There have actually been a few good movies made about courageous women. In today’s posting, I will discuss six movies along with a review of each one. I would highly recommend all of these. There are really great companion books for these movies. I will list them at the end of the reviews. As is often the case, the book may be better than the movie.
There have been some movies made that are so inaccurate, that it is not worth wasting your time to watch them, unless you only seek entertainment. There are also some stories on DVD that are somewhat accurate and worth watching if you keep in mind that the director/producers took a lot of liberties with the story. In a future posting, I would like to review some movies that I could recommend with caution.
If you have some suggestions for movie reviews, please list them in the response area at the end of this posting.
“The Inn of the Sixth Happiness”, starring Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, and Robert Donat.
This is the true story of the missionary, Gladys Aylward and centers
around what happened to her after she became a missionary and went to China. It is set during the time that the Japanese invaded China. The Japanese destroyed the town in which she was living and Gladys will have to lead nearly 100 homeless orphans to safety through the enemy lines. This is a very exciting movie, and fairly true to her real life. You can read her own story in:
Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman, by Gladys Aylward.
“Lady Jane”, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes.
I have already posted a story about Lady Jane Gray elsewhere on this Blog. I can 
hardly imagine a braver teen-ager who ever lived. Imagine standing up to the Queen of England and the top leaders of the Church. It takes incredible courage to stand for your faith in the face of execution. This DVD is historically accurate. I have only one caution. There is a scene with nudity. True, they are married. But if you don’t care for those kind of scenes any more than I do, have your remote handy after Lady Jane is married with your finger on the fast forward button. I think the producers could have left that out of a very stunning movie and not lost anything. There are many books about Lady Jane; the one I like best is:
Lady Jane Gray: Nine Days Queen, by Alison Plowden
“The End of the Spear”, starring many in the cast.
This film is based on the true story of a group of missionaries who went to serve in the Amazon jungle. Five of the missionary men paid the ultimate price of love for
their fellow men with their lives when they were killed by the tribesman. The martyrs’ brave widows and families decide to stay among the natives in Ecuador and continue to serve God as they had planned. Because of their faithfulness, some of the tribes people come to know the Lord. This is a really touching story of forgiveness, sacrifice, courage, and redemption. One of the wives of the original martyrs, Elisabeth Elliot, has gone on the serve the Lord all of her life. She has written an excellent book which tells the original story that the movie is based on.
Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot.
“The Hiding Place”, starring Jeannette Clift and Julie Harris.
This movie has been seen by literally millions of people. It is the story of Corrie ten Boom, her sister, and her father. They work with the underground in Holland to 
rescue the Jews from the horrible persecution of the Nazis. Corrie and her sister risk arrest and execution for doing this; nevertheless they help to save the lives of countless Jewish families. Corrie and her sister, Betsie do get caught and sent to a concentration camp. What happens there is miraculous. This is a thrilling movie of faith, courage, and love.
There are many, many books written about the ten Booms, including some excellent children’s books. The original book has been read by over 8,000,000 people and deserves to be read by everyone.
The Hiding Place, by John and Elizabeth Sherrill and Corrie ten Boom
“Sophie Scholl: The Final Days”, starring a young woman who won an award for best actress, Julia Jentsch.
I have already posted a story about Sophie Scholl on this Blog. You can go there to read more details about this incredibly brave young woman who faced execution
for her stance against injustice. I highly recommend the DVD. Her trial as she faces the Gestapo is awe-inspiring to say the least. Those who remained silent while Hitler was committing his atrocities against the Jews would certainly have felt very uncomfortable as Sophie called the German people to take personal responsibility for their loss of freedoms. She is a shining example of courage.
A good book to get that will explain more about her life and her experiences in the underground is:
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose, by Jud Newborn and Annette Dumbach
“The Sound of Music”, starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and others.
You might be surprised that I included this movie. It is a good story, and though the actors are very “Hollywood-ish”, the DVD is worth watching again and again just to listen to the music if nothing else.
The story is about a real woman however, who did marry an Austrian widower and then have to escape with her family from Austria to come eventually to the United States. They were a very talented, and devout family. (I saw the real Von Trapp Family Singers on TV – probably the Ed Sullivan show – when I was a youngster. In this picture you can see the real Maria playing her guitar and singing with some children in Austria. Two great books that I highly recommend are:
Maria: My Own Story, by Maria Von Trapp
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, by Maria Augusta Trapp
