"There Be Dragons" trailer



This Friday in Spain sees the opening of the film There Be Dragons, a drama set during the Spanish Civil War, which includes the story of the early life of St Josemaria Escriva. The film is directed by Roland Joffé who also directed The Mission and The Killing Fields.

The other day, there was a showing at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Remarkably, Roland Joffé compared St Josemaria to Nelson Mandela which, to be honest, was not the first thing that would have jumped into my mind. It is interesting, though, that he was speaking particularly of the work of St Josemaria for reconciliation in Spain. Mgr Clavell told the story of the saint being insulted by a taxi driver after the civil war: he said that he should have been killed along with the other priests. St Josemaria gave him an extra large tip to spend on a gift for his children.

John Allen wrote about the film a couple of weeks ago, saying:
Depending on how things break, “There Be Dragons” could stir the same sort of ferment as Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” – fierce devotion in some quarters, and strong backlash in others.
As with "The Passion", I expect to find myself on the "fierce devotion" side of the auditorium.

The film has been a sell-out in Spain and will be opening in the US in May. No date has been set for Britain yet. There is further information at the official website for the film.

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