10 Films on the Lives of Catholic Saints you can watch for FREE on YouTube
1. PADRE PIO
Padre Pio-Miracle Man (2000) ⁃ Italian mini-series (dubbed in English) on the life of Padre Pio
2. BLESSED RUPERT MAYER
Father Rupert Mayer (2015) ⁃ a German priest put in a concentration camp for speaking against Nazism
3. ST. BERNADETTE
The Song of Bernadette (1943) ⁃ Oscar winning film (including Best Actress for Jennifer Jones as Bernadette) about the life of Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. Highly recommended.
4. ST. JOHN VIANNEY
The Wizard of Heaven (Le Sorcier du Ciel) (1949) ⁃ French film (with English subtitles) on the life of the Cure of Ars.
5. ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX
Miracle of St. Therese (1952) ⁃ Another French film (dubbed in English) on the life of the little flower saint in a semi-documentary style. Turn on the captions (CC) so that the subtitles appear.
6. ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO
The Reluctant Saint (1962) ⁃ This Hollywood production stars Oscar winner Maximilian Schell as the “flying saint” who was not expected to accomplish much because he was slow intellectually.
7. ST. LUCIA OF FATIMA
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952) ⁃ A Holy Week classic of my pre-Netflix childhood, this Oscar nominated movie is still good viewing almost 70 years after it was first shown.
8. ST./POPE JOHN PAUL II
Karol : A Man Who Became Pope (2005) & Karol: The Pope, The Man (2006) ⁃ A understandably Polish production, this is yet the most moving and most comprehensive film on the life of JP2. The first movie ends with his election as Pope while the second ends with his death. Anchored by a moving performance by Piotr Adamczyk as Karol Wojtyla.
9. ST./MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
The Letters (2014) ⁃ Mother Teresa has been earnestly played by Geraldine Chaplin and Olivia Hussey in the past, yet this movie with Juliet Stevenson as Mother Teresa is, by far, the most profound production on the life of one of the most famous saints of contemporary times.
10. ST./POPE JOHN XXIII
The Good Pope: John XXIII ⁃ In his short stint as Pope, John XXIII influenced and set the tone for many of the progressive changes that the church undertook in the 60s. Bob Hoskins, a British actor, is an interesting choice as the Italian pope. Version below has 2 parts, commercials and ironically, Arabic subtitles. Turn the CC button on for English subtitles
Bonus: 2 silent movies
a) St. Anthony de Padua Saint Anthony of Padua (1931)
b) St. Joan of Arc The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Have a blessed holy week!