Maragret Atwood that depict a future without children (a living hell) the fertility collapse occurred through unknown factors, perhaps environmental factors. Neither author believed that humanity would willingly choose not to have children. That would be unbelievable. But that is the reason behind the collapsing fertility rate in 2026 – people simply choose not to have children.
Children of Men features a flawed hero – Theo Faron played by Clive Owen. Faron is a Joseph figure; his mission is to protect and care for a woman Kee who is miraculously pregnant. Theo, like Joseph, must guard Kee and her unborn child from the threats all around them. They are being hunted and therefore must flee from Britain. Comparisons with the Holy Family fleeing from Herod into Egypt are obvious.
Up until this point Theo Faron had lost all hope. In one scene Theo asks a friend of his (who has rescued the vandalised statue of David by Michaelangelo and the painting Guernica by Picasso) now living in Battersea power station just how he goes on? How do you do it when none of it will matter in 100 years’ time? There will be no one alive to appreciate art. The friend replies, ‘I just don’t think about it.’ Theo knows that without children it is all for nothing. It’s pointless.
In the iconic ceasefire scene a number of hardened soldiers drop to their knees and cross themselves at the sight and sound of Kee’s crying infant. They are quite simply astonished by this miracle.
I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Platoon, but it’s a lot. This film is the Vietnam war movie, written and directed by Oliver Stone who volunteered to serve in that war that tore America apart. The boot-camp imposed by Stone on the cast of the film is legendary. Cast members sustained serious injuries. ‘Forest Whitaker macheted his thumb, Tom Berenger knifed his foot, Willem Dafoe got medivacked – and Oliver Stone jumped up and down with joy.’
Charlie Sheen who played the lead, the grunt or fucking new guy, describes how Stone set up the filming. “Oliver dumped us in the jungle and put us through a grueling training course. It was insane. You had to be treated according to your rank. Willem and Tom Berenger, playing two sergeants, were in command and I was an FNG – a “fucking new guy”. It really felt as if I was expected to scrub latrines, which I actually ended up doing in the movie.
I thought we’d go out in the day then return to the hotel at night, but at sundown on the first day, there was no bus pulling up. I looked at Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker and said: “I guess we’re just staying here.” It was a shock – but I don’t know if we could have captured the authenticity without that intense boot camp. Relationships that were forged there still exist to this day. We survived together.”
The film depicts a battle of the wills between two sergeants, a battle between good and evil. Christian language and imagery is frequent – one sergeant is referred to a ‘water walker’ (Christ walking on the Sea of Galilee). The climax is similar to the foundational image of Christianity, Christ sacrificed on the Cross.
Most people, even if they have not seen the film, will be familiar with the theme song, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. It features in other movies but this exquisite piece of music is integral to Platoon. There is simply no Platoon without Adagio for Strings.
The third movie enjoying its 40th anniversary this year is The Mission. It stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons and Irish actors Aidan Quinn and Liam Neeson in supporting roles. It is about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America.
I watched the Mission a good few years ago and enjoyed this story of redemption and loss. The soundtrack, like Adagio above, is absolutely integral to the film. It is one of the best scores of all time. It was composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by the legendary Ennio Morricone (1928 – 2020.) The theme Gabriel’s Oboe is the best known of all the songs. It has since come to my attention that there are some men out there who have never heard of the Mission or the soundtrack. I find this astonishing. These people walk amongst us.
This clip of Morricone conducting a long version of Gabriel’s Oboe is one of my favourites.
I don’t watch movies made after about 2000 because, well you know why. I have no interest in seeing slightly built women taking down men twice their size. Once upon a time Hollywood used to make movies that stood the test of time. Children of Men, Platoon and the Mission are three of them.