The new documentary provides a historical background of St. Michael the Archangel’s devotion as well as stunning images of his monuments.
For one night only, on the feast of the Archangels, Fathom Events will film the feature-length documentary St. Michael: Meet the Angel across the country.
The film draws on interviews with Catholic priests and religions, many of whom have a strong devotion to St. Michael in their own spiritual lives, to provide a comprehensive look at how St. Michael has been venerated throughout the centuries, particularly in the shrines across Europe that comprise the “Sword of St. Michael.”
St. Michael: Meet the Angel is the first installment of Fathom Events’ new “Saints Series.” According to the Fathom Events website, the series “provides an opportunity for everyone to be inspired by ordinary people who have done amazing things by obeying God’s call.” St. Michael will be followed by the Knights of Columbus-produced Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, which will be shown over two days on October 3 and 4. It is to be celebrated that such films are finding an outlet through a mainstream platform like Fathom Events, and it is an optimistic sign for others to follow.
St. Michael: Meet the Angel Trailer
- Genre: Documentary
- Original Language: English
- Director: Wincenty Podobinski
- Producer: Wincenty Podobinski
- Writer: Wincety Podobinski
- Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 2022, Limited
- Runtime: 1h 30m
St. Michael: Meet the Angel Review Continuation
St. Michael: Meet the Angel takes a decidedly Catholic approach to better understanding the revered archangel. Wincenty Podobinski edited, produced, and directed St. Michael, his feature debut. Because nearly everyone who appears on camera is Polish, it is vital to highlight that the film is virtually entirely narrated in English. At 90 minutes, the film feels a little disjointed and rushed.
It’s also jam-packed with information about St. Michael’s significance throughout Christian history, making it difficult to keep up at times. As a result, viewers will benefit from having a reasonably well-rounded impression of Michael’s exalted status in the Christian tradition. An extended segment in the film, for example, centers upon the 19th-century mystic Blessed Philomena de Santa Colomba.
However, few people are aware of Philomena. Philomena saw sights of a world in disorder, with plagues and violence hurting the majority of the world’s inhabitants, similar to the later visions seen by the peasant children of Fátima. Philomena, like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, was relatively young and unwell. A year before her death, St. Michael appeared to Philomena in a vision. Her objective was to spread the word about St. Michael’s magnificence.
Speaking of Fátima, it is not impossible that St. Michael is the Angel of Portugal, a pivotal character in Portuguese history who was vital in the country’s conversion to Christianity. This idea is explored further in the documentary and in this blog post, “Is the Angel of Portugal Actually St. Michael the Archangel?”
It is also beneficial to understand St. Michael’s intercession at various times of plagues in various eras and places of the world. Of course, Pope St. Gregory the Great’s procession through a ravaged Rome in 590, when he witnesses a vivid picture of St. Michael polishing his sword above Hadrian’s monument, is the most famous. The plague is said to have ceased at that point. A statue of Michael the Archangel can still be seen today, towering over the majestic fortification of Castel Sant’Angelo, the Castle of the Holy Angel, where St. Gregory first saw it.
But the stunning shrines dedicated to St. Michael are at the core of St. Michael: Meet the Angel. We learn about places like the Sacra di San Michele in Turin and the Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo in Puglia via excellent drone imagery that demonstrates how much of Christian religious architecture throughout the centuries is tailor-made for the big screen. Both locations are dots in a straight line that form a longer line visible only on a map: a perfect line of St. Michael monasteries stretching from the windswept waves of Ireland to the land of Israel. The video also makes certain that France’s contribution to the Sword of St. Michael, the majestic Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, is not overlooked.
St. Michael: Meet the Angel is a good starting point for bringing the epic story of the archangel to the big screen. While its entirely Catholic viewpoint is worthy of support, its impact is diminished by a rushed narrative and monetary constraints. But if it leaves you with a greater appreciation for St. Michael, then it has succeeded.
