In 1917 three children from the village of Fatima in Portugal, witnessed what they said was a visitation of the Virgin Mary. The story of nine-year-old Lucia and her two younger cousins, Francisco, 7, and Jacinta, 6, has been the subject of intense investigations by the Catholic Church, faith-driven historians, and curious skeptics. The children were believed to have had the visitation once a month for several months culminating in the Miracle of the Sun witnessed by thousands in October of 1917. But before that, the apparition prophesied to the children about the coming end of World War I, of future wars and events, and even perhaps the attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II. The 1952 movie, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, came out just a few years after Pope Pius XII venerated the image enshrined at the chapel of the Apparitions of Fatima. Just last week, a new film version was released. It’s called simply, Fatima. Rose Ganguzza, of Rose Pictures, is the film’s producer. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Ganguzza, a veteran filmmaker, explains how this film is made for 21st Century audiences; ones who have the perspective of hindsight, unlike the earlier version. The film begins with a scholarly figure played by Harvey Keitel, who goes to the cloistered order where an elderly Sister Lucia lives. He questions her about the actual events to see if she still believes in the veracity of what she saw as a child. The film then is a series of flashbacks to 1917 to Lucia as a child, the challenges to religious believers who face a crossroad between a comfortable faith, and one that demands sacrifice. Listen to Ganguzza talk about the actors who played the parts, why she made the film, and why this new version leaves out documented traumatic events the children encountered.
