'There Be Dragons' Premiers Friday, May 6. Don't Miss It!

"There Be Dragons" is an epic action-adventure-romance set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. The story traces the lives of two young men, Josemaria Escriva (Charlie Cox) and Manolo Torres (Wes Bentley), childhood friends who are separated by the political upheaval of pre-war Spain to find themselves on opposite sides as war erupts.

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - On Friday, May 6, 2011 an amazing film, centered on the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, will open in theaters across the country. As a Catholic Christian, you won't want to miss this powerful movie. In fact, all Christians can be built up and strengthened from the telling of this epic tale.

"There Be Dragons" tells the story of London-based investigative journalist Robert Torres who tries to unravel a deadly mystery nearly 70 years old that links his estranged father, Manolo Torres, to the founder of a Catholic organization called Opus Dei, Father Josemaria Escriva, who is a candidate for sainthood. As he begins his search, he soon discovers some shocking truths that are far more than he bargained for, uncovering accounts of these two lives at a time when the country was in turmoil.

It is also the story of a man on the way to sainthood; a man so committed to Christ, His Church and His Mission that the idea of being saint actually never entered his mind. He was merely a man serving God. This is St. Josemaria Escriva.

Written and directed by Roland Joffé, this epic tale revisits, through flashbacks, the time of the Spanish Civil War, 75 years ago. During this brutal conflict, fought in Spain in the late 1930's, thousands of priests and nuns were persecuted and murdered.

"There Be Dragons" is not the biography of a saint. Rather, it is the revealing of his life and character through the story of two childhood friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the war. One has become a priest committed to the care of souls, the other a soldier haunted by anger and revenge.

Charlie Cox (Stardust, Stone of Destiny), who plays Fr. Escriva, spent a great deal of time watching films and listening to talks by the man he was to portray. His study pays off as viewers are quickly drawn into the life of this committed priest.

In one poignant scene Cox, as Fr. Escriva, is ministering to an elderly dying man who worked for his father. While he was offering care, the man told the priest that he was Jewish to which he responded, "The love of my life is Jewish."

That scene was taken from an actual exchange caught on film between St. Josemaria Escriva and a young Jewish girl. Roland Joffé wrote about it on his blog, saying, "I saw a very likeable man, a man just like you and me, someone you might sit next to on a bus.

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"Obviously a man who loved people-he had a real warmth that caught my eye. Then a young girl in the back of the audience put her hand up and said. 'Excuse me father, but I have a question.' He says, 'Yes, what's your question?' She says, 'Well, I would like to convert.' Josemaria smiles and says, 'Well of course. Please do.' And she said, 'The problem is, my parents are Jewish and they would be very upset.'  And Josemaria, said, without a pause. 'The love of my life is Jewish.'

"Then he said, 'Oh, my dear, my dear, honoring your parents is very important to the Lord. He doesn't want you to do anything that would upset your parents. If he is in your heart, he is in your heart. Welcome him there. And pray that one day they will support you in your desire.'"

Wes Bentley portrays Fr. Escriva's childhood friend-turned-adversary, Manolo Torres. Bentley admirably captures the love-hate relationship Torres had built with Escriva, who never saw his old friend as an antagonist. It was during the filming of "There Be Dragons" that Bentley dealt with his own dragons and found relief.

Cox and Wes Bentley (American Beauty) lead a strong ensemble the also includes Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace), Emmy Award-winning Derek Jacobi (The King's Speech), Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II) and Rodrigo Santoro (300).

The setting for the movie is as compelling as the acting and story. Filmed in Spain and Argentina, the director sought to provide context that visually drew the viewer into the look and feel of the Spanish Civil War, which took place pre-World War II.

Joffé, who first made his mark in his native England, is best known for directing several epic movies including, "The Killing Fields," "The Mission," and "The Scarlet Letter." In "There Be Dragons" he returns to a similar theme to that of his 1986 film, "The Mission," which focused on the work of Spanish Jesuit missionaries in South America who contended against pro-slavery forces from Portugal.

The Latin phrase for "Here Be Dragons" was used on early maps to indicate areas of unexplored territories where no one had yet to travel. No one knew what obstacles, opposition or evil might befall people traveling in those areas.

"There Be Dragons" is an appropriate title for the journey by two men on a journey toward eternity on two very different roads. The story makes todays life-travelers aware that the decisions we make in confronting our dragons along the way can set the course for other choices we make.

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The film, rated PG-13 (for minor expletives and minor violence) does contain battle scenes that may be too intense for small children.

For more information about the film, go to www.dragonsresources.com.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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