Patron Saint of Boomers: Gandhi (1982)

<p>There are a few films on the Vatican film list James and Thomas haven't been looking forward to watching. Among them is Richard Attenborough's <em>Gandhi</em>, and our dread was due to the suspicion that this film, certainly negligible in its historical importance as a work of cinema, was included mainly because Vatican bureaucrats of a certain age are apt to confuse Mohandas K. Gandhi with a Catholic saint. (Though to be fair, the film was included under the heading of Values, not Religion.)</p> <p>The reasons for its inclusion aside, our suspicion was confirmed at least in that this enjoyable and well-crafted biopic in no way deserves a place on the Vatican's list of 45 important films.</p> <p><em>Gandhi</em>, driven by Ben Kingsley's outstanding performance as the title character, is in many ways an inspiring picture of nonviolent resistance. However, it has been pointed out that this film presents a Gandhi sanitized (and we mean that quite literally) for Western consumption, leaving out his essential Hinduism, as well as his many inconsistencies, eccentricities and flaws. It is a work of boomer hagiography, from a secularized Western Christian perspective.</p> <p>Watch discussion on YouTube: <a href= "https://youtu.be/R-FbOXEuJ0s">https://youtu.be/R-FbOXEuJ0s</a></p> <p>Next on Criteria, we are watching the seventh installment of <em>Dekalog</em>, the classic Polish series of short films inspired by the Ten Commandments. <em>Dekalog</em> can be difficult to find. It can be streamed online with a (relatively cheap and surprisingly legal) subscription to <a href= "https://easterneuropeanmovies.com">https://easterneuropeanmovies.com</a>—the best viewing experience, however, will be the recent restored edition on Blu-Ray/DVD from Criterion.  <a href= "https://www.criterion.com/films/28661-dekalog">https://www.criterion.com/films/28661-dekalog</a></p> <p>Older editions on Blu-Ray and DVD are available for considerably cheaper on Amazon and elsewhere, and you may have luck borrowing <em>Dekalog</em> from your lo