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UW Professors' Book Examines Religion in Popular Films

Nov. 28, 2007 -- Many of America's most popular movies use religious imagery and symbolism to convey cultural viewpoints and to debate social questions of their times, according to the authors of a new college textbook, "Film and Religion: An Introduction."

"We examine how American culture uses religious material for many purposes, quite often to promote political and ideological statements," says Paul Flesher, University of Wyoming associate professor of religious studies who co-wrote the book with Robert Torry, associate professor in UW's Department of English. They wrote the book in response to a nationwide demand for a text to accompany an increasing number of college courses that teach religion and film. The pair began team teaching the course at UW in the early 1990s.

"Our students watch the films in context of cultural issues that affect the society in which the films were made. So we look at the 1950s films in terms of the Cold War issues -- nuclear bombs, foreign policy and military policy," says Torry. "These issues are expressed even in science fiction films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "When Worlds Collide."

The religious films of the ‘60s and ‘70s were produced after the strict motion picture code was relaxed, says Flesher, who also directs UW's Religious Studies Program. For example, more traditional films on the life of Jesus, such as "The King of Kings" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" were replaced by films reflecting the era's social rebellion, such as "Godspell, "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Jesus in Montreal."

The authors say the textbook (Abingdon Press, 2007) incorporates three areas of knowledge essential for understanding film's use of religion: the movies themselves, the religious features that appear in them, and the cultural concerns they address.

Each chapter is organized around an issue addressed by a group of films. For example, one chapter on "God As Alien: Humanity's Helper" examines 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." "The Exorcist" (1973) and "The Omen" (1976) are highlighted in a chapter about the devil.

The book also includes popular films that take a less explicit look at the relationships between religion and culture. Religious themes and imagery of the films "The Natural" and "Field of Dreams" are examined in a chapter on "The Religion of Baseball."

"We want our students to have fun with these films, but the overall point we make is that religion interacts with culture," Flesher adds.

Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Labels: filmmakers, movies, Paul Flesher, religion, Robert Torry

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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Survey: More Americans Familiar with Big Mac Ingredients than 10 Commandments

A study done in conjunction with the release of a film reports that more Americans know the ingredients of the Big Mac than what the Ten Commandments are.

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter

Wed, Oct. 03 2007 03:23 PM ET
Think most Americans know the Ten Commandments?

Think again.

Despite living in a country with a rich and still prevalent Christian heritage – as evident from the Pledge of Allegiance to the nation’s motto, “In God We Trust” – Americans were found to be more familiar with the ingredients of the McDonald’s Big Mac hamburger than some of the Ten Commandments.

In a new study conducted by Kelton research in conjunction with the upcoming release of the animated feature film, The Ten Commandments, 80 percent of respondents knew "two all beef patties" were among the ingredients of the Big Mac but only six out of ten could identify "Thou shalt not kill” as one of the Ten Commandments. Also, while 43 percent of respondents – including those who regularly attend worship – could recall Bobby and Peter, two of the least-recalled names from the Brady Bunch, they were less familiar with two of the least recalled commandments – "Remember the Sabbath" (34 percent) and "Do not make any false idols" (29 percent).

“This gradual erosion of our knowledge of the Ten Commandments is a pretty serious issue,” said Paul Lauer, founder and president of Motive Entertainment, the group marketing the Ten Commandments film. He adds that he was shocked because these were statistics coming from a country that is known as “a Christian nation.”

Lauer, along with makers of the Ten Commandments movie, say they hope the film will inspire Americans to improve their literacy of the Ten Commandments and the Bible. The film, produced by Promenade Pictures, is slated to hit theaters Oct. 19.

The family-friendly film tells the story of Moses, the reluctant prophet of God, who leads the enslaved Chosen People from Egypt to the Promised Land. During the journey, Moses, who is also accompanied by his brother Aaron and sister Miriam, delivers the Ten Commandments given to him by God to the people.

The film is unlike other movies carrying the Ten Commandments theme not only because it works more from actual scripture but also because it traces the development of Moses as he gets more comfortable, more assertive, and more connected with his calling ...

The upcoming Ten Commandments film is the first installment of a 12-part series called "Epic Stories of the Bible" from Promenade Pictures. The second release in the series will be Noah's Ark: The New Beginning. Other installments will feature the story of David and Goliath, the battle of Jericho, and possibly Daniel and the lions and Genesis.

As part of a grassroots campaign for the movie, Motive Entertainment has launched the “Ten Commandments Challenge,” available on the movie’s website, that will enable participants to test their knowledge about the Ten Commandments and see how well they stack up to the national average in their age bracket.

The Ten Commandments will be distributed in 150 markets and shown on 700 screens.

Labels: Christian, filmmakers, Katherine T. Phan, Ten Commandments

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Sunday, July 08, 2007

God in Hollywood’s rear-view mirror

Posted by dpulliam

For some solid reading on what is bound to be a couple of slow days after the 4th of July celebration, head over to this fun Los Angeles Times piece on how God has been portrayed on the big screen. Reporter Paul Cullum covers the historical spectrum of the various times God has been played or portrayed by Hollywood.

Cullum’s news hook is the recent release of Evan Almighty and the portrayal of the Almighty by Morgan Freeman. It’s interesting to note that Freeman refuses to do interviews on this or participate in publicity efforts because, according to the film’s director Tom Shadyac, he would not know how to answer the questions. If that’s truly the case, it’s a refreshing answer.

The piece contains a fair amount of snark, some of it deserved since this is Hollywood, but also some insightful comparisons of the various ways God has been portrayed by filmmakers over the years:

In his current turn as God, Freeman displays a fashionably New Testament demeanor, eschewing a white suit and tie for beige sweaters and breathable fabrics, in keeping with the film’s benignly ecological message. (God apparently shops at Banana Republic.) Shadyac says it’s the actor’s confidence and rich vein of humor that make him a casting agent’s, well, godsend, and allow him to embody “the full rainbow spectrum of humanity.” This God is part Zen master, part Yoda (and so far he’s been unable to work box-office miracles for “Evan”).

For as much as Freeman in the role of God may seem like typecasting, he is actually the culmination of a couple of long-standing traditions of how the Almighty has been depicted on-screen. In the beginning, there was the all-powerful God, usually manifested as a deep, resonant, disembodied voice. As religion gave way to a less rigorous spirituality, God returned as a more irreverent, comical figure, often cast for maximum irony — in this case, the notion of a Black God, which dates at least as far back as “The Green Pastures” in 1936 and its character of “De Lawd.” The modern turning point was George Burns in “Oh, God!” in 1977, which recast the ancient God of Jehovah as a vaudeville wiseacre.

There is also some interesting commentary on the ways the devil and the Prophet Mohammed have been portrayed (or not portrayed at all in this case), along with the various ways God has been portrayed with simply a loud voice. At times the piece reads like a listing from IMDB, but the thoroughness isn’t all that bad. I had to keep fighting off urges to add movies to our Netflex queue.

Labels: filmmakers, God, Los Angeles Times, Paul Cullum