Link to interview in LāOsservatore Romano, official newspaper of the Vatican.
(April 10, 2025 | By Roberto Cetera)
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
The life of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin has an adventurous character, spiritual and otherwise, that is well suited to a film representation. The intuition was picked up in the United States by the American filmmaker Frank Frost who made ā in collaboration with his wife Mary ā the docufilm Teilhard: a visionary scientist, released last year and now available on a streaming platform. Ā«LāOsservatore RomanoĀ» reached Frost in his home in Washington DC.
Mr. Frost, why a film about Teilhard de Chardin? What inspired you?
I have always admired the figure of Teilhard, both from a spiritual point of view and as a scientist. I believe he represented a central figure in the thought of the last century, but whose fame did not go beyond the confines of insiders. So I thought of making a film that would make him known to the general public, not just the religious one.
What fascinated you about Teilhard?
I think he left us a strong legacy of knowledge of creation together with a spirituality rich in hope for the future. His evolutionary approach not only profoundly innovated theological thought, but above all paved the way for a no longer fearful understanding of anthropological changes, in a different Christological perspective. And then some of his essential themes, let me say, combine perfectly with a cinematic representation; I think for example of his taste for adventure, the search for existential meaning, the unresolved conflict with authority, the primacy of the spirit and the infinite power of love. And so also his biography: from the passion for geological and paleontological sciences that he took on during walks in the mountains with his father as a child, to the transmission of a deep and spiritual faith transmitted to him by his mother.
What does Teilhard say to todayās man, also through his film?
A lot. Starting from a necessary and renewed awareness of manās destiny: his studies and his reflections force man to deal with his origin and his destination. As a species and as an individual. And then there is the stringent reference to themes that have become of pressing topicality today, such as the application of artificial intelligence and ātranshumanismā.
How has the film been received?
The film was presented for the first time last May on the public network of Maryland and is now accessible through the app of the Pbs platform. We are working right now on an Italian-language edition, again through our production company, Frank Frost Productions, LLC. Itās a work that from conception to completion took 13 years, includes 35 interviews that ā together with the sourcing of documentary material ā involved 25 locations in four countries on three continents. The feedback from the public and critics that we have collected so far has been extremely positive, and rewards the dedication with which we have approached this important work over the years. Teilhard was very important for our generation: we would like him to be known through this film also by a younger audience.
