Really, if you've never seen Lawrence of Arabia, what are you doing with your life? Epic ambitious desert journeys are especially good viewing in snowy weather like this week's blustery days. I'm just saying.
Peter O'Toole also gave not one, but two incredible performances as Henry Plantagenet, a king of England often overshadowed in historical narratives by his wife (Eleanor of Aquitaine), his sons (Richard the Lionheart and John), and the saint he had killed (Thomas Becket). O'Toole makes Henry II compelling, holding his own against Richard Burton in bromantic Becket and then Katherine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter. The second film is the ultimate depiction of family holiday drama and possibly the Southern Baron's favorite Christmas movie. You can bet we will fire up that DVD in the coming days.
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| "HA! What shall we hang, the holly or each other?" |
Even though I live for British costume dramas, I actually first met Peter O'Toole through only his voice in a cartoon. He was the hard-nosed food critic in Ratatouille, back when Pixar made clever material culture reflections on the power of objects on memory and identity. He could make a voiceover about a rat cooking casserole with Janeane Garofalo sound like the most profound reflection on the meaning of art.
Towards the end of his life, O'Toole did small roles in a few religious films, such as the prophet Samuel in One Night With the King. Instead of the powerful monarch, he was a cleric challenging a corrupt government. (He still hacks a man apart off-camera, though, in that Esther movie, in case you forgot.) The most poignant of these was his role as Fr. Christopher in For Greater Glory, the story of the Cristero war in early 20th century Mexico. (Spoiler alert: basically everyone in this movie dies.) As political conflict is heating up, the humble Padre mentors a mischievous-but-goodhearted boy and then quietly goes to his martyrdom wearing black vestments. It's as if he's saying his own Requiem, offering himself to God's mercy.
Peter O'Toole's miscellaneous saintly cameos have fueled some speculation about his attitude towards the Church at the end of his life. Who knows? God understands the souls He created better than we can, that's for sure. So I'll say a prayer for Peter O'Toole's soul this week, and maybe one for Lawrence and Henry as well. Those men might still be finding their way home.
Towards the end of his life, O'Toole did small roles in a few religious films, such as the prophet Samuel in One Night With the King. Instead of the powerful monarch, he was a cleric challenging a corrupt government. (He still hacks a man apart off-camera, though, in that Esther movie, in case you forgot.) The most poignant of these was his role as Fr. Christopher in For Greater Glory, the story of the Cristero war in early 20th century Mexico. (Spoiler alert: basically everyone in this movie dies.) As political conflict is heating up, the humble Padre mentors a mischievous-but-goodhearted boy and then quietly goes to his martyrdom wearing black vestments. It's as if he's saying his own Requiem, offering himself to God's mercy.
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| KofC.org |
Peter O'Toole's miscellaneous saintly cameos have fueled some speculation about his attitude towards the Church at the end of his life. Who knows? God understands the souls He created better than we can, that's for sure. So I'll say a prayer for Peter O'Toole's soul this week, and maybe one for Lawrence and Henry as well. Those men might still be finding their way home.
