This year’s Super Bowl included Michael Oher playing offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers. Although Carolina lost the game, Michael personally is a winner who found his calling in professional football due to the kindness of the Tuohy family who adopted him. That true story is told in the movie “The Blind Side.”
In a sermon at Christ Community Church in Brockport, Mark DuPré brought out the key message he found in the movie. Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy became adoptive parents to Michael who was blind to his real potential and they “completely changed his life.” They exemplified the Biblical principle of “being open to the needs and callings of others, coming alongside them and helping them,” DuPré said in an interview. He is the church’s associate pastor and director of arts and music.
DuPré’s expert analysis of movies comes from his 18 years as adjunct professor of film at RIT. He earned his master’s degree in film from Columbia University. He has preached on seven other movies: 42: The Jackie Robinson Story, Chariots of Fire, Frozen, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, The Avengers and Man of Steel.
“At first I was reluctant to do this,” DuPré said. “With two degrees and teaching experience in film, I wanted to be sure I wasn’t being superficial with something just light and fluffy like picking out a soft little moral. If I could not grapple with the entire film and pull the best out of the deepest parts of it, I did not want to do it.” The references to three films here provide only brief samples of many points made in a 45-minute sermon.
With The Sound of Music, the deepest message comes from DuPré’s research on the real life story of Maria and the Von Trapp family. Contrary to the movie, Maria was stubborn, self-willed and had a temper. She was raised by an atheist uncle. Her spiritual journey included Catholic conversion, life in the abbey and eventually becoming a wife and mother.
DuPré paraphrased her: “I had too many edges and God needed to knock those out of me, if I was going to be used to hold this family together.” He continued, “Wanting to do the will of God was dominant in her life. The movie touches on that fact, but it was soft-pedaled and sweet.”
Frozen is the exception to the typical Disney movie theme: “Follow your heart and it will lead you to where you want to go,” DuPré said. Rather, “Life is about using your gifts in a positive way which can sometimes mean self-sacrifice.” He noted that Princess Anna “takes the sword” that was meant to kill her sister Elsa, a Christian theme especially surprising in a Disney movie.
DuPré plans to go on the road with his presentation of spiritual principals found in popular movies. “I would love to do versions of this out there in all sorts of ways,” he said. For some groups he will present the “spiritual perspective hiding inside popular films,” while at churches he will present a more specific Biblical perspective.
Many may know Mark DuPré from his 10 years as piano accompanist with the Brockport College-Community Chorus. At concerts he sometimes sings duets with his wife, Diane. Mark has also published the book How to Act Like a Grown up, a practical, semi-humorous guide for young and old on growing into responsible adulthood. More recently he has published My Light and My Salvation: A One-year Devotional Journal.
To view more of Mark’s work and mission, visit his websites: www.markdupre.com, www.actlikeagrownup.com, www.film-prof.com and www.dedicatedtogrammar.com.
