Films of the week

THE BIG MOVIE

SILENCE (2016) 15 ◆

Sunday, 10.30pm, BBC2 ★★★★

Martin Scorsese’s historical epic is set in 17th-century Japan, during the Shimabara Rebellion, when Christians were brutally tortured and killed. Into this dangerous land travel Jesuit priests Rodrigues and Garupe (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver), on a mission to locate their lost mentor, Ferreira (Liam Neeson, above). Word has reached the Jesuit school in Macau, China, that Ferreira has renounced his faith, a rumour that Rodrigues and Garupe struggle to believe – and it’s the first of many tests of faith that they will encounter on their quest. The film draws parallels with the Catholic Inquisition in medieval Europe, and the resilience of the Japanese Christians is inspirational, but the silence of their God is a constant test of suffering and doubt.

CLASSIC FILM CHOICE

THE VIKINGS (1958) PG ●

Sunday, 12.05pm, BBC2 ★★★★

Kirk Douglas was the driving force behind this epic Norse saga produced by Bryna, the company he founded in 1955. It is based on a novel that was in turn inspired by the sagas of King Ragnar Lodbrok; Douglas plays Einar, the son and heir of Ragnar (Ernest Borgnine). The arrival of his illegitimate half-brother, Erik (Tony Curtis), unleashes a bitter power struggle – soured even further when they both fall for the same English noblewoman (Janet Leigh, above with Douglas). Sixty years before the gritty Vikings TV series, this was as authentic as it got. Filmed largely on location in Norway, its scenes of longships sailing through fjords are still breathtaking, and, even though the violence is tame by modern standards, it still packs a punch.