Janson Media celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a recent review of the DVD documenting the life of the apostle himself, St. Patrick by Video Librarian. The review commends the title St. Patrick: Apostle of Ireland for its potrayal of an ordinary man who accomplished the extraordinary by placing his faith in God. Citing the films effective cinematography, the review reveals the films ability to successfully represent St. Patrick in an educational and interesting way.
Combining breathtaking camerawork and St. Patrick’s ardent confessions to evoke his life and times, this poetic portrait of Ireland’s patron saint recreates what little is known of St. Patrick from two short works, a spiritual autobiography and his written denunciation of the British mistreatment of Irish Christians. Born in Roman Britain, enslaved at the age of 16, and sent for six years to pre-Christian Ireland, Patrick would return to the Emerald Isle several years later on a divinely inspired mission to convert the Irish–a world historical moment marking the introduction of Christianity to the Druid religion and the melding of the Christian faith and Celtic Irish traditions in art, music, and poetry. Director David Tennant employs a few standard documentary filmmaking techniques to flesh out St. Patrick’s story, including a backdrop of scenic vistas in contemporary Ireland and brief interviews with Father Frank Fahey of Ballintubber Abbey and author Michael Slaven, but the essence of the film is found in the moody b&w footage used for a dramatic reenactment of key points in Patrick’s life. An entrancing bit of filmmaking that should be a welcome and popular addition to most collections, this is recommended. – Video Librarian
Video Librarian is the video review magazine for public, school, academic, and special libraries, as well as video fans who are interested in a wider variety of titles than what’s found in the average video store. Written by staff, librarians, teachers, and film critics, Video Librarian offers over 225 critical reviews per issue, alerting readers to upcoming new releases of special-interest, documentary, and video movie titles. In addition, we inform our subscribers of video bargains (and free videos) and track technological trends.
