Lost Soul
| Series | |
|---|---|
| Somewhere Out There | |
| Original Broadcast Date | |
| June 1, 1996 | |
| Cast | |
| Joe Frank | |
| Format | |
| Narrative Monologue, Serious Monologue, 58 minutes | |
| Preceded by: | An Enterprising Man |
| Followed by: | Mountain Rain |
The parish was set on the rolling hills of a rocky coastline.
Lost Soul is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series Somewhere Out There. It was originally broadcast on June 1, 1996.
Synopsis
A young priest joins a parish in a rural fishing village. He witnesses all the suffering in the village - widows whose husbands died in fishing accidents, children suffering from diseases, the sordid confessions of townspeople, a deer eviscerated by wolves, the brutality of nature. He falls in love with a young woman in the village, and considers leaving the faith. He visits a decadent Monsignor to discuss his crisis of faith. He is told that no educated priest could believe the Christian myths and that his job is to mimic faith in order to inspire his parish. At a costume event during Carnival, he wears a sheep's head and tries to seduce the woman. He removes the mask, she is shocked it's him and screams, and he accidentally smothers her while trying to keep her quiet. Planning suicide, he takes a boat and rows out to sea with her body, only to discover that she's alive. He saves her and then disappears from the village.
A story with meaning: a rabbi pays to ride on a cart pulled by a decrepit horse, he helps to push the cart when the horse fails, and the horse is later sold to a butcher. The meaning of the story from the point of view of the cart smith, the driver, and the horse. The horse considers other lives he might have lived. What happens when there is too much meaning in a story.
A river and a bridge argue over who has the better lot in life. A dam is built, and the river extracts its revenge.
Joe wants to be inspiring and positive. A list of the good things in life. Being "poised on the brink of the cliff of happiness," seeing a spider at the bottom of the goblet and drinking anyway.
Music
- "Weather Storm" - Massive Attack (from Protection, 1994) | YouTube [Intro]
- "Eurochild" - Massive Attack (from Protection, 1994) | YouTube [40:12]
Additional credits
The original broadcast credits state: "This program was created in collaboration with David Rapkin. Recorded by Theo Mondle. Edited and mixed by Bob Carlson. Music looping by Scott Fritz. Special thanks to Jennifer Ferro, Carly Eiseman, and Esmé Gregson."