Movieguide
June 2010

Nine Days that Changed the World is a very timely, must-see, well-made, emotional documentary focused around Pope John Paul II’s historic nine-day pilgrimage to Poland in June 1979. Since a generation has forgotten how atheistic international socialism aka Marxism aka Communism had turned Eastern Europe, especially the entire country of Poland, into a repressive, economically devastated prison camp, it is very important to see the impact of the Pope’s calling down God’s Holy Spirit to transform the nation of Poland.

The leaders of the Soviet Union in the Kremlin had told Poland not to let the Pope visit, but it became clear that this would be impossible since he was the first Polish pope and the first Non-Italian pope in many years. The people had suffered greatly. They wanted their Pope.

The documentary helps viewers understand the history of Poland and the biography of Karol Wojtyla, who became the pope. Since the late 1800s, every 30 years the Poles have been conquered and persecuted. When the Nazis conquered Poland at the beginning of World War II, they leveled Warsaw and killed millions of Poles. When the Russians conquered Poland a few years later, they leveled Warsaw. In all, one-third of the Polish people died in World War II.

After World War II, the Russians did everything they could to destroy the Christian faith, from forcing people to take crosses off their walls to destroying beautiful churches and imprisoning priests close to Karol Wojtyla who had worked in a stone quarry to survive. Thus, Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II, understood the iron fist of National Socialism from Germany and International Socialism or Marxism from Russia.

However, he was elected Pope not because of his political background, but because of is tremendous theological understanding. Soon after his election, however, he brought to the whole world a clear Christian message of love, including the fact that the dignity of every human being can only be found through the love of Jesus Christ.

When Pope John Paul II came to Poland, millions showed up to see him. The documentary shows that the state television did everything to try to diminish his visit. In the nine days, they seldom showed him on television. They showed pictures of small groups of women and nuns. But, by being so biased, they embarrassed the state media irrevocably. The people had gone to see the Pope, and they saw that the television lied. Independent filmmakers captured pictures of millions people rejoicing. Suddenly, the people realized there were more of them than there were of the Communists. And, when the Pope asked God to pour out His Holy Spirit, God transformed the people.

In the wake of John Paul II’s visit, a man named Lech Walesa led a worker’s movement that became the first independent union in the Soviet block. This was incredible! Because Marx had designed Communism for the workers, and it was the workers who stood up against the Marxists’ totalitarian socialism.

These lessons have been lost on the current generation, who are voting dictatorial socialists into power. For that reason alone, everyone should see this documentary. Show it to your children. Adults also should watch "The Lives of Others." These are important movies, and MOVIEGUIDE® has a list of anti-socialist movies on our website.

We thank Newt and Callista Gingrich for bringing us this documentary. There is sometimes too much hagiography and the ending runs on a tad too long, but the good outweighs the bad. And, most of the documentary is practically perfect.