Martin Scorsese’s Silence is the culmination of his nearly thirty-year journey to bring to the screen Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel of the same name.  It is a dreary but profound book, accessible to English readers in William Johnston’s well flowing translation.  A Japanese Catholic, Endo could trace his faith to the missionary work of the Basque Jesuit, Francis Xavier, who first brought the gospel to the shores of Japan in 1549.  During what has been called Japan’s “Christian century,” the faith flourished in the country and was held in esteem by the powerful.  At last, growing suspicion of Japan’s rulers toward Western influence ignited the 17th-century persecution during which Silence takes place.  It would last for over two hundred years. Father Sebastião Rodrigues is portrayed by Andrew Garfield, fresh off his role as Desmond Doss in Hacksaw Ridge and continuing...(Read Full Article)