Reviews (September 2009)
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Wine Review
by Helen Savage
The Church’s role in spreading viticulture around the world is often overstated - you don’t need to plant vast vineyards just to provide a little communion wine. But some monastic orders embraced viticulture with as much gusto as they did other forms of agriculture, and on the vast swathes of land that they came to own, did much to help develop local wine industries. After the Carthusians founded a house in the rugged hills of Catalonia in 1194, not only the extraordinary local wine that they made, but the whole region became known as Priorat (or ‘priory’).
The continuing links between the Church and local wine industries is often marked by the elaborate wine festivals that are celebrated either at harvest or on the name day of a local saint. St. Vincent of Saragossa, the patron of both wine and vinegar makers, is feted in many wine-growing communities on January 22, and provides a great excuse to forget the winter chill for a day or two.
There’s an even more striking reminder of a region’s debt to viticulture in the ancient and very beautiful parish church of Madiran in South West France. The altar rests on two wine barrels.
Those vignerons who go to church there will no doubt be praying, with as much earnestness as their consciences will allow, that this year’s harvest is a success. Very different prayers will be on the lips of those in many parts of western France whose crops were ruined by a succession of hail storms: I’ve seen vines stripped bare to the wood in some Sancerre vineyards, whilst others, a hundred metres away, were unscathed. But there’s a quiet air of growing excitement in Madiran - and many other parts of France - that this harvest will turn out to be very special indeed.
For those who escaped the three ferocious hailstorms and had little mildew to worry about, 2009 has been a dream. A warm spring was followed by a damp early summer – the July rains did not only fall on us – and then a superb August with hot sunny days but relatively fresh, clear nights. In other words, the plants have had everything that they need at just the right time. Whether or not 2009 is (another) ‘vintage of the century’, the delights of 2008 shouldn’t be overlooked. In Bordeaux, still the world’s biggest quality wine producing region – and by some distance, 2008 produced a miracle vintage. Although spring came early and warm, the summer, as anyone who holidayed in France will remember, was a washout. There then followed a long, dry, warm autumn and quite contrary to the trend of the last 20 years, one of the latest harvests anyone could remember.
During the cold, wet ‘summer’, mildew was rampant, but by the time picking began in mid or even late October, the diseased berries had fallen and the remaining healthy grapes were superb. The crop was small, but the intensity of flavours in the grapes was remarkable.
Even those growers who in the timehonoured way of many farmers seldom reckon that the harvest was as good as it might have been have told me they have made the finest wines of their lives: and now they dare to hope that 2009 will be just as good, but more plentiful. We shall see.
In the meantime there’s plenty to enjoy, even if the undervalued pound, or perhaps the over-valued Euro has meant that prices have brought tears of frustration and even despair to the eyes both of many French wine growers and also British supermarket buyers (smaller independent wine merchants, with less financial clout have found these times tougher still).
From the Producteurs Plaimont whose growers now own a lot of the land in and around Madiran there’s a deliciously tangy dry white Pujalet, Vin de Pays du Gers 2008 (£4.99 at Waitrose) or St Mont White 2008 (£6.99 at Marks and Spencer), a great favourite of mine, which is a deliciously crunchy dry white, with mouth-watering acidity and the flavour of green plums.
Wine of the Month
Madiran Réserve des Tuguets 2006, Tesco £4.99 (half price offer). Big gutsy red, with loads of chunky, black fruit and firm but not bitter tannins. Perfect with game or an autumn stew.
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Film and Faith
by Luke O sbaldeston
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Certificate 12A
General Release UK: July 15, 2009
Length: 2 hours 33 minutes
Based on the novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Director: David Yates
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Alan
Rickman & original cast members.
This film’s fantasy world is indebted in its narrative, aesthetics and likely religious sensibilities to Christianity - with little attempt to disguise its origins. The look is pleasing. Most of the action that takes place in Hogwarts, a school for magically talented children, could have been shot in different cathedrals, and probably was; there are many gothic arches to be seen on screen.
There’s even a story - possibly apocryphal - that the dining hall at Ushaw College was once a considered location, and certainly Alnwick Castle has been used previously. Aurally, however, the connection with Christianity is not as strong. No heavenly choirs murmur in the background, not even at the film’s dénouement where a central character dies, avoiding one common soundtrack cliché.
No particular knowledge is needed of previous films or novels to follow the plot which leads to the death of this character, and potentially, it offers much for both children and adults to watch and then deconstruct. Many Christian cultural elements are there - for instance, the narrative often talks about a ‘sacrifice’ to be made. And when a central character makes that sacrifice at the end, it would be a simple move to explain the similarities between how and why this person is prepared to give up life so that the salvation of others can be secured and the sacrificial motif that Christians know so well. In short, there is nothing new under the sun in this film’s message, and there’s even something of the Easter story about it.
There are further borrowings and some humorous moments as a result, a direct lift from the Christian marriage service, for example, when a villain swears an oath to protect another bad character. Hands are joined, vows are taken; it could be some kind of diabolical wedding scene. If you happened to be a liturgy buff, or a church furniture spotter, you could find yourself highly entertained by this film.
Entertainment, ultimately, is what every film is about, and this film is entertaining, although a bit too long. The established actors play their roles deadpan and with consummate skill, important, because without their contribution the performances of the young actors might not be enough to sustain the film, except, perhaps, for Emma Watson’s.
This may all be irrelevant if you are a fan of the Harry Potter films - you don’t go along for the performances of teenagers. That the film is based on a novel and has a mite more intellect about it than other big budget summer films, and that it’s stocked with some of the most popular and able senior British acting talent, are both points in its favour. That it’s difficult to care much about the young characters, and that they often act and talk in an irrelevant manner, are marks against it. And why are there no regional accents ? Is everyone is from the Home Counties? If so, perhaps Hogwarts is somewhat prejudiced in its selection policy? And what about the expressions they use ? Okay, so this isn’t a Mike Leigh film, but do teenagers really say ‘bloody’ these days ? Is that a swear word that means anything to young people?
This film does have things to offer, and you hardly need scratch the surface to find the Christianity that has influenced it. It has excellent production values, it’s fetching to the eye, fair for the ear, and while not exactly taxing, it isn’t witless either. It is a fantasy that just about manages to avoid perverting its own fantasy logic, and if it is utterly middle-class, then it is also a massive success. If this really was the first part of an Easter-type story, then it could be diverting to see the attempt to portray the Resurrection in the final Harry Potter film.
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Book Review
by Chris Petrie
“Joy in All Things”, Canterbury Press,
ISBN: 9781853117473, Price: £16.99
“Joy in All Things” is subtitled “A Franciscan Companion” and we have now a “New International Edition” published in 2009 by the Canterbury Press. Like the first edition (2002), the book is an ecumenical project edited by one Anglican and two Roman Catholic Franciscans, Damian Kirkpatrick SSF (known to this diocese as vicar of Holy Island), Philip Doherty OFM Conv and Sheelagh O’Flynn FMDM (who died this year). This second edition has additional chapters on the Rule of St Clare and on Franciscan websites. The chapter on the Franciscan family has been rewritten with less emphasis on the Franciscans in England and none of the addresses of branches of the family – the websites will supply this information; otherwise the book is substantially the same as the first edition.
This is a book to browse and it could be argued that reading “Joy in All Things” for this review at a Butlin’s holiday camp was exactly right. This book has been a joy to read, and if St Francis were not looking over my shoulder I should also call it a joy to possess.
The first chapter starts in what some might think a frighteningly erudite tone, with reference to Aristotle. This is not quite what I expect from Francis though it is entirely in the spirit of Franciscan saints like Bonaventure and Duns Scotus. If this is not for you, please don’t let it put you off the book as a whole. This chapter also quotes poetry (Elizabeth Bishop) and it is not altogether surprising to read that the author of this introduction is a poet as well as an academic. The book has its moments of gentle humour, as in the chapter on “The Prayers of Francis and Clare” which ends with the well-known prayer “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. ...” preceded by the wry observation of Bishop John Moorman that it was written some 700 years after the death of Francis.
The story of St Francis is told briefly and simply by the late Bishop John V Taylor, as a story without footnotes or warnings about the uncertainty of their literal truth. One or two things need more explanation, but this book has the explanations elsewhere – for example in a glossary of Franciscan terms prepared by the late Brother Tristam SSF. The story of St Clare (by Frances Teresa OSC) has a more academic appearance, with references which are not always explained in the book, as far as I could see; I feel that the Editors might have helped me with some material on Clare (like that on Francis) in their section on Early Franciscan Sources. There is a massive bibliography (20 pages – with an apologetic note about the omission of much of the less recent literature). The book also contains material on which to base worship and devotions, as well as material about pilgrimages.
However, don’t be put off by some of the rather formal and academic writings – there is much that is simple (Francis would approve of that) and there is a substantial amount of devotional materials and the telling of stories of Franciscan saints. Not all the famous stories about Francis and Clare are here – perhaps the most surprising omission, given the book’s title, is the story of Francis’s exposition of “perfect joy” to Brother Leo (from the Fioretti – The Little Flowers of (St Francis).
Clearly some of the authors find a tension between Franciscan simplicity and academic rigour – something that is acknowledged in several of the historical accounts of the Franciscan orders. The tension between the call to action and the call to prayer, seen in the life of Francis as in the life of his Master, is also well illustrated. Francis does not want followers (or Franciscans), he wants to point us to Christ. This book is an aid to that.
Reading the prayers, one can become absorbed in them and moved by them, as poetry rather than theology. Reflecting on this, I am a little puzzled by the attempt of at least one author to make a case for “Francis the theologian”. Of course the book is presenting many different aspects of Francis, Clare and the Franciscan movement, so I can expect a few ideas that don’t sit comfortably with my own preconceptions. I find myself more in sympathy with the view (mentioned in passing) that there are no clear lines to be drawn between “Franciscan spirituality” and Ignatian, Benedictine, Dominican, Augustinian or even Celtic (and Columbanus gets a brief mention in this book). However the attempt to tease out the essence of Franciscan spirituality leads to some interesting ideas.
Some of the historical remarks can seem narrowly Franciscan – I was struck by the reference to the enclosure of women’s orders (after 1563) and wondered whether a mention of Mary Ward and the IBVM would have been appropriate there – not Franciscan, I know, but very much in the spirit one ascribes to Clare. The bibliographic information is confusing – the publishers list this as a paperback of 288 pages (my hardback review copy has 253 + xvii pages) and one internet book selling page quotes the same ISBN for a hardback listed at £18.99 and shows a photograph of a cover which is not precisely that of either my first or second editions. It may also be found listed as being by “The Franciscan Association of Great Britain” rather than the three named editors.
Overall the book succeeds in being what it claims to be, A Franciscan Companion. I recommend it heartily to anyone interested in Francis and Clare and their continuing inspiration of Christians and non-Christians. Enjoy it as refreshment and skip the bits you find dry.
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