Faith in fiction and fact

Two upcoming specials, one a fictional movie and the other a factual documentary, look at faith in unique ways.

One of the most difficult tasks for actors is to portray genuine spirituality. Anger and rage, joy and ecstasy are easy emotions to perform compared to a relationship with God.

If that's so, then John Ritter must be one of the greatest actors in the world (a sentence I never thought I would write); the proof is in "Holy Joe," a two-hour made-for-TV movie airing on CBS on Palm Sunday, March 28.

Crossroads

As the story begins, life is not exactly good for Father Cass. His congregation is dwindling; graffiti on his church demeans God; his three children are in various stages of rebellion; and he feels his life's work has meant little.

But buoyed by his wife (played by Meredith Baxter), Father Cass soldiers on. He confronts a vineyard owner about her treatment of migrant workers, struggles to redirect his kids and wonders if he should accept when asked to take a larger parish in a bigger city. (The parish, by the way, is called Trinity, a pun on his sitcom?)

Tested by fire

The child declares that their savior was Jesus. The priest believes it was simply another firefighter who is too humble to admit his involvement in the heroic act. The town begins to gather at Father Cass's house asking for miracles, while the people at Trinity hesitate to offer a pastorate to a priest caught up in such a controversy.

Throughout the movie, Ritter displays a wonderful ability to portray religious faith. Too many actors turn to uplifted eyes and stained-glass throats when called on to display spirituality. But Ritter makes it a natural part of Father Cass's being, whether he is delivering a sermon, listening to someone's troubles or speaking about his own doubts.

Everyday faith

That's quite a contrast to TV programs in which religion appears only as a sign of a character's psychosis or as an object for ridicule.

Congratulations to Ritter for his outstanding performance -- and to CBS for offering us such an uplifting and pleasing Palm Sunday gift. Be sure to watch "Holy Joe" to find out who the mystery fireman was. You might be surprised....

Look up

Those questions are answered in "Fresco," a fascinating one-hour documentary about the painting of a ceiling at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Artist Mark Balma had to resurrect the long-lost art of fresco painting to complete the task. As a bonus, the film shows us what it might have been like for Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel.

Balma's assignment was to portray the seven cardinal virtues in allegorical terms, which led him to use everything from a pelican and a mule to his newborn son. Interspersed with scenes of his progressing work are comments from observers about what they see in his finished panels.

"Fresco" is an informative, engrossing program about one man's craft and creativity, and what resulted when he put them together.

("Fresco" is scheduled for April 6 on WMHT, channel 17. WMHT has also scheduled two other religious programs, both for April 4, starting at 2 p.m.: A performance of "The Messiah" by Handel and an oratorio titled "Hildegarde of Bingen: The Ritual of Virtues.")

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