The Filmgoer's Guide To God

by CAWKWELL

The Filmgoer's Guide to God is an elegant exploration of how film, the dominant art form of the twentieth century, has treated religious themes. Against the turbulent backdrop of a century of total war, of genocide, of utter cynicism, Tim Cawkwell outlines how the new medium of film mirrored and shaped these troubled narratives and offered fresh perspectives on the crisis of faith.
Tim Cawkwell's study takes in a wide range of European and American cinema and focuses in detail on the particular contribution of four Bresson, Dreyer, Rossellini and Tarkovsky.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Cawkwell guides his readers through an elegant exploration of how film, the dominant art form of the twentieth century, has treated religious themes. Against a backdrop of a century of total warfare, genocide, and utter cynicism, Tim outlines, through a series of movies, how the art of film mirrored and shaped these troubled narratives.

Cawkwell's study takes in a wide range of European and American cinema and focuses detail on the particular contribution of four film-makers: Bresson, Dreyer, Rossellini and Tarkovsky. Films Cawkwell discusses include Diary of a Country Priest, Stalker, O Brother, where art thou?, Brighton Rock, American Gigolo, Rome Open City, Mouth Agape, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Babette's Feast, Francis God's Jester, and The Greatest Story Ever Told, among others, and concludes with a chapter on the films of the gospel, calling for a radical engagement with this 'story of stories'.