Blessed Duns Scotus: Defender of the Immaculate Conception

John Duns Scotus is my favorite philosoper, medieval and otherwise. He lived, all too briefly, at the dawn of one of the most creative, destructive, and tragic eras of human history: the 14th century, which Barbara Tuchman called "a distant mirror" to the 20th Century, but it was certainly much worse.This is an excellent film, which I really enjoyed, but it's probably not to everyone's taste. But even if it isn't, "Blessed Duns Scotus" is worth watching for its own sake and because it tells the story of a great thinker who has been written off by history as the original "dunce" -- the term is based on his name. If you liked "The Name of the Rose," you'll probably like this, but don't expect a murder mystery, because there ain't none. It's just the story of a very humble, spiritual, and brilliant man, just like William of Baskerville in The Name of the Rose, but without the 007 attributes.Duns Scotus's intellect was so fertile that it's impossible to convey the full extent of his work. His ideas about univocity of being, formal distinction (distinctio formalis a parte rei), and thisness (haecceitas) are fascinating and, well, totally appropriate for the "Doctor Subtilis," as he became known in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. However, if you're looking for those topics in this film, you won't find them. But not to worry. The film pursues several other important Scotist themes: the primacy of the will over the intellect, the primacy of the spirit over worldliness (church over the state), the possibility of alternate universes, and, most importantly in this film, the doctrine of Immaculate Conception, which consumes at least a third of the film. And no, Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with sex. It's all about Original Sin, which tarnishes every descendant of Adam and Eve except for "Mary without spot," to quote the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. (The sleeve notes are excellent.) The point, as I understand it, is that the Son of God could not have been born of a woman stained with Original Sin. So, God, in his infinite power (and love), relieved Mary of that burden, and He may have done so even after Mary was born, simply because He can. Pretty heavy stuff.There is a minor love story in the film (this is NOT a spoiler alert) that some viewers have considered superfluous. But IMO, the love story plays an important part in the story, as you'll see when John gives away his worldly possessions (books) to his students, and when he is in prayer in the midst of the Immaculate Conception debate. That scene wouldn't work otherwise. John's genuine humility and Christian charity shine throughout.Warning to Anglophone viewers: DO NOT WATCH THE ENGLISH VERSION. (Or, should I say AMERICAN VERSION?) Instead, watch the Italian version with English captions. Unfortunately, the captions flash by very quickly, so you may need to pause the video to allow yourself to absorb what was just said. But the Italian dialogue is beautiful so it's worth it. The American version, in harsh contrast, sounds like it was voiced over by porn stars between... um... takes. I mean, at one point the name "Aquinas" is pronounced "aqueeness." Please. The American version is so atrocious that it approaches low comedy, which, needless to say, was not the intent of the filmmaker. So please watch the Italian version!!!!!Philosophy digression alert: Duns Scotus and the "realists" were certainly winners in their metaphysics debate with the "nominalists," such as Ockham. "Horseness" is real, even if it turned out to be atomistic, in the form of DNA. Species are real, and not merely concepts as the nominalists wrongly argued.Computer-geek digression alert: Duns Scotus was IMO the original object-oriented designer. In C++, C#, Java, and other OO languages, software "objects" are classes that have been "instantiated" -- a very Scotist term!. In the software code, the actual objects are referred to as "this." Duns Scotus said that what gives individual beings both their essence and existence is a certain quality, which, interestingly enough, he called "thisness" (haecceitas). Now, for OO programmers, "thisness" is simply the combination of the class (properties and behaviors) PLUS the particular data about the instance, such as physical dimensions, skin color, social security number, #hashcode, etc. In Duns Scotus's case, however, I think the data that filled out the object included things both natural AND supernatural (the Soul, one's capacity for Grace, etc.). He definitely sees the Great Chain of Being as being "top down," just as we children of Smalltalk see it: a hierarchy of derived class after derived class, all derived from a single abstract base class (Being), each with its own inherited or modified (overriden) properties, behaviors, and actual implementations of pure virtual functions, and, of course, thisness, which makes each instantiation (individual) unique.

I am not a theologian, but as a Catholic I always knew that the one area where Thomas Aquinas was eventually proven wrong is the Immaculate Conception, and his contemporary Duns Scotus was the dogma's greatest champion. For me, this film provided more insight into the nature of their dispute. In addition, as a historical film, it offered an enjoyable glimpse of that era. Moreover, it skillfully presents the life of a saint who is not as well known.

I love this movie. I love this blessed. I pray he'll be canonized soon.The story of this movie is very moving, but not because of audience manipulation; through honest dialogue that teaches Catholic truths. The faith and brilliance of Blessed John Duns Scotus comes through very clearly in this movie, as does his humility and integrity.The only problem is that the English over dubs don't quite work. It has more impact if you watch it in Italian with English subtitles. However, the English over dubs do make it easier to absorb the content. I'd say watch it both ways.I recommend this movie for everyone, particularly those that don't understand the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception.The prayer for Blessed John Duns Scotus can be found here:[...]

It is not a documentary on the life of Bl. Duns Scotus, nor is it a comprehensive theological treatment on the articles of faith; but I still enjoyed watching the movie. The conversations and the debate revealed in some way the thought processes of the theologians of that era. As the movie portrayed the devotion of Scotus to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the movie reminded me of how God lifts up the lowly to do great things - the humble beginnings of a "dunce" who later became a respected teacher, and a poor friar who debated against the intellectual powerhouse Dominicans - and succeeded. I think it is a beautiful movie and it made me appreciate the beautiful mind and heart of Bl. Duns Scotus!

This is the best movie about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! As She said: "My Immaculate Heart will triumph". This movie is dear to my heart! I watch it every chance I get! Thank you for a well-thought movie!

This has both overdubbed English version and Italian with subtitles. This movie has sparked a deep interest in Duns Scotus for me. While there may be some dramatic fiction added to give it general appeal, it is not too overdone and seems to be tastefully done in the spirit of what we know of Scotus from his writings.One other thing, the violin piece at the end is exquisite. It was credited to Paolo Vergari and I hope to find more by this composer.

Who would have thought that someone would make a movie about Bl. Duns Scotus? I encountered him first in Medieval Philosophy class and he has one of the subtlest and most complex minds in the history of philosophy. But the thing is, he also used that massive intellectual gift to glorify God, and in particular, glorifying God by defending the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I really liked how this movie made Scotus much more human for me, a man of deep piety and devotion. The movie makes the more complex ideas accessible for a general audience. For those expecting a deep philosophical movie though, I suggest you just go straight to reading Scotus' texts.

I gave my first copy away to school whose goal is teach the way Dun Scotus does in the movie. I love that he is called to live what he is teaches and backs up what he teaches and believes by his actions no matter what the cost. I also love the idea the knowledge is to be share for the benefit of everyone not to make oneself look good or to win a debate. This is one of the best movie I have seen it is such a change for the way the world thinks I am very grateful to those people who made it!