Therese The Movie

[BLAZEr]

I've been kind of nervous about the Therese movie because it seemed so poorly organized, but I thought, well, shoot maybe they know something I don't. I assumed they were working with Barbara Nicolosi (who is a screenwriter, a faithful catholic, and a holy woman) who runs the Act One institute in Hollywood for Christians trying to make it in the biz . . .

Today I read this, and later I will go to see the movie . . . I'm not surprised . . .

In a certain sense it angers me because it's spiritual blindness to think that you just do whatever you want and God will guide the work. That's arrogance of the first class.

But the main reason it angers me is because I love St. Therese and she deserves better than these people gave her.

[quote]AN EXPENSIVE LEARNING CURVE

This is going to be a little rant. I'll introduce it by saying that, on Wednesday, I received a heads-up from a friend who works in marketing that the long-awaited film Therese from St. Luke Productions in Oregon, was having press screenings for its upcoming release. I emailed to be included in one of the area screenings and received the message, "Oh, sorry. The press screenings were last week. If you want to see the film, you'll have to wait to see it in the theater when it opens October 4th."

I'm trying to figure out if I should be annoyed at having been deliberately excluded, or if the press junket was just one more thing about this project that was mishandled.

I have no personal animosity towards the folks at St. Luke's. They are certainly very devout Catholics, and very sincere in their desire to put drama at the service of the Gospel.

It's just that everywhere I go, good Catholics ask me about the project, and "Isn't it a shame that Hollywood is shutting out the movie just because it's devout Catholic?!" No, the project is not being shut out because it's Catholic. If it's getting shut out, it's because it's a bad movie. It is disingenuous to try and get people into the theaters on some pretext of "showing Hollywood", when what you are really trying to do is desperately make back some of the millions and millions of dollars you obtained from good people who trusted you to know how to make a good movie.

Three years ago, I was approached to give notes on the screenplay for Therese. The screenplay, a first effort for the well-intentioned writer, was in very bad shape. The screenplay was not professionally formatted, and was missing all the most basic points of introducing and growing characters, of structuring for some kind of suspense, of thematic develpment, and also, there was really no story. The writer had lifted long sections of dialogue right out of St. Therese's work, putting them in extended voice-overs over shots of the saint doing laundry, looking out windows and gazing toward unseen horizons in prayer.

Because I have always had a special love for St. Therese, I spent a lot of time - for free - reading the script, giving extensive notes, and then trying to help in at least two extended phone calls. These were the days when I was still reading projects from non-Hollywood Christian writers for free. (I have since learned that people do not respect "advice". They respect "consultation." The difference between advice and consultation is that they pay you for consultation.)

A few months later, the writers sent me a new draft of the script. It showed some improvement, but was still far from being a commercially viable, and technically functioning project. I expressed to the writer and director, "My opinion is, you are over your head here with the screenplay. I do not discern any signs of writing talent, or even proficiency, here. I don't see any mastery - or even awareness - of any of the skills necessary in screenwriting: character creation, story, structure, dialogue, use of language, use of imagery, etc." I strongly encouraged St. Luke Productions to recruit an experienced screenwriter for the project. (I considered pitching myself for the project, but there was no way I could do it at that moment.) I offered to help them find a real screenwriter.

But no, the principles told me, "We're going to go with God here. There are a lot of people praying for us."

So then, I said, "We will be holding a month-long screenwriter's intensive in August - just a few weeks away. I will let you come for free, to sit in the back as observers. I promise you, at the end of the program, you will have a much better idea of what you need to do as filmmakers."

But no, the answer came back, "But we are planning to start shooting in September."

To which I said, "You are not ready to start shooting. You don't have a screenplay yet." They kind of laughed at my lack of faith. I remember someone saying, 'St. Therese is going to make this movie a miracle." I think I came back, "God is talking to you now. I'm on your side. I'm trying to help." I remember them kind of laughing again.

I made several other desperate suggestions like, "Please, please if you want ANY CHANCE of getting festivals, or distribution, hire some name actors." And, "You've never made a film before. Why not take $250,000 and make a short film first, just as practice..." And, "Hire a director who has made a movie before." But, no. The film went ahead as scheduled.

A year later, I got an inquiry from St. Luke Productions. I was writing a monthly column for Liguorian at the time. The request came in for me to write a feature article on the making of the movie Therese. I was kind of shocked. "Do you really want me to write something like that?" But then I thought, "Well, maybe the film will beat the unbelievably incrediblely monumentally enormous odds that it will come out mediocre....maybe, it will be a miracle."

So, I said, "Sure, I'll consider doing a feature on it. Please send me a VHS of the film so I can see it."

But the answer came back, "Oh, no. We aren't showing it to people yet. We just want you to write a feature in support of these good Catholics who are trying to make a wonderful Catholic movie." (I was actually told a few months later by some millionaires in Portland, that they had seen a roughcut of the film...but whatever.)

See, I can't support the way Therese was made. It goes against everything I am doing here in Hollywood to try and get Christians to make inroads as professionals. To the people who work at the craft of entertainment here in the business, watching the millions of dollars Christians waste in "showing" Hollywood, by outsider attempts at movie making, is heart-breaking. And kind of annoying. Multiple Emmy nominated screenwriter and Christian, Karen Hall, used to say, "It's like if I woke up one day and said, 'Hey, I have a shingle. I think I'll put it outside my front door and start doing psycho-therapy."

But anyway, they wouldn't show me the film, so I wouldn't write a feature on it.

About a year later, I got a call from two different dioceses, and also from an office at the U.S. Catholic Conference, asking me whether Therese should get the Bishops' support. Even just informal support.

So, I called St. Luke Productions and said, "Please, can I get a screener of this film? I could help you get the word out. But I have to see the film first." I had heard that the project was being shown around down to various studios, and I also offered my willingness to go to one of those. I was told that it wouldn't be possible for them to send me a screener, and that it wouldn't be possible for me to see it in the rounds here in L.A., but that if I wanted to fly to Portland, they would let me see the film there. Of course, this was an absurd thing to ask. It really started to seem to me that St. Luke's Productions didn't want me to see the film. (Which is also weird, because, frankly, I'm really not big enough to be worth hiding from...) I sighed, as I recall, and said, "No, I will not pay to fly to Portland to see the film. But do let me know when there will be press screenings here in L.A.."

This is why I got kind of mad this week, when I got an email from a marketer, asking me to help "Get the word out about Therese opening this week!"

I have participated in many, many studio film junkets. I have NEVER been treated worse, as a member of the press, than on this project coming from my fellow devout Catholics. No Hollywood studio would ever ask me to support a film without letting me see it first. This is the kind of non-professional weirdness that you have to be in the Christian market to encounter.

I hope the junket for the film here in L.A. was a little affair and maybe it was just an oversight that I didn't get invited. I think this is unlikely, because I am certainly THE ONLY member of the press in L.A. who had issued at least two prior requests to see this project. I am also certainly THE ONLY member of the press who had volunteered several hours of work in the early stages of this project. And that alone should have merited, as a professional courtesy, an invite to a screening. Hell, even the pagans do that.

I hope Therese is a great film. Although, several people who have seen it have basically kind of shrugged, "Really devout catholics will probably like it."

I hope the people at St. Lukes will make more films, now that they have had a multi-million dollar personal film school experience. Otherwise, it will REALLY be a waste.

I hope nobody ever, ever comes to me again and says, "God is going to make this movie great."

Well, I guess this is me getting the word out about Therese. [/quote]

[Sojourner]

Blazer -- who's the writer? Just wondering ...

I grew up in the evangelical Christian subculture, which is rife with bad art in many forms ... sad this happens in Catholic culture too. I've never quite figured out exactly where Christians started to go wrong when it comes to being able to be creative. You'd think that people of faith who have a living relationship with God would be especially able to creatively express themselves with quality artistic endeavors, but sadly that doesn't happen all that often.

[Lil Red]

reminds me of the story of a man trapped on top of his house during a flood and several people went by to help, and he kept saying "Oh no, God will help me." then he died, and went to the pearly gates and he complained to God, and God said, "Well, I sent all those people to help you, what more did you want?"

This makes me extremely sad.

[BLAZEr]

It is written by Barbara Nicolosi who is a columnist for the National Catholic Register and is the director of the Act One institute that helps Christians who are trying to make a carreer out of Hollywood.

In fact, some of the Act One grads have gone on to work on hits, like Joan of Arcadia, Smallville, and other shows. Mind you, they are one or two on a staff of 40 or 50 so they are more like leaven, and don't really have the power to run the show . . . yet!

[Seven77]

St. Therese pray for us!

[FutureSoror]

That is sad

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

:angry: They better be nice to St. Therese! She deserves better, who cares if the story is pulled right from Story of a Soul, that was the intent of the movie! Sheesh, critics...

[Guest Aluigi]

yo, that's the prpblem! ppl assume that to criticize the movie is to criticize St. Therese, but it ain't like that. the movie could be bad that doesnt mean the story is bad. we need to honestly seek to make good artwork, not just assume it's good cuz we have good intentions and a good story. they should have listened to this guy i think.

[Iacobus]

[Theoketos]

It could still be good....

[Birgitta Noel]

Well, I say we suspend judgement until we see the movie.

She makes some valid points, but she is also obviously angry and even feeling slightly rejected.

Her point about this being a movie only devout Catholics will like is well taken. But then the question is what is the goal of the movie? That may be the goal. Everyone has different motivations.

If the movie flops so be it. A lesson will have been learned. But on the other hand, how do we define flop? Didn't St. Therese herself say "If I can save but one soul...."?

One word comes to mind in reaction to her response, charity, towards her, from her to the movie folks, and from us when we post.

[Sinner]

I hope the writer is wrong..........

[BLAZEr]

I think you have to understand where Barbara is coming from on this, to understand her frustration. She is the most influential, intelligent, experienced faithful Catholic in the business. She has worked very hard to convince some in Hollywood that Catholic artists are not like the misguided protestant artists of the "Left Behind" ilk, who put together cheap, crappy movies that no one sees who isn't already familiar with the storyline.

Barbara wants to see Catholics succeed in Hollywood, because she believes that this will help to change the culture. It sets her work back when people like St. Luke's productions try their "we are too good to take advice and follow the rules" approach which further alienates Major Studios from Catholic screenwriters, actors, and producers.

She admits she's kind of ranting in this post, but she is ranting for a reason . . . not because she has been "slighted" but rather, that this movie will be shown on a tiny number of screens (less than 100 so far, in the whole country) and will soon be relegated to DVD and Video which it will be a Miracle if Blockbuster even carries.

This guarantees that this movie reaches the real world equivalent of no one.

Look at how hard the Passion producers worked to get the passion an audience even before it opened. Why hasn't St. Luke's followed a similar road? They don't know what they're doing, and in the process they are becoming a stumbling block to Christians who want to see a project like this suceed.

[-I---Love]

me too - I was REALLY looking forward to this sweeeeettt movie cause of the awesome plot.

...time will tell, but nevertheless we should definitely still support it!

[Birgitta Noel]

I know, I know, I hear you on all of these points. I don't know why they're being so stubborn though. Perhaps there is something else at work here? I'm hard pressed as to what though. Lack of humility perhaps? Naievete (sp?)

And yes, she did admit that it was a rant.

In charity though, perhaps it would have been better for her to express what she has to the company in private after the movie flops or succeeds? It seems that she is acting in a manner that she may regret in the future. I say this having reacted in a similar way in the past making and later wishing I had kept my mouth shut in "public".

I don't know her work, and I am sure she is very good at what she does. I suppose I too am frustrated 1) at her approach here and 2) at the film's snubbing of her when she's trying to help and could obviously be a great help.