by Vic Thiessen
LMC Director

For me, 2005 was a great year for film (much better, at least, than 2003 and 2004). My three favourite films of the year are all better, in my opinion, than most of the films of the past decade. Here are my top ten, with mini-reviews for each.

1. Joyeux Noel – Christmas in the trenches in 1914. This is what film-making was meant to do. Glorious. For more information, see my review: Merry Christmas: The Perfect Remembrance Day Film on the Anabaptist Network website.

2. Crash – See same article. Wonderful humanising film about racism and the intersecting lives of a group of people in Los Angeles. Some of the best scenes I have seen in years (including my favorite scene of 2005).

3. The Constant Gardener - I did not appreciate the jolting hand-held camera or washed-out cinematography, both of which are much in vogue these days (and occasionally they were very effective), but this is still a great film, combining a well-told love story with a conspiracy involving drug companies and Africa, which is where the film is set. Great characters, great performances and a lot to think about.

4. Munich – Another excellent film by Spielberg. This film has been accused of humanising the Palestinians (what a scandal!) but could have done even more. Still, the film has a strong message against violence and also works well as a thriller, with beautiful locations and cinematography.

5. A History of Violence – An amazing film that asks whether we all have the capacity for extreme violence if the circumstances call for it. The depiction of a family torn apart by a secret past is spot-on.

6. Match Point – I’ve always liked Woody Allen films – most of them are more intelligent than your average movie fare. This one is no exception and is probably his best film in many years. But it’s not a light film – this is a dark and very disturbing tale of betrayal and murder that left me cringing in horror. Still, the acting and dialogue are great.

7. Brokeback Mountain – I feel this film is actually a bit overrated (i.e. it will probably be the big Oscar winner this year when other films are better) but I loved the characters and the cinematography (filmed in my home province of Alberta). It’s an intense zoom-in on a relationship between two men, and its consequences.

8. Downfall – a brilliantly made and acted (Bruno Ganz deserves an Oscar for this) account of the last days of Adolf Hitler. It definitely provides food for thought regarding the question most asked of Christian pacifists: What would you have done about Hitler?

9. Capote – Philip Seymour Hoffman also deserves an Oscar for his unbelievable portrayal of Truman Capote. Like a number of films on this list, it’s about a man who takes on more than he bargained for, with disquieting results and a lot of moral ambiguity.

10. Syriana – Yet another film in that mode (what does it mean for me, I wonder). This is not a typical film. I like to know what’s going on when I watch a film – to have a handle on the big picture. Syriana does not permit this, but I nevertheless found myself fascinated throughout – a thought-provoking film about spies and the oil industry.

There were at least two or three other films (including the Best Picture nominee “Good Night and Good Luck”) which might have made my top ten, if I had had the chance to see them, but now they’ll have to wait until next year. And I must give an honourable mention to Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith. It was not a great film, but I found it a very satisfying prequel to the great Star Wars (especially after the preceding two disappointments).

Given the fact that C.S. Lewis was my favourite writer for much of my adult life and that I have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at least six times, it may be surprising that the Narnia film did not make my top ten. I thought the film was well-made and I enjoyed most of it. I also thought it remained quite true to the original story, not shying away from the allegorical elements (the story of how the death of Jesus might be repeated in another world); that is, until the last twenty minutes or so: the climactic battle scene. I was dismayed to see the lengths taken to make this battle scene central to the film, not to mention my dismay at watching the children turn into deadly soldiers. Yes, some of the children do fight in the book, but there is absolutely no graphic detail and no account of a child killing the enemy (that I remember).

In the book, the battle seemed like an afterthought, taking up just one page. It was just a way to complete the story. To turn that one page into an epic battle scene and the climax of the film misses the whole point Lewis was making and is a disaster of the highest order. It introduces the myth of redemptive violence to children in a way that Lewis would not possibly have approved (not to say that Lewis was opposed to the myth). I found the film’s ending quite unforgivable, leaving the film well out of my top 20 (and I only saw about 30 films), let alone my top 10. I already fear for the sequel. It could have been such a great series of films, but my hope has faded (though I’ll definitely want to see my two favourites in the series: Dawn Treader and Silver Chair).