“Liam” is the story of a Depression-era Liverpool family seen through the eyes of a 7-year-old boy. The movie opened in select theaters today and was previewed by Catholic League research analyst Louis Giovino.
Of interest to the Catholic League is the dreary tale of Liam’s experience preparing for First Communion. All Liam learns in school is just how filthy children’s souls are. He learns this from his teachers, as well as from the parish priest. The priest, a quintessential bully, bombards the kids with horrific sermons on Hell, effectively bestowing them with fear and guilt.
All the familiar anti-Catholic stereotypes are there: the Catholic Church exists solely to torment young children, is sexually repressive, etc. Indeed, the film is so over the top that Giovino concludes it is unfair to say that it is a one-dimensional portrait of Catholicism. No, it is a cruel caricature that has been deliberately crafted.
Catholic League president William Donohue added to Giovino’s assessment today:
“This film is the work of a Who’s Who of Catholic Bashers. ‘Liam’ is written by Jimmy McGovern; the distributor is Lions Gate; and the producer is the BBC. McGovern previously wrote the anti-Catholic movie, ‘Priest’; Lions Gate previously released the anti-Catholic film, ‘Dogma’; and the BBC has produced more anti-Catholic flicks than any other company (it was also responsible for ‘Priest’).
“I’m trying to think of an analogy that works but I can’t. I can’t think of a single writer, distributor or producer—in Hollywood or London—that is the bigoted equivalent of McGovern, Lions Gate and the BBC. That’s because all forms of bigotry are taboo among the cultural elite. Save one.
“I expect ‘Liam’ will draw well in New York, Los Angeles and in neighborhoods populated by artists and college professors.”
