Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film

by Joel W. Martin (Editor), Conrad Ostwalt (Editor)

What are the religious impulses in the 1976 film Rocky, and how can they work to shape one's social identity? Do the films Alien and Aliens signify the reemergence of the earth goddess as a vital cultural power? What female archetypes, borne out of male desire, inform the experience of women in Nine and a Half Weeks?These are among the several compelling questions the authors of this volume consider as they explore the way popular American film relates to religion. Oddly, religion and film?two pervasive elements of American culture?have seldom been studied in connection with each other. In this first systematic exploration, the authors look beyond surface religious themes and imagery in film, discovering a deeper, implicit presence of religion. They employ theological, mythological, and social and political criticism to analyze the influence of religion, in all its rich variety and diversity, on popular film. Perhaps more importantly, they consider how the medium of film has helped influence and shape American religious culture, secular or otherwise.More than a random collection of essays, this volume brings to the study of religion and film a carefully constructed analytic framework that advances our understanding of both. Screening the Sacred provides fresh and welcome insight to film criticism; it also holds far-reaching relevance for the study of religion. Progressive in its approach, instructive in its analyses, this book is written for students, scholars, and other readers interested in religion, popular film, and the impact of each on American culture.

Genres: Film

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

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Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tekstiä tulossa kun naputan sen myöhemmin koneella. Kaksi-sormijärjestelmällä ajattelu jumittaa.

EDIT 19.11.2017:

No niin. Tämä on ihan toimiva kokonaisuus, jos on kiinnostunut elokuvatutkimuksesta ja uskonto ei ole kirosana. Tässä on sisäänkirjoitettuna sekularisaatiokritiikki, mutta itselleni tästä on hyötyä gradun taustalukuun elokuvatutkimuksen ja uskontotieteen suhteesta. Elokuvia tässä lähestyttiin kolmesta näkökulmasta käsin: teologisesti (jonkin institutionalisoituneen uskonnon järjestelmän käsitteiden kautta tarkastellaan elokuvia esim. Jeesus-tyyppiset hahmot protagonisteina), mytologisesti (uskonollisuus ja uskonnolliset käsitteet ilman että niitä kiinnitetään yhden uskonnon järjestelmään, esim. Luke Skywalker monomyytin käsitteen kautta eli minkälainen hänen "matkansa" on ekassa koskaan ilmestyneessä Star Warsissa pojasta sankariksi) ja kolmantena ideologinen lähestysmistapa (uskonnollinen peilautuu osaksi historiaa, sosiaalista ja yhteiskunnallista, kiinnostuksen kohteina klassiset kolme eli luokka, sukupuoli ja rotu).

[Marcelo Reis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is divided in three parts: "Theological Criticism", "Mythological Criticism" and "Ideological Criticism". Besides the problematic criteria used to outline the sections, the first one is of very poor quality, and the third is just OK. Some analyses are grounded on few readings and few comparisions, others are better discussed elsewhere. And finally the filmography is presented only in one article (by the way, the best one, about humanoid aliens).