visions of the divine

m swiezynski st francis 2005

(a small list of artists interested in the divine)
f=film, m=music , b=books

1 (f). the work of robert bresson.
esp. diary of a country priest 1951, au hazard balthazar 1966, mouchette 1967.
see: robert bresson: a spiritual style by joseph cunneen, transcendental style in film by paul shrader, the hidden god: film and faith by the moma

2 (m). current 93: black ships ate the sky 2006

3 (m). sufjan stevens: seven swans 2004
esp. the transfiguration

4 (b). fyodor dostoevsky
esp. the idiot 1869, brothers karamazov 1880

5 (f). rainer werner fassbinder: berlin alexanderplatz 1980

6 (m). the velvet underground: the black angels deathsong from the velvet underground & nico 1967, jesus from the velvet underground 1969

7 (f). martin scorsese: mean streets 1973
st. francis etcetera

8 (m). j.s. bach: works

9 (m). david sylvian: the devil's own from secrets of the beehive 1987, praise from dead bees on a cake 1999

10 (m). gavin bryars / tom waits: jesus' blood never failed me yet 1993 (and 1975)

11 (m). iron & wine: jesus the mexican boy from sea and the rhythm 2003

12 (m). wilco: jesus, etc. from yankee hotel foxtrot 2003

13 (m). hank williams: jesus remembered me, jesus died for me, jesus is calling, when god comes and gathers his jewels, i saw the light, a home in heaven, the prodigal son, angel of death, when god dips his love in my heart, etc.

14 (m). tom waits: chocolate jesus from mule variations 1999, gods away on business from blood money 2002

15 (f). ernst lubitsch: heaven can wait 1943

16 (m). john tavener: the protecting veil 1989

17 (m). the hafler trio: kisses with both hands from gods little toy 2003

18 (m). valentin silvestrov: choral: a vengeful god from silent songs 2004

19 (m). heinrich ignaz franz von biber: rosary sonatas 1674?

20 (m). steve roden: st. francis' vision of the musical angel from so delicate and strangely made 1993

21 (m). scott walker: angels of ashes, the seventh seal both from scott 4 1969

22 (m). peter wright: flypost of angels from pariahs sing om 2000-2003

23 (m). willie nelson: angel flying to close to the ground, heaven and hell from phases and stages 1974, red headed stranger 1975, the troublemaker 1976, blue skies from stardust 1978, hallelujah (leonard cohen) from songbird 2006

24 (f). fred zinnermann / audrey hepburn: the nun's story 1959

25 (f). william wyler: friendly persuasions 1956

26 (f). john ford: 3 godfathers 1948, the searchers 1956

27 (f). c.t. dreyer: la passion de jeanne d'arc 1928, day of wrath 1943, ordet 1955

28 (f). william friedkin: the exorcist 1973

29 (m). bonnie prince billy: god's small song from cursed sleep single 2006

30 (b). cormac mccarthy: the crossing 1994
....there was god and there was the world. he knew that the world would forget him but that god could not. and yet that was the very thing he wished for.
pp 148, 149 and others...

31 (m). deathprod: morals and dogmas 2004
esp. track 2.

32 (f). jim jarmusch: dead man 1995

33 (b). thomas mann: doktor faustus 1947

34 (m). robert johnson's crossroads

i was given a nice small moleskine a year ago, and i slowly started to write down artists that in some way made reference to the divine (or timothy temper from doktor faustus) that i was watching, listening to, reading, or thinking about. the list didn't get very far, but here is the beginning (you can bet there will be more to come......)
also, click on religion below for more items.

m swiezynski st francis 2005