Becket (1964)
On the month's episode of Trad Reviews, we will be reviewing the very popular Catholic movie Becket, the subject of poetry and particularly that of Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. (1844-1889) and closing out with a review of the board game Puerto Rico.
We begin with a review of Becket, a film that has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards and the brilliant acting by the two leading actors Richard Burton (St. Thomas Becket) and Peter O'Toole (King Henry VIII) who capture their roles brilliantly in this screenplay. We discuss our reactions to the screenplay and take a close look at the individual reflections we had after watching this movie: what does it tell us about that period of time in world history? What does it say about today? What lessons in the faith does this movie illustrate to us? What is the historical accuracy of this film? And lastly, can we recommend this movie?
Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. (1844-1889)
Normally we review a book, but in this segment, we engage the subject of poetry. We introduce our show guest for this segment, Bishop Daniel Dolan, who will discuss the impact of poetry. We chose poetry because it is important to examine poetry as part of an examined Catholic life. Our first choice was not necessarily the easiest place to start: Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. wrote poetry difficult both in meter and in meaning. His Excellency and Stephen examine a few of Fr. Hopkins' poems, notably, God's Grandeur and The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe as well as a mention the famous Wreck of the Deutschland. His Excellency also takes time to instruct the listener that poetry is meant to be heard, not simply read.
In our final segment of this episode, Nicholas Wansbutter guides our listeners through the board game Puerto Rico. Another "Euro game" in the tradition of Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico's object revolves around building up the Spanish Colony during the time of the Age of Exploration. Unlike Settlers of Catan, there is not as much player-to-player interaction and it can also be played in about one hour.
We hope you enjoy this episode as host Stephen Heiner is joined by guests Nicholas Wansbutter and Justin Soeder as they give their impressions of the three topics for this month's Trad Reviews.
Original Air Date: October 29, 2014
Show Run Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Show Guest(s): Bishop Daniel Dolan, Nicholas Wansbutter, Justin Soeder
Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner
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Trad Reviews℗ is a Production of the Restoration Radio Network. Copyright 2014. All Rights are Reserved
