Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films

The movies on this list are an assortment of classic and contemporary, foreign and domestic, films with varying themeatic references. The Arts & Faith website developed this list in 2004.  Titles were selected with a combination of anonymous voting, open debate, and expert jury selection. They plan to update it annually. The list is copyright 2004 Arts & Faith, all rights reserved, used by permission.

	The Addiction
	Amadeus It's 1781 and Antonio Salieri is the competent court composer to Emperor Joseph II. When Mozart arrives at court, Salieri is horrified to discover that the godlike musical gifts he desires for himself have been bestowed on a bawdy, impish jokester. Maddened by envy, he plots to destroy Mozart by any means he can employ. Perhaps even murder. Did Salieri silence one of the world's true musical geniuses? The mystery - and the music - remain. Directed by Milos Forman. Starring F. Murray Abraham & Tom Hulce. Based on the play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. PG
	A Man Escaped
	American Beauty Lester and Carolyn Burnham are, on the outside, a perfect husband and wife in a perfect house in a perfect neighborhood. But inside Lester is slipping deeper and deeper into a hopeless depression. He finally snaps when he becomes infatuated with one of his daughter's friends. Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Kevin Spacey & Annette Bening. R
	Andrei Rublev Story of the famed 15th century icon painter who survives the cruelties of medieval Russia and creates works of art. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Starring Anatoli Solonitsyn. NR
	Apostle Eulis 'Sonny' Dewey is a preacher from Texas living a happy life with his beautiful wife Jessie when suddenly his stable world crumbles. Directed by Robert Duvall. Starring Robert Duvall & Farrah Fawcett. PG-13
	Au Hasard Balthazar
	Babette's Feast (Babettes gæstebud) With the mysterious arrival of Babette, a refugee from France's civil war, life for two pious sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Before long, Babette has convinced them to try something other than boiled codfish and ale bread--a gourmet French meal! Her feast scandalizes the elders, except for the visiting General. Just who is this strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure? Includes original theatrical trailer. Directed by Gabriel Axel. Starring Stéphane Audran. Based on the book Babettes gæstebud by Karen Blixen. (Denmark) G
	Bad Lieutenant He's a gambler, a thief, a junkie, a killer, and a cop. Now he's investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth, his self-destructive past is closing in. Directed by Abel Ferrara. Starring Harvey Keitel. R
	Bicycle Thief (Ladri di biciclette) Story of an unemployed man and his son in war devastated Rome. The father finds a job pasting up posters, work requiring a bicycle to get around. The bicycle is stolen; panic stricken at being unable to recover his bicycle and at the prospect of losing his job, the father is compelled to steal a bicycle , only to be caught and humiliated in front of his son. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. (Italy) NR
	The Big Kahuna The careers of three industrial lubricant salesmen at a convention lie with a novice sales rep as they pursue the ultimate sale. Directed by John Swanbeck. Starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, & Peter Facinelli. R
	Blade Runner Rick Deckard prowls the steel and microchip jungle of 21st century Los Angeles. He's a " blade runner " stalking genetically-made criminal replicants. His assignment: kill them. Their crime: wanting to be human. Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, & Sean Young. Based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. R
	Breaking The Waves Bess, a pious, young Scottish woman, prays to God to send her husband, Jan, home from his job on an offshore oil rig. When an accident sends him home paralyzed, she's filled with guilt and submits to his wish that she take on other lovers, convinced that this will aid in his recovery. Directed by Lars Van Trier. Starring Emily Watson & Stellan Skarsgård. R
	Changing Lanes A minor traffic accident turns two perfect strangers into vicious adversaries waging an all-out war of personal destruction. Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Ben Affleck & Samuel L. Jackson. R
	Chariots of Fire The true story of Harold Abrahams, Eric Liddell, and the team of athletic competitors who brought victory to Britain in the 1924 Olympics. Directed by Hugh Hudon. Starring Ben Cross & Ian Charleson. PG
	Close-Up
	Code Unknown
	Crimes and Misdemeanors Weaving together several different stories about people's lives, loves, perceptions, and ideals, this film examines some of the toughest questions surrounding human nature. Directed by Woody Allen. Starring Marin Landau, Angelic Huston, & Woody Allen. PG-13
	Day of Wrath
	Days Of Heaven
	Dead Man Walking Tells the story of convicted killer Matthew Poncelet and Sister Helen Prejean, his spiritual advisor. The journey they undertake in search of the truth is powerful and profound. Directed by Tim Robbins. Starring Susan Sarandon & Sean Penn. Based on the book Dead Man Walking by Helen Prejean. R
	The Decalogue Ten films that each feature one of the Ten Commandments as a thematic construct. Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. NR
	Dersu Uzala
	The Diary of a Country Priest
	Dogma The last know descendent of Christ is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole. Directed by Kevin Smith. Starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, & Linda Fiorentino. R
	Dogville
	La Dolce Vita A journalist ventures into the decadent society of modern Rome and finds that his values are being destroyed, leaving him totally disillusioned. Directed by Federico Fellini. Starring Marcello Mastroianni & Anita Ekberg. R
	The Elephant Man Based on a true story, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick, the " Elephant Man " when he is discovered by a dedicated surgeon. Rescued from his degrading life as a circus freak, Merrick is given a chance to live his last years with comfort, respect, and dignity. Directed by David Lynch. Starring Anthony Hopkins & John Hurt. Based on the books The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences by Sir Frederick Treves and in part on The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity by Ashley Montagu. PG
	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind When Joel discovers that his girlfriend, Clementine, has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind through an experimental scientific procedure, he decides to ease his own pain by getting the same treatment. But, as each memory of Clementine is systematically eliminated, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her and desperately attempts to reverse the process. Directed by Michael Gondry. Starring Jim Carrey & Kate Winslet. R
	Fearless A young man who survived a plane crash becomes more wildly alive and takes more risks when he discovers that the crash transformed him into a man without fear of death. Meanwhile, his wife struggles to find within him the man she married, and another survivor of the crash believes nothing and no one can heal her pain. Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, & Rosie Perez. Based on the book by Rafael Yglesias. R
	Fight Club When a ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a soap salesman channel their aggresion into therapeutic " fight clubs", an eccentric woman gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Edward Norton & Brad Pitt. Based on the book Fight Club by Chuch Palahniuk. R
	The Gospel According to St. Matthew
	Grand Canyon In Los Angeles, two men from very different walks of life meet and their friendship, based on a good deed, sets into motion a chain of events that surprises and affects the lives of not only the two men, but also their friends and families. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Starring Danny Glover, Kevin Klein, Steve Martin, Mary McDonnell, Mary-Louise Parker, & Alfre Woodard. R
	Groundhog Day A romantic comedy about a weatherman caught in a personal time warp where it is Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, but then he realizes that he might be doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people, and doing the same thing every day. Directed by Harold Ramis. Starring Billy Murray & Andie MacDowell. PG
	Hell House
	Henry V Young King Henry of England asserts a hereditary claim to the throne of France, gathering an army and embarking on a course that will lead to one of England's greatest battlefield triumphs and forever change the face of Europe. Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh. Based on the play Henry V by William Shakespeare. PG-13
	Ikiru Discovering that he is in the terminal stages of cancer, a clerk spends his last months in search of the meaning to life. After his pursuit of pleasure has failed, he finds self-realization in bringing about the building of a children's playground in the slums and dies quiety fulfilled. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. NR
	It's a Wonderful Life A man is prevented from committing suicide by an elderly angel who takes him back through his life to see what good he has done and how the world would be if he had not been born. Directed by Frank Capra. Starring James Stewart & Donna Reed. NR
	Jean de Florette The story of Jean Cadoret, a hunchback who inherits a farm from his mother and foolishly hopes to become a gentleman farmer. But even before he arrives, his powerful neighbor is plotting to steal his land. The ending is heartbreak and tragedy for Jean who is no match for his wily neighbor. Directed by Claude Berri. Starring Yves Montand & Gérard Depardieu. Based on the book Jean de Florette by Marcel Pagnol. PG
	Jésus of Montréal A Montreal shrine seeks to inspire its congregants by modernizing its staging of the Passion play. A promising cast of vibrant young actors are signed on - one fresh from perfume commercials, another from the pornographic film industry, and another who had an affair with the basilica's priest - quickly drive the production on to become a smash hit. But as the play enjoys the success, the actors become more and more challenged to seperate their real lives from their lives onstage. Directed by Denys Arcand. Starring Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, & Johanne-Marie Tremblay. R
	Jesus of Nazareth Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this film brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the life of Jesus as told in the Gospels. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Starring Robert Powell. NR
	The Last Days of Disco Two beautiful recent college graduates escape at night from their pbulishing jobs and terrible apartment to the most poopular dance club of disco 's waning days in the early '80s, with New Wave breezes blowing in fashion and music. Directed by Whit Stillman. Starring Chloë Sevigny & Kate Beckinsale. R
	The Last Temptation Of Christ
	Life Is Beautiful (La Vita è bella) Guido - a charming but bumbling waiter who's gifted with a colorful imagination and an irresistible sense of humor - has won the heart of the woman he loves and created a beautiful life for his young family. But then, that life is threatened by World War II - and Guido must rely on those very same strengths to save his beloved wife and son from an unthinkable fate. Directed by & starring Roberto Benigni. (Italy) PG-13
	The Lord of the Rings Trilogy In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord , forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-Earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, & Ian McKellen. Based on the The Lord of the Rings trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien. PG-13
	Mirror
	Magnolia A mosaic of American life woven through a series of comic and poignant vignettes. Nine people will weave and warp through each other's lives. Some will mend frayed bonds, others will be exposed. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Tom Cruise. R
	A Man for All Seasons About the oppostition of Sir Thomas More to the divorce of King Henry VIII and the events which led to More's execution. Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Starring Paul Scofield. Based on The Life of More by William Roper & the play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. G
	The Matrix Perception: Our day-in, day-out world is real. Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it. Directed by Andy & Larry Wachowski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, & Carrie-Anne Moss. R
	The Man Without A Past
	The Miracle Maker A family is seeking help for their sickly but cheerful daughter, Tamar, when they cross paths with an extrodinary carpenter named Jesus. Directed by Derek W. Hayes & Stanislav Sokolov. Produced by the BBC. NR
	The Mission
	Monty Python's Life of Brian Irreverent satire of Biblical films and religious intolerance focuses on Brian , a Jew in Roman-occupied Judea. After joining up with an anti-Roman political organization, Brian is mistaken for a prophet and becomes a reluctant Messiah. Directed by Terry Jones. Starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, & Michael Palin. R
	My Night At Maud's
	The Night of the Hunter A psychotic self-styled preacher marries and murders a young widow for her money. He then pursues her children to get his hands on the money, only to meet his match in the form of a saintly farm woman. Directed by Charles Laughton. Starring Robert Mitchum & Shelley Winters. Based on the book by Davis Grubb. NR
	Not of This World  (Fuori dal Mondo) Caterina, a beautiful young nun, is about to take her final vows. But her life changes when she takes in an abandoned baby. As she seeks the baby's family, she meets Ernesto. Together, they seek the truth about the baby, and re-evaluate their own lives. Directed by Giuseppe Piccioni. Starring Margherita Buy. NR
	On the Waterfront Ex-fighter Terry Malloy could have been a contender but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly on the gang-ridden waterfront . Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. But it takes the love of Edie Doyle, the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. And when the brutality hits even closer to home, Terry battles to crush Friendly's underworld empire. Directed by Elia Kazan. Starring Marlon Brando. NR
	Open City
	Ordet
	The Passion of Joan of Arc
	The Passion of The Christ Concerns the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In the Garden of Gethsemane near the Mount of Olives, Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy and brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, for sentencing. The roaring crowd demands his death, so Pilate orders his crucifixion. Jesus is severely beaten and made to carry his cross up to Golgotha, the hill outside Jerusalem, where he is nailed to the cross. With his mother looking on, he dies. Directed by Mel Gibson. Starring James Caviezel. R
	Peter and Paul
	Ponette Sent to live with her relatives, Ponette experiences the hopes, dreams and fears of a child following the loss of a parent. Ultimately, it is her faith, love and strength of character that enables Ponette to triumphantly overcome her tragedy. Directed by Jacques Doillon. Starring Victoire Thivisol. NR
	The Prince of Egypt This is the extraordinary tale of two brothers, one born of royal blood, one an orphan with a secret past. Growing up the best of friends, they share a strong bond of free-spirited youth and good-natured rivalry. But the truth will ultimately set them at odds, as one becomes the ruler of the most powerful empire on earth, the other the chosen leader of his people. Their final confrontation will forever change their lives - and the world. Directed by Brenda Chapman & Steve Hickner. Produced by DreamWorks SKG. PG
	La Promesse
	Punch-Drunk Love Barry Egan, a shy sad-sack with a great deal of repressed anger that occasionally bursts forth in sudden violent outrages, falls in love with Lena, a co-worker of one of Barry's seven sisters. After calling a phone-sex line, Barry is extorted by bad-guy Dean, who eventually sends four goons to assault Barry and get the money.  Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Adam Sandler & Emily Watson. R
	The Sacrifice (Offret - Sacrificatio) A dark and complex drama about redemption and the nuclear holocaust. When a middle aged intellectual in retirement on an island in the Baltic Seas witnesses signs of what he believes to be a nuclear holocaust, he offers to make the ultimate sacrifice in return for the salvation of mankind. Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Starring Erland Josephson. PG
	Sansho Dayu
	Schindler's List Oskar Schindler uses Jews to start a factory in Poland during the war. He witnesses the horrors endured by the Jews, and starts to save them. Directed by Stephen Spielberg. Starring Liam Neeson & Ben Kingsley. Based on the book Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally. R
	Secrets & Lies After her adoptive parents die, a young black woman seeks out her natural birth mother only to discover her mother is white. Equally shocked to learn her daughter she gave up for adoption is black, Cynthia insists it's a mistake. But she soon realizes it's true and when she springs her newfound daughter on the rest of the family, the resulting chaos leads to a series of secrets and lies being revealed at last. Directed by Mike Leigh. Starring Brenda Blethyn & Marianne Jean-Baptiste. R
	The Seventh Seal In medieval Sweden a knight returns from war only to find a ravaged homeland. He meets up with a group of travelling players and eventually confronts the embodiment of death with whom he engages in a game of chess for his life. The knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Gunnar Björnstrand & Bengt Ekerot. NR
	Shadowlands Based on the true story of C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor who remains untouched by any great passion until he meets and falls in love with Joy Gresham, a feisty, abrasive New York divorcée. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Starring Anthony Hopkins & Debra Winger. PG
	The Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne is a quiet banker convicted of murders he didn't commit. "Red" Redding is a lifer who is sure this mild newcomer won't last a night before he cracks. But Red is wrong. Andy's indomitable will earns Red's respect and friendship, and his resourcefulness brings hope and change to the entire prison. Andy, it turns out, is full of surprises. And he saves his best for last, leading to one of the most satisfying finales in movie history. Directed by Frank Darabont. Starring Tim Robbins & Morgan Freeman. Based on the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. R
	Signs In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a five-hundred-foot crop circle is found on the farm of Graham Hess, the town's reverend. The circles cause a media frenzy and test Hess's faith as he journeys to find out the truth behind the crop circles. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Mel Gibson & Joaquin Phoenix. PG-13
	The Sixth Sense A noted child psychologist attempts to help a frightened 8 year-old boy who is experiencing terrifying visions of the dead. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Bruce Willis & Haley Joel Osment. PG-13
	Solaris On a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris , terrified crew members are experiencing a host of strange phenomena, including eerie visitors who seem all too human. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring George Clooney. PG-13
	The Son
	Stalker
	Star Wars A young Luke Skywalker begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. As civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi-Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot Han Solo. Directed by George Lucas. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, & Carrie Fisher. PG
	Stevie
	The Straight Story Based on a true story about 73-year-old Alvin Straight who embarks on a dangerous and emotional journey to make amends with his 75-year-old brother Lyle before his brother dies. Alvin can no longer drive a car because of his eyesight and has to walk with two canes, but he climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere lawnmower and drives the 260-mile course from Laurens, Iowa to Mt. Zion, Wisconsin. Directed by David Lynch. Starring Richard Farnsworth, Harry Dean Stanton, & Sissy Spacek. G
	Songs From the Second Floor
	Sunrise A villager in love with a city woman tries to kill his wife; later he repents and spends a happy day with her. Directed by F.W. Murnau. Starring George O'Brien & Janet Gaynor. Based on the book Die Reise nach Tilsit  by Hermann Sudermann. NR
	The Sweet Hereafter Documents the effects of a tragic bus accident on the population of a small town. Directed by Atom Egoyan. Starring Ian Holm & Caerthan Banks. Based on the book The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks. R
	Tender Mercies Mac Sledge, an alcoholic drifter, comes into the life of a lonely widow and her young son in the barren flatlands of Texas. But when Mac is revealed to be a once-famous country singer, he must confront a painful past that includes his bitter superstar ex-wife and troubled daughter while facing an uncertain future that may only be redeemed by the simple power of love. Directed by Bruce Bereford. Starring Robert Duvall & Tess Harper. PG
	13 Conversations About One Thing In five distinct New York tales, the lives of seemingly disparate characters are interwoven to create a touching tapestry that warms the heart. Directed by Jill Sprecher. Starring Matthew McConaughey. R
	Three Colors Trilogy A series of three films: Blue, White, & Red that explore contemporary French society. Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. R
	Tokyo Story
	The Truman Show He's the star of the show -but he doesn't know. Truman doesn't realize that his quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary producer/director/creator, that folks living and working there are Hollywood actors, that even his incessantly bubbly wife is a contract player. Gradually, Truman gets wise. And what he does about his discovery will have you laughing, crying and cheering like few film stories ever have. Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, & Ed Harris. PG
	2001: A Space Odyssey A science fiction film which moves from the pre-historic birth of intelligence toward the emergence of man as pure thought somewhere in the future. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Based on the book 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. G
	Unforgiven An ex-gunslinger is drawn back into his murderous past when a bounty is put out to avenge an attack on a frontier town prostitute. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, & Richard Harris. R
	Vanya on 42nd Street
	Waking Life Join Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to the question of whether we are sleepwalking through our waking state or wake-walking through our dreams. Directed by Richard Linklater. Produced by Twentieth Century Fox. R
	Werckmeister Harmonies
	Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället) A distinguished professor emeritus who lives alone with his housekeeper can only come to terms with his egocentricity by traveling back in time to his earliest youth, finding there the seeds of his failure as husband, lover, father. This film deals with the phenomena of old age wherein childhood memories return with ever-increasing clarity while great stretches of the prime of life vanish into obscurity. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Victor Sjöström & Bibi Andersson. NR
	The Wind Will Carry Us
	Wings Of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) A romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal and is willing to fall from the sky if it means a chance to fall in love. Set in modern day Berlin, the film follows angel Damiel's path from heavenly flight to earthly delight in a manner that's comical, touching and entertaining. Directed by Wim Wenders. Starring Bruno Ganz & Solveig Dommartin. Remade as City of Angels. PG-13
	Witness A young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, and hardened Philadelphia detective John Book helps them find their way out. Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Harrison Ford & Kelly McGillis. R
	The Year of Living Dangerously Guy Hamilton is an ambitious Australian reporter on his first overseas assignment and is befriended by a short Eurasian cameraman with connections in high places. Hamilton soon gains an entree to the rebel leaders, as well as insight into Jakarta's grim realities. Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Mel Gibson. Based on the book by C.J. Koch. PG
	Yi Yi This story follows the individual lives of the Jian family. Due to many circumstances, the entire family will have to re-evaluate who they are and what their lives have become. Directed by Edward Yang. Starring Nien-Jen Wu & Elaine Jin. NR