Seventy-five years of It’s a Wonderful Life
In George Bailey, we see our own fathers, our own brothers and husbands and sons
Esther O'Reilly
Esther O'Reilly is an American freelance writer and cultural critic. Her work has appeared in Plough, Quillette, the American Conservative and the Critic, among other outlets. She also contributed to the Lexham Press anthology Myth and Meaning in Jordan Peterson.
Monday
Tuesday
An interview with Hatun Tash, the Christian preacher stabbed at Speakers’ Corner
From our UK edition
Hatun Tash is recovering well after being assaulted at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park last month. The attacker, who is still at large, appeared to aim for her neck, but Hatun deflected the knife so that it broke off in the folds of her clothes. Her bandaged right hand and scarred forehead are the only visible
Tuesday
Richard Dawkins’s views on Down’s syndrome aren’t a surprise
From our UK edition
Irish radio host Brendan O’Connor is not interested in having an emotional discussion. He’s just curious: if a man of science claims that it would increase the sum total of the world’s suffering to bring a child with Down’s syndrome into it, what evidence does he have for that claim? In a viral clip, O’Connor
Monday
What’s the truth about John’s Gospel?
From our UK edition
Veteran actor David Suchet is no stranger to Biblical readings, but his new Westminster Abbey performance of John’s gospel carries a special poignancy. The combined power of his voice, the abbey’s acoustics, and the breathtaking interior, apt portions of which the camera captured in beautiful synchronicity with the reading, made for a richly resonant experience.
Friday
What Chariots of Fire can teach us about identity politics
From our UK edition
Next week marks the 40th anniversary of Hugh Hudson’s Chariots of Fire, the Oscar-winning true tale of Olympic glory which captured the affections of critics and mass audiences alike. Fondly cited by everyone from Maggie Thatcher to Joe Biden, parodied by Mr. Bean, beloved and bemoaned for its Vangelis score and heightened slow-mo cinematography, Chariots
Tuesday
A morning in a diner with Michigan’s COVID rebels
At one point, a biker in a Trump mask briefly pops in, sees the full house and leaves a generous tip
