Back in 1995, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications published a list called Alcuni film importanti (Some Important Films).
Pope John Paul II recommended 45 films, split into three categories: religion, values, and art.
Cardinal John Patrick Foley, the council’s president, compiled the list with a team of film experts, movie librarians, and academics.
The purpose was to show that great films could be made without relying on overt depictions of sex and violence.
Foley wanted Roman Catholics to be more discerning about the movies they viewed, rather than watching them thoughtlessly as entertainment.
Among those in the Art category is Citizen Kane, which is generally considered to be the greatest film ever made. Meanwhile, the newest in the Values category is 1993’s Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning Holocaust drama. But can you guess which of John Wayne’s John Ford Westerns made the list in the Art section?
The film in question is 1939’s Stagecoach, which catapulted Wayne into stardom thanks to Ford pushing for him to lead the movie. The Western follows an eclectic group travelling on a stagecoach through a dangerous Apache territory. Now considered one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, the movie is known for its complex characters and moral dilemmas amid Ford’s brilliant direction.
