Catholic Values in A Walk in the Clouds

Screenwriters: Robert Mark Kamen & Mark Miller

Director: Alfonso Arau

Rating: 👍(10 of 10)

Watch for the fascinating sense of humor and depth of Catholic values in the film.

The Review

The film is inevitably Catholic for its theme of chaste love and traditional contexts without saying anything about Catholicism. Moreover, the plot makes the story tasteful, glorious, and passionate, as Chicago Sun-Times film critique Robert Ebert noted: “A Walk in the Clouds is a glorious romantic fantasy, aflame with passion and bittersweet longing. One needs perhaps to have a little of these qualities in one’s soul to respond fully to the film, which to a jaundiced eye might look like overworked melodrama, but that to me sang with innocence and trust.”[1]

The great things about the film do not end with its Catholic theme and plot. The great musical score from Maurice Jarre successfully set the beautiful tone of the movie even from the opening credits. The score, with the percussion removed and the guitar emphasized, is reminiscent of Only the Lonely’s “It Couldn’t Be Better” (1991) and Lawrence of Arabia’s “Main Title” (1962). Set in post-World War II 1945, the film transitioned from the starkness of wartime America to the scenic beauty of the Californian vineyards.

The best of Catholic movies demonstrates Catholic values with greater accuracies than movies that simply use Catholic elements to push the film in its plot without care of accuracy. A Walk in the Clouds is among those that best reflect in film traditional Catholic values. In fact, several of these values can be picked up anywhere in the film for personal reflections. Among these, we will reflect nine with as great a depth as can be possible.

Consequently, there are several Catholic values being expressed in this movie. I will only mention here the major value themes that can be found in the movie (for a more complete and thorough review, order a copy at paracletus.writers@yahoo.com.ph).

The Catholic 'Home': Finding Home in Others
The Irreplaceability of the Family
Embracing the Ugly Faces of Love
Familial Respect in Marriages
Leadership for Unity
Chastity and Faithfulness
Self-Sacrifice for Others
Sin as Betrayal but a Forgivable One
Males Who Respect Their Women
Providential Nature of Life
The Option of Annulment

Several lighter scenes in A Walk in the Clouds also provide the film a dimension that makes its viewing high entertaining as well as deeply reflective.

Points for Reflection

How did God's providential hands bring Paul Sutton and Maria Aragon into each other and into a large Catholic family?
Which Catholic family value is strongly emphasized in the film?
What saved the chaste relationship between Paul and Aragon bringing them freely into a lawful Catholic marriage?

[1] Roger Egbert, “A Walk in the Clouds,” Robert Egbert (11 August 1995), https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-walk-in-the-clouds-1995

Comments

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