- The case for religious freedom at the big screen ─ A true story
- For Greater Glory's producer talks about the religious-liberty-focused film
May 28 (EWTN).─ Pablo Jose Barroso is a real-estate developer, but, more recently, he has become a film producer. In 2005, he produced Guadalupe. Last year, he produced the animated movie The Greatest Miracle. His most recent work, For Greater Glory, tells the story of the Cristero War in Mexico. The film features actors Andy Garcia, Peter O'Toole, Eva Longoria and Eduardo Verastegui. It opened April 20 in Mexico and will debut June 1 in the U.S. Barroso spoke about the movie before the film's debut.
What prompted you to make For Greater Glory?
I've always been Catholic. I'm a real-estate developer who had an encounter to be closer to God. Through that, I learned that the way to share God's message is through mass media. Pope John Paul II said that we need to be using the same language that the culture is.
I produced Guadalupe in 2005 and a children's film, but I had my heart set on something larger. With the Cristero [War], we had the opportunity to do a larger Hollywood film. We knew it would be difficult to get the actors, director, music, but it came out beyond my expectations. The Holy Spirit's timing is amazing. This was supposed to be ready last fall, but was delayed because we wanted to make a shorter version. When the Pope went down to Mexico recently to celebrate Mass, the Senate finally changed the Mexican Constitution. The Senate approved changes to Article 24 of the Mexican Constitution on March 29 guaranteeing freedom of religion. The timing of the film is relevant, given what's happening in the U.S., in Egypt and elsewhere.
When did you begin work on the film?
At the end of 2008, we started seeking a good script. We had received several from the same period. It's history that is not even that well known to many Mexicans. We utilized the work of a French historian who had interviewed many Cristeros [the rebels who fought against the Mexican government's persecution of Catholics in the late 1920s]. Steve McEveety [executive producer of Braveheart and producer of The Passion of the Christ and We Were Soldiers] recommended screenwriter Michael Love to me.
We wanted a director who could make the story entertaining. We ended up getting Dean Wright, who had worked on Titanic and The Lord of the Rings, who wanted to do something for the Lord. He loved the project. Everyone who got involved with the project was very moved by the story.
What was the reaction by preview audiences?
We showed the papal nuncio from Mexico the film. He was very moved. Bishops and cardinals in Mexico and the U.S., some historians and others have seen it. Their reaction is a desire to do something better for our faith, for the Lord and for the country of Mexico.
The Mexican government set up its own church, deported all foreign priests, and made the sacraments unavailable. Even after the war ended in 1929, each local governor continued to enforce the constitutional anti-clerical laws in different ways ...
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