March 25 (The Annunciation) – Galesburg, IL

The scene in “Manalive” that we filmed the past two days featured Mark Shea (of “Catholic and Enjoying It” http://www.markshea.blogspot.com/ ) as Innocent Smith and me as Professor Eames, “jerk nihilist” intellectual.  In five minutes we combined every emotion you can imagine.

Smith approaches Eames privately after class inquiring if the professor is serious about the glories of pessimism which he’s been preaching to the class. “The only true philosophy is pessimism,” Eames avers, and goes on to assure Smith smugly that life is not worth living.  “But people want to live,” Smith exclaims.  “A dog with Rabies wants to live,” responds Eames, “but if we were kind we would kill it.”

Smith then obliges the Professor by pulling a gun on him and offering to kill him.  The Professor finds an immediate appreciation for life and is terrified as Smith chases him about the classroom, holding the gun to his head.  What follows is a mix of terror and comedy (hard to describe) – Don Knotts in a torture scene.

Then, when the Professor, begging for his life, admits he wants very badly to live, Smith collapses in laughter that turns immediately to tears.  Confused, the Professor asks what’s wrong.  “I had to find out if you meant it,” Smith says.  “If what you were teaching was true, I would have drowned myself in the river.”  The Professor, himself in tears, now converted to the wonder of life from the suicide of thought, consoles Smith.  And Smith now vows to throw away his gun.

“Don’t throw it away,” the Professor assures him.  “Keep it.  Keep it for the next man who talks to you as I have.”

Smith sees his point.  “I will keep it, Professor.  I’m going to hold a gun to the head of modern man, but I’m not going to bring him to death – I’m going to bring him to life out of death.”

And so, in this five minute scene Mark and I blasted the philosophy of death with satire, terror, slapstick, pathos, and conversion.  If we, and the very able crew, pulled it off, this will be a remarkable movie.

The novel is certainly remarkable – and the screen adaptation by Joey Odendahl is excellent.  So please pray that “Manalive” comes alive on film, firing another volley against the Culture of Death.

Speaking of which, the troupe and I are off to South Bend, Indiana tomorrow.  We’ll be performing for the diocese; not at Notre Dame.  Though we should in fact perform at Notre Dame, even uninvited, picking a classroom and acting out the scene above.   A kind of much needed exorcism.