Triumph of Human Spirit-II. Review on Five Best Inspirational Movies of Hollywood

In my last review I had written about some great inspirational movies from Bollywood. This one is about some great movies from Hollywood, which were inspiring in one way or another. I have always been a Hollywood fanatic since my childhood days and here I am presenting some great movies which inspired me. Well such movies are many,its not possible for me to list all, so I am presenting my favorite movies of that genre. This was a category suggested by me, and in fact I am planning to write a book on how certain Hollywood movies could be used as a tools for personality development.

1. Chariots of Fire: This 1981 movie was about two athletes competing at 1924 Summer Olympics . One is a devout Protestant Eric Lidell who believes in running for the “glory of God”. He refuses to run the 200 m race as it falls on a Sunday and he considers it as Sabbath. Another athlete Harold Abrahams wants to run and win, to prove that his being a Jew should not be taken as a sign of social inferiority. Two men who have two totally different missions. One has conviction in his religious beliefs, and one wants to run to prove that all humans are equal. One runs for the passion of sport, the other for an achievement which would enable him to overcome his social status. The movie superbly looks at the issues of faith, honor, loyalty, sportsmanship and more importantly the ability of an individual to have faith in himself. Great performances by Ian Charleson & Ben Cross, and of course that haunting music by Vangelis.

   
   




2. Schindlers List: What could be possibly inspiring in a movie about the Holocaust? A man called Oskar Schindler. Schindlers List is one of the best movies about the Holocaust. Yes the movie has many depressing moments, the scene where Amon Goeth, the sadistic Nazi colonel, uses Jews for target practice , the scene where women are sent to gas chambers. But the recurring theme is that even during the worst period in human history, there were men like Oskar Schindler, who were willing to put their life on the line to save millions of unfortunate people. Oskar Schindler loses everything in the end, his business goes bankrupt, he is tried by the Allies. But in the end when all the Holocaust survivors come to visit his grave and thank him, he touches a height which none had. Fantastic performances by Liam Neeson , Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley makes this a must watch. The basic message the movie sends out that one man can make a difference is what makes it inspirational to me.

   
   




3. Saving Private Ryan: The last great war of the century saw 9 men having a tougher task than winning the war: Saving the life of one man. It’s the Normandy landings, and as per US Govt policy every family needs to have at least one member who survived the war. A mother of 5 gets news that her 4 sons have been killed, and so the US Army deputes 9 men to save the life of the last son- Private Ryan. 9 men who have the faintest idea about Ryan have to fight through enemy territory, booby traps, trigger happy Germans. Their fascinating saga in the trek through enemy territory, the bonding between them, the fights in the group and finally the climactic showdown when they locate Ryan, makes this an inspiring movie. Great performances by Tom Hanks as the leader of the group and Matt Damon as Ryan.

   
   




4. Forrest Gump: Fascinating story of the rise of a man with below normal IQ. How he makes it to the top in a world which normally has no place for the lesser endowed. The way he manages to overcome every hurdle with nothing more than sheer common sense. His victorious stint in the Vietnam war, his becoming a star TT player and how he becomes a millionaire are fascinatingly captured by director Robert Zemeckis. A truly inspirational movie, which drives home the message, that no matter what you are, have faith in yourself and you can make it. And of course Tom Hanks in a great performance in the title role.

   
   




5. Ben Hur: For me one of the finest classical epic movies. Ben Hur captures the rise, fall and rise of Judah Ben Hur in a fascinating manner. Betrayed by his friend, captured by the Romans as a galley slave, he has a providential stroke of luck when he is adopted by a Roman general. And then of course his revenge against his friend Messala, the chariot race,coming back home to learn the truth about his mother and sister, and the final redemption. Ben Hur proves that every individual in the world has the strength to tide over every difficulty.

   
   




6. Apollo 13: One of the best movies I have ever seen. This movie showcases the failure of the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. But as the say its in adversity the true character of man is bought out. And so it is here, as the astronauts battle in Outer space against all odds, and the efforts of the ground crew to bring them back to earth. Apollo 13 is one of those movies that keeps you wondering what next, and is heart stopping at every moment. Great performances again by Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon as astronauts, and Gary Sinise, Ed Harris as ground staff.

   
   

Well couple of more such inspirational flicks which I can think of are A Beautiful Mind, Remember the Titans, Men of Honor, To Kill a Mockingbird etc. If you have your own list of such movies, you are welcome to provide it in comments section.