ON FAITH & MEDIA | Land of the Blind

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Land of the Blind

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Source: Catholic News Service

Disappointing and sadly misguided political satire about jailed playwright turned terrorist (Donald Sutherland), who upon release from prison assassinates the petty tyrant (Tom Hollander) of the unnamed country, and then imposes a repressive regime of his own, turning on even the idealistic military man (Ralph Fiennes) who helped pull off the coup. Writer-director Robert Edwards attempts to leaven the grim tale with some sardonic humor, and Fiennes delivers his accustomed superlative performance, but the cautionary points about the corrupting of power, with no doubt several contemporary parallels in mind, are fairly standard beneath some cinematic flash, while the nonstop expletives and occasional sexual elements seem gratuitous. Pervasive rough language and crude expressions, some profanity and irreligiosity, sexual situations and partial nudity, violence and brutality, and gratuitous scatological elements. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions: Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28).
<p>All of these martyrs except three were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. All of these martyrs belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico's leaders once made it a crime to receive Baptism or celebrate the Mass. </p><p>These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.</p>

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