CBCP endorses ‘Harry Potter’ film

In a surprising move, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) sang the praises of the latest installment in the seven-part "Harry Potter" series, despite its depiction of witchcraft and wizardry, which are against the doctrines of the Church.

The Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation (Cinema), an arm of the CBCP Office on Women, has recommended the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" for general viewing by the entire family after giving it an "acceptable to wholesome" moral assessment rating and an "above average" technical evaluation.

"Complementing the extensive fantasy adventures and magical sceneries are the intensive insights on friendship, courage, and selflessness," Cinema said in its review of the film, which earlier drew criticism from the Catholic Church because of the practice of witchcraft and magic depicted in the series.

Despite the hocus-pocus, Cinema said the movie espouses good values and was "able to make audience forget about the magical world and relate to the growing pains, insecurities, assaults and destruction shown on screen as the main actors tackle their characters with… passion."

"The main character, Harry Potter, remains a good-hearted and compassionate wizard in a film that shares several lessons now tailor-suited for older and more mature characters. He has a momentary fall-out because of jealousy with his best friend Ron — something unavoidable in life — but they manage to realize that their friendship is far more important," explained the board.

The way the main character consistently exemplified kindheartedness for others was also praised in the review.

The Cinema board members said they also found endearing the "tender but firm" manner of teaching at the characters’ school of magic, Hogwarts, where the story is set: "We appreciate teachers who share their lives with their apprentices and mold more compassionate persons."

Apart from these good values that the group failed to find in previous episodes of the series, the latest installment also offers superb special effects.

"The film boasts of technical superiority, most especially the very imaginative production design, dynamic cinematography and tight editing," the Catholic film board stressed.

The film, directed by Mike Newell for Warner Bros., is about the exciting adventures of Harry Potter in his fourth school year at Hogwarts, particularly the Quidditch World Cup and Triwizard Tournament.

The film showcases triumph over tremendous odds and even death. Harry Potter wins the tournament with a fellow Hogwarts contestant, Cedric Diggory, who is eventually killed by Lord Valdemort, the antagonist in the series.

Apart from Harry Potter, Cinema has also endorsed the "Exorcism of Emily Rose," which showcases spiritual realities through serious reflection more than sensationalism and horror clichés.

The film was also recommended by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for its "sober and intelligent consideration of faith and the mystery of evil," the board added.

"This movie is a well-crafted and intelligent movie that aspires to engage heads and not just spin them. The film contains disturbing scenes of demonic possession, a brief but violent vehicular homicide, and a grisly death image, as well as minimal crude language," the board said in its review.

The film, which was directed by Scott Derrickson under Columbia Pictures, is partly based on true events that took place in Germany in 1976 involving a young epileptic, Anneliese Michel, who died of starvation after several exorcism sessions, which led to the filing of criminal charges against the priests involved.

More of a drama than a horror movie, the film focuses on courtroom events during which the spiritual elements and demonic possession of the character is depicted through flashbacks and the testimonies of witnesses.

The director says this is a "fictionalized version" of true events, and has transplanted the story from Germany to an unspecified rural American town and changed the names of the principal players: Michel has become Emily Rose, played by Jennifer Carpenter, a devout Catholic college student, who believes that she is possessed by demons after experiencing terrifying episodes while away at school.

When medical treatment proves ineffective, her family enlists their parish priest, Father Richard Moore, played by Tom Wilkinson, to perform an exorcism.

Despite Father Moore’s sincere efforts, the girl dies from associated medical complications resulting in Moore’s arrest for negligent homicide.

Actress Laura Linney co-stars as Erin Bruner, the agnostic, high profile lawyer hired to defend Father Moore and make sure the church, which wants to keep the case out of the spotlight and the priest off the witness stand, avoids any embarrassing publicity.

Campbell Scott plays pit-bullish prosecuting attorney Ethan Thomas, a practicing Methodist who disdains the Catholic idea of exorcisms.

"The filmmaker remains intentionally ambiguous, though the movie clearly leans toward the existence of larger realities beyond the empirical. The performances are solid across the board, especially that of Linney. Carpenter does a credible job conveying her demonic torment with a minimal reliance on special effects. But, despite the title, it is Bruner’s story as she wrestles with her own demons, and her wavering between skepticism and belief no doubt mirrors the inner spiritual grappling of many viewers," the board stressed.

The film review board also lauded the movie’s narrative tone for "remaining respectful of Catholic tenets and rituals."

"A late revelation that Emily endured her suffering as a self-sacrificial martyrdom suggests that belief in God is somehow confirmed, or at least facilitated, by proving that the devil exists," the board added.

But it has advised the audience not to expect "spinning heads and projectile vomit à la Linda Blair" in "The Exorcist" because they would certainly be disappointed.

The movie received four stars, an exemplary rating, from Cinema in both moral and technical assessments. The last movie endorsed by the board was "Passion of the Christ" shown in 2003.