The
Center for Law and Religion invites you to its:
CLR Film Series: Law and Religion in Film
This semester, the Center for Law and Religion will screen four
films that address law from different religious perspectives:
Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. There will be a discussion
of each film and pizza will be served.
Time
All screenings start at 6:30 pm.
January 14, 2013 | Private Dining Room, Ground Floor
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). In this comedy/drama from
Woody Allen, a respected doctor wants to murder his mistress to
cover up their affair. Can he get away with it? If he can, what
does that reveal about divine and human justice? Is there a moral
order to the universe, as the doctor’s rabbi friend insists, or
should the strong and clever simply do as they wish? With Woody
Allen, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, and Martin
Landau.
February 11, 2013 | Room 2M-11
A Man for All Seasons (1966). Winner of the Academy Award
for Best Picture, this film tells the story of St. Thomas More, the
16th-Century English Chancellor and most famous lawyer of his day,
who was tried, convicted, and executed for treason because he
refused to recognize the King’s authority over the Church. A
portrayal of a corrupt legal system and a reminder of the price
believers sometimes pay for following conscience rather than the
commands of the state. With Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, and
Orson Welles.
March 4, 2013 | Private Dining Room, Ground Floor
A Separation (2011). Winner of the Academy Award for Best
Foreign Language Film, this Iranian film tells the story of a
couple going through an ugly divorce. When the wife leaves and the
husband hires a housekeeper from a religious family, he sets in
motion a chain of events that leads to his arrest for murder. A
riveting portrayal of hypocrisy, discrimination, class boundaries,
and the effects of divorce on children, A Separation shows
how universal family problems are. In Farsi with English
Subtitles.
April 1, 2013 | Room 2M-11
Rashomon (1950). A drifter is on trial for rape and
murder. The witnesses: the drifter, the woman he has raped, a
passerby, and, through a medium, the dead man himself. The problem:
the witnesses’ stories all conflict. Who’s telling the truth? This
world-famous film suggests that it may be impossible for trials to
uncover the truth and ends with a Buddhist reflection on the need
for compassion. By Director Akira Kurosawa. In Japanese with
English Subtitles.
RSVP
Please RSVP to clr@stjohns.edu.