Recipes and Recommendations for Imbibing Beauty through Books and Beverages
By Annie Nardone
Pages, Pints, and Pours dips into two worlds (books and films) this edition to recommend a guide to classic movies that have impacted our culture for nearly 100 years. Enrich your next cinema experience with a classy dessert beverage.
THE PAGES: Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List by David Paul Baird, Andrew Petiprin, and Michael Ward.
“The exercise of imagination that is required in order to enter into a fictional world, a ‘subcreation’ as Tolkien called it, is itself a profoundly human activity and one that has an analogue in the realm of religious commitment.”
—Introduction, Popcorn with the Pope
Another night of scrolling your streaming services to find a movie worthy of your time? Allow me to recommend a solution: Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List. This invaluable ecumenical collection stands apart from other film guides, presenting recommendations of movies that focus on religious, social, and artistic values.
What is the Vatican Film List? Back in 1995—on the “centenary of cinematography”—a commission under Pope John Paul II compiled a list of 45 significant films. Not a list of best-ever or “approved” movies, the selections were chosen to “help educate the faithful about cinema as a kind of language and as a bearer of messages.”
The films are categorized by themes of religion, values, and art. Some of the films are familiar, others are unknown treasures from history. Most are secular but all are thought provoking. The tremendous range—from Babette’s Feast (1987) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) to Nosferatu (1922)—“presents something like an exotic taster menu in the sensibilities, emotions, and beliefs of human beings from other eras and locales,” write the authors of Popcorn with the Pope.
This cleverly titled guide is the work of a team of critics and scholars. Anselm members will recognize the name of one: Michael Ward, who has been a favorite guest lecturer with the society. Their goal is for the reader to be “better equipped to appreciate the aesthetic, intellectual, and spiritual qualities in these films,” which is greatly assisted by the theologically grounded essay and questions that accompany each selection.
Beautifully published, Popcorn with the Pope includes film stills and a helpful introductory essay with three discussion questions for each movie. What a joy to dig deep into cinematic themes and technical qualities and ask, “What is the director trying to express to the viewer?”
Perhaps it's time for us bibliophiles to become cinephiles. Consider a film club instead of a book club for a change. Plan a pleasant evening with snacks and beverages (see below!), followed by lively discussion. Let Popcorn with the Pope be your guide.
[The …the Christian filmgoer today is called] “to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.” —Pope John Paul II. [10]
All quotes sourced from Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List, David Paul Baird, Andrew Petiprin, and Michael Ward (Word on Fire Publishing, 2023)
PINTS AND POURS
To enter into the spirit of a movie night (or your newly formed film club), I chose dessert beverages to enjoy while you watch your film picks. This Italian affogato al caffè is a nod to the Vatican’s Italian location. Frangelico liqueur originated over 300 years ago and was first distilled by the Christian monks who lived in the Piedmont hills of northern Italy.
Cinemaffogato
1 shot Frangelico
1 shot espresso or strong coffee
2 scoops vanilla ice cream or gelato
Place the ice cream in a rocks glass. Brew the espresso/coffee. Immediately drizzle the coffee and Frangelico over the ice cream. Serve with a spoon.
Rated G-ffogato
1 shot espresso or strong coffee
Caramel or chocolate syrup
2 scoops vanilla ice cream or gelato
Follow the directions for the Cinemaffogato, but replace the Frangelico with a drizzle of ice cream topping. Serve with a spoon.
Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is a writer for Cultivating Oaks Press and An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found at Square Halo Press, Rabbit Room Press, Clarendon Press U.K., Calla Press, and Poetica. Annie is a Master Teacher with HSLDA and Kepler Education and strives to help her students see holiness in everyday life and art. She lives in Florida with her husband and six cats, appreciates the perfect cup of tea, an expansive library, and the beach with family.
