Quartet: More Than a Film

Dustin Hoffman’s directional debut Quartet has been released to DVD this month.

The full 98 minutes are played out in and around a grant retirement home which exclusively houses ex musicians and singers.

IMDB summarise the film’s plot as…

“Cecily, Reggie, and Wilfred are in a home for retired musicians. Every year, on October 10, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday and they take part. Jean, who used to be married to Reggie, arrives at the home and disrupts their equilibrium. She still acts like a diva, but she refuses to sing. Still, the show must go on… and it does.”

Needless to say this plot won’t excite everyone. The film originally ran as a play in the West End but closed after four months – which doesn’t bode well for the film adaptation. Yet the production which stars Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Welsh soprano Gwyneth Jones, has already enjoyed some success. Why?

Firstly, the acting is believable – especially Billy Connolly who plays an ageing loud mouthed, crass, rude and randy Scott (aka himself).

Secondly, at the heart of Quartet is a tale about growing old while staying young. Both the characters and the actors who play them are full of life and energy. Without wishing to patronise, it’s easy to see why the film would entertain older folk. Younger audiences will still appreciate the excellent acting and occasional humour, but ultimately, Quartet isn’t for people like me.

Thirdly and most significantly, the film is gently uplifting. It’s understated yet powerful. The viewing experience is perhaps comparable with watching a really good Sunday evening ITV drama.

The film review ends there. I’m not here to share anymore subjective musings on the quality of a film made by people whose talent far surpasses my own.

What’s far more interesting in a film like this is analysing the message. What is the writer trying to preach at his audience? Those who claim films are pure entertainment and do not contain any messages – hidden or otherwise – are beyond naive.

It’s great to see in this case that the film’s producers have openly admitted their desire to communicate a message. They’ve even commissioned Damaris to produce official free community resources to aid the viewer in pulling apart the themes contained in Quartet.

Damaris have taken the film, analysed it, and identified themes of Love and Loss, Life and Hope and Fun and Fulfillment.

Alongside this, the charity note: “51% of people aged 75 or over are living alone. Such elderly people watch a lot of films – but mainly on TV, on their own. So they miss the opportunity for a shared experience where people laugh together and cry together and then talk about the film afterwards. People of all ages should be included in this and Quartet is a perfect film to bring together older people.”

To view their group discussion resources – which are suitable for all ages – click the banner below.

There’s a reason we watch films with others. Viewing a film like Quartet by yourself only give you half the experience. Briefly discussing the feature with your friends is helpful. But in order to appreciate Quartet as more than a film, a deep (though not necessarily complicated) discussion isn’t just necessary, it’s as uplifting and entertaining as the film itself.

Are Christians In The UK Persecuted?

One week ago on Easter Sunday, George Carey decided to ask the above question. His piece in the Mail on Sunday immediately split opinion and managed to succeed in getting Christians to talk about all kinds of issues that had precisely nothing to do with the importance of the Easter period.

I have always lamented the way Christians are incapable of speaking with one voice. The Catholics say one thing, the Protestants say the other. And in between those simplistic categories there’s lots of noise too. We’re too busy infighting over secondary issues, is it any wonder that so many outside of the Church don’t know what those inside the Church stand for?

All that to say, I think that whatever you think of Lord Carey, his piece was ill timed. Perhaps he felt Easter Sunday was one of the few days in the year that his opinions would be listened to by the national media. And he may well be right, but that end doesn’t justify the means.

Persecution must be expected

Jesus said to his followers: “If they persecuted me they will also persecute you”. And sure enough, right from the start Christians have been persecuted. They’ve been burned at the stake, thrown to the lions, crucified, tortured, imprisoned and beheaded.

None of these things happen in the UK today. Some of them are happening in other nations. Thanks to the work of people like Open Doors these disgusting acts of violence against Christians are being challenged.

Because of the severity of this persecution in other nations, it’s my belief the word ‘persecuted’ should be reserved for this kind of physical attack. Continually being called names for holding Christian beliefs may still fit some dictionary definitions of persecution, but it’s nothing compared with being killed for your faith. There are other words like “marginalised” which may be more justified.

Left Vs Right

Christians who sit on the left (both theologically and politically) tend to criticize Carey more than those on the right. While those on the Right are often full on, brash and a little bit arrogant in shouting their religious views from the rooftops and expecting everyone to listen, those on the left have the opposite problem. They’re often wooly, pandering to whatever culture tells them and therefore willing to compromise on orthodox theology.

Because of the Left’s pandering to culture, is it any wonder that they see persecution as a less important issue? They simply aren’t encountering it in the same way as those on the Right who dare to tell people they’re heading in the wrong direction and away from God’s best.

Look Up!

In talking about persecution there is a danger Christians begin to navel gaze. But the positives should be spoken of as much as the negatives. We have a free press, a fair and just legal system and a fully operational and thriving democracy where everyone’s views can be heard. Neither our press, judiciary or parliament are perfect, but if any of you disagree with my last sentence, you need to spend some time in a country like Saudi Arabia where Christianity is banned. You’ll be less eager to complain about Britain’s treatment of Christians if you understand the state of the world outside our island.

The truth is there’s a huge amount of good being done by Christians at the moment. And we’re not persecuted for it. On the contrary, politicians and some portions of the media praise us for projects like Food Banks and Street Pastors.

I was shocked to read one person on Facebook recently say of the Bible “shame its two thousand years old really can we really still apply those scriptures to modern day morals?”

This person clearly knows even less about history than me! The sheer irony is what they call “modern day morals” are in themselves biblical! The Bible has given this country a clear concept of right and wrong. We have the Bible to thank that we’re a civilized society in the first place. Why do we believe murder, theft and rape are wrong? Some of this country’s greatest politicians read it in the good book and believed it. Arthur Pink (1886-1952) called the Bible “the mightiest factor of all in shaping the moral progress of the race.” Wilberforce was motivated to end slavery because of his Christian beliefs. I won’t bore you with numerous other examples I could pick out.

Is there a growing tide of secularism that would dispute this historic influence for good that Christians have had? Yes. And it’s why some Christians say they are “persecuted”. But they are not. They simply need to understand that our nation is no longer a Christian nation. With this huge change well underway a number of things will happen. One of them is Christians will continue to have a less privileged place in society. Our views will be questioned more than in previous generations. Our beliefs will be laughed about on primetime television. None of this is persecution. A lot of it isn’t new. It’s just increasing in severity. And we must be mindful of a slippery slope. Just because persecution isn’t happening right now, it doesn’t mean we aren’t heading in that direction.

What is Happening?

While Jesus told his followers to expect persecution, this is obviously not something any of us should be actively seeking.

The appropriate response is to campaign to see an end to persecution. Jesus said “the poor you will always have with you” but that hasn’t and shouldn’t stop Christians making poverty history.

George Carey did have half a point. I’ve heard of more than one convert from Islam to Christianity in the UK who has received physical abuse from Muslim gangs.

Some of the stories which the Christian Institute have taken on are worth considering. There have been a few real cases where Christians have been unfairly treated, just because they hold to Christian values, which are now in the minority. (But not all cases are justified. If you run a B&B, you can’t discriminate based on sexuality Christians should stop crying “foul” when they’re the ones in the wrong! We have to play by the rules.)

In conclusion, Christians aren’t for the most part persecuted in the UK. But we are often side-lined, mocked or ignored to a much greater extent than 50 or even 20 years ago. Rather than complaining about the increasing secularisation of our country, we must carry on doing good in our society. We have a right to kick up a fuss if and when we are unfairly treated or marginalised. But we should be wise in knowing which battles to fight. This debate should remind us of the millions of Christians whose persecution is so horrific, that a debate over what “persecution” really means is not necessary.

A good Good Friday

Yesterday I took a trip up to London to explore the depth and diversity of Christian expression during the Easter period.

Not really, I was just on a date with Stacey.

Nevertheless, we did enjoy attending three separate and very different events to mark the day Jesus died for the sins of the world.

On the way up to London I listened to a sermon about the ancient Hebrew prayer known as the Sh’ma. The most memorable phrase from the Sh’ma is “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength”.

Sometimes you hear people say things like “I’m a very spiritual person”. But the writers of the Bible wouldn’t have understood such a claim. For them, everything is spiritual, even going to the toilet. Therefore the soul isn’t a part of you. It’s the whole of you. There isn’t a part of me that’s Christian. The whole of me is Christian meaning that my faith influences every area of my life.

And because regardless of what you believe, everything we feel, touch, see and experience is in some way spiritual, I am not embarrassed to tell you that after listening to the sermon, I switched podcasts and caught up with BBC Radio 4′s The Now Show!

After a coffee in Speakeasy (the best flat white in the world) and lunch at My Old Dutch (the best pancakes in the world) me and Stacey wandered over to Trafalgar Square.

A 90 minute long production of the death and resurrection of Christ was taking place. But we just caught the last half hour.

The first thing we saw were three men hanging on crosses and covered in blood. I was reminded that Christianity isn’t a ‘nice’ religion. It deals with the real-ness and gritty-ness of life. It’s not just a nice story, but an earthy hard-hitting message.

It was rightly difficult to watch as Jesus was beaten and crucified. I noticed some parents shielding their young children’s eyes and ears. I imagine parents at the time 2000 years ago would have done the same. There were many other similarities between the actual events, and the drama. Some mocked what was unfolding in front of their eyes. Some showed complete contempt for Jesus. As Jesus bowed his head and died, one young girl said in utter disbelief and shock “God’s dead?!”

The crowd reaction was as intriguing as the drama. When people think of Christianity they probably don’t imagine blood and guts but rather old men speaking soft, quiet words about ‘loving thy neighbour’. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for the latter but the Passion play reminded me that Christianity is fiery and real too.

Next stop was St Paul’s Cathedral. The website billed the 5pm service as “the most powerful service of the year”. It was my first time inside the great building and my gaze was immediately drawn upwards. 300 years on, the builders and designers should be proud of themselves. Their aim to construct a building which draws people’s gaze up toward heaven to remind them of God has succeeded again and again and again.

As for the service, I could have sworn it was being conducted in Latin. But we were quite far back and nearly everything was sung rather than said. Either way, I didn’t understand a word of it, so we left after 15 minutes.

Our final stop was HTB’s Queensgate. The small but pretty church looked stunning. It was a traditional building, but kitted out with modern lighting, instruments and people (the majority were in their 20s and 30s)!

Any description of the ‘Alternative Good Friday Service’ simply wouldn’t do the event justice. Rather than everyone facing the altar, the stage and the band were in the middle of the building and everyone sat in-the-round. There was a giant cross shaped container which held water. The congregation were invited to take a piece of dissolvable paper, write their sins on it and place it in the water. There was also an opportunity to light a candle, receive prayer and hear a talk from the Bible. The service was full of both reverence and joy. And the music was stunning.

The day reminded me that Christianity is alive and well in London. Thousands of people watched the Passion play. Many people heard the message of the gospel for the first time at HTB. All in all, it was a very good Good Friday.