A Great Both/And from Hollywood?

J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R.*

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
 Max Fleischer's animated gem from 1939 
was on our Top 5 list; movies that we called "our own"
while growing up in the '60's in New Jersey.

The other four were:

The Flame and the Arrow (IMHO Burt Lancaster's finest)
The Big Circus (Niagara Falls tighrope walk climax)
The Time of Their Lives (great harpsichord music)  
Scaramouche (awesome sword fighting seen)  

Liberally adapted from Jonathan Swift's  
allegorical satire and masterpiece (c. 1726)
it was in many ways ahead of its time. 
 
 
OK why Gulliver?  Why now?
Well the answer lies in the predisposition
that we Catholics must proceed from,
I call it 'the great both/and.'

Let me explain: 

The world is all about dichotomy and break up. It posits an either/or approach to reality that pits person against person and idea against idea. The long term effect of such an outlook is catastrophic for humanity.  The breakdown occurs on numerous 'fault lines' and there is a bending of the light of absolute truth (much like the so-called bending of light from the stars due to the theory of general relativity).  

My life's journey down this rabbit hole was fruitless. I found nothing but darkness there.

Once I finished tunneling, reached up and broke out into the rays of His Sonshine, I realized that fundamental reality is both/and and not either/or.  On April 16th 1998 I learned that It's All True.

So what does that mean?  Well It's All True (True Blue?) related to my destination, the Ark of the Covenent and the fullness of truth that resides in the Holy Roman Catholic Church. 

With this marble pillar anchored permanently in place (my soul), I soon found spiritual depth that developed into a profound love of the both/and.

OK back to the reason for this blog post.  The moral lessons of this version of Gulliver's Travels were planted early and often.  We probably viewed this movie 8-10 times between 1960 and 1975. I have the plot committed to memory.

The soundtrack includes: All's Well; It's a Hap-hap-Happy Day; and two other songs which caused all the trouble in this land of little people.  

Lemuel Gulliver is confronted with a severely broken relationship between adjacent kingdoms.  What was the cause of the brokenness?  The all but consummated union of Prince David and Princess Glory, heirs of the two kingdoms and the 'right' wedding song to be played at this gayla event.

The songs are Faithful (Lilliput's anthem) and Forever (Blefuscu's anthem).   

After the near death of the Prince and in the midst of total war aimed at anhiliation, Gulliver intervenes and brings this 'world' back to its senses.

And how does he address the root cause of the momentous rift?

He proceeds from the 'great both/and' and has the Prince and Princess sing their anthems in a sequential duet form, blending both the words and the melody like the shuffling of a split deck of cards. 

It works flawlessly.

OK, where is this leading?

Faithful...seems to be the sola soul of the Protestant confessions.

Forever...is the claim of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church built upon the Rock of Peter. 

The movie's last three minutes start with Faithful-Forever:

 

 

 

Sincerely yours in Jesus through Mary,
Mike Rizzio

Imitate Mary
Become like Jesus
Live for the Triune God

Seek the Light of Our Lord Jesus Christ
See you on the High Ground!

* - J.M.J. + O.B.T. + M.G.R. stands for:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph;
O Beata Trinitas;
St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael