LIFE OF ST. AUGUSTINE DVD

It will be called "Restless Heart" in English.

There's a great new DVD from Ignatius Press in the works! (I got to see a screener.) It's one of those big production Lives of the Saints that they've been producing in Italy lately. British cast. The whole life of Augustine with occasional narration from what else but "The Confessions"--um, hard to beat that source material.

Clever and profound dialogue. Startling facts from Auggie's life--that you may not know or may have forgotten--startlingly portrayed. St. Ambrose as we've never seen him before. Wait--we've NEVER seen Ambrose on screen!

This a great film if you like: philosophy, history, oratory, Church history, apologetics, BOOKS (you'll see), heresies (Arians! Donatists!), barbarians (Vandals!), St. Augustine, St. Monica, "Man for All Seasons," or Milan.

Ambrose: "Man doesn't find the truth, the Truth finds him."

Augustine: "I'm not worthy to be a priest."
Ambrose: "O, God's going to ask a lot more from you than that." :]

There are subtle themes about CIVILIZATION and the nature of civilization.

Sr. Anne Joan (@nunblogger) and I were totally laughing (at the jokes) and talking back to the screen the whole time. It's that engaging. It was like Mystery Science Theater 3000 for Church nerds and professional Catholics. (E.g., When Augustine tries to talk King Genseric of the Vandals out of sacking Hippo, we were catcalling: "Dude!  Don't do it! Your tribe will be forever associated with petty criminals!") Sr. Anne Joan and I agreed that today, our barbarians are from within. :[

This is a movie in which man's spiritual nature is successfully portrayed and God is a real character. This is a Catholic film that could only have been made by Catholics living in a Catholic country, methinks. Hollywood production standards, but not Hollywood sensibilities. It's coming from an insider's point of view. A NEW GENRE? The "CATHOLIC FILM"?

Monica figures in real big. And not just her pious praying for Augustine, but her motherly authority and personal Christian conviction. Also, Augustine's mistress and son.

This film is what we've been waiting for (always thought St. Augustine would make a good film)! Well done. Brava!