Faith, Film and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen

by R. Douglas Geivett (Editor), James S. Spiegel (Editor), James F. Sennett (Contributor)

"Those who tell stories rule society" (Plato). So who today are our principal storytellers? Not philosophers, but filmmakers. For those who know both the enormous entertainment potential and the culture-shaping power of film, this book will stir mind and imagination. For great stories freight world-sized ideas, ideas worthy of contemplation and conversation. Great cinema inspires wonder. But another philosopher, Aristotle, reminds us that wonder is the true source of philosophy. So perhaps Plato or Aristotle might have a shot at ruling society, even today - if they took an interest in film.

These fourteen essays consider classic and current films together with several major philosophical themes, all within the context of Christian faith: (1) the human condition, (2) the human mind and the nature of knowing, (3) the moral life, and (4) faith and religion. Citizen Kane, Big Fish and Pretty Woman contribute to an in-depth consideration of the human condition. The Truman Show, The Matrix, Being John Malkovich and It's a Wonderful Life, among others, illuminate reflection on the human mind and the nature of knowing. Looking at the moral life, contributors interact with such notable films as Pleasantville, Bowling for Columbine, Mystic River and The Silence of the Lambs. The final section pursues the theme of faith and religion traced through a number of Hong Kong martial arts films, Contact, 2001: A Space Odyssey and U2's music documentary Rattle and Hum.

A veritable film festival for all those who want to nurture the wonder of philosophical inquiry and the love of Christian theology through an engagement with the big ideas on the big screen.

Genres: Philosophy, Cultural, Film

311 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2007

About the author

Doug is Professor of Philosophy in the Talbot Department of Philosophy at Biola University (La Mirada, CA). His interests include travel, foreign languages, kayaking, and motorcycling.

Reviews

[Doug Geivett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give it five stars. I'm a co-editor!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains a series of essays on films and their relation to the world of thought, aka philosophy and theology. Most of them follow a standard formula it seems, about a thorough synopsis followed by a discussion on the themes of the movie or movies. Luckily I've seen most of the movies so I was prepared, but it may be a good idea to watch them for a better experience. And when you have watched them, then the synopsis part may seem a bit dull. The writers are knowledgeable and I found their insight valuable and the essays mostly good and enjoyable. I would have liked though a few broader essays where the topic was the philosophic idea, and then more big and small examples from movies that reflected the ideas. Instead, there is one to three movies who are the source of reflections on the idea, so it becomes movie analysis. Not that it's bad, it's just not perfect.

[Mario Aguirre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that roughly the middle section is the best part. It’s some of the most nuanced Christian film criticism that I’ve read (which isn’t saying much since I haven’t read much Christian film criticism) but the other essays feel almost drab. Some essays don’t even feel like they belong in the book.

I believe that it was the Bowling for Columbine chapter in which the author urged Christians to go out into politics and simply ‘love our neighbor,’ which is a fine final note to end the essay but it’s such a can of worms. How do we love our neighbors in politics? This isn’t easy to discern. As an afterthought it felt inappropriate.

[Constance · Rating 2 out of 5]

In general I enjoy books on theology and film. But after a while this compilation of essays became a hard slog. Edited and published in 2007, the volume is like a time capsule of late 20th C theological thought on the art and meaning of film.

I’ll keep it on my shelf for reference, but do not recommend in general

[Jared Totten · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was one thing I wish I'd known before reading Faith, Film, and Philosophy, it would have been the fact that it should have been called "Philosophy, Film, and Faith" instead. By sheer quantity of content, there is more philosophy than film or faith, and more film than faith. For you left-brain readers, that would be: philosophy content > film content > faith content.



Faith, Film, and Philosophy is comprised of fourteen chapters, each a different philosophical essay written by a different author. It was certainly made clear that most of these authors' stock in trade is philosophical in nature. Whereas the book dealing with film that I reviewed last month had well over a hundred movies in the Film Appendix, this book had only thirty two films, twelve of those from two chapters dealing broadly with horror and Hong Kong films. The twelve remaining chapters dug deeply and philosophically into just a few movies (one to three at the most). This was enjoyable if you liked the topic or the film (ultimate reality, counterfactuals or The Matrix), but a detriment if you were interested in neither (conciousness, memory or Pretty Woman).



Surprisingly, the chapters I expected to enjoy the most I liked the least. Dallas Willard, one of the few names I recognized among the authors, spent eleven pages summarizing Pleasantville, American Beauty, and Cider House Rules in detail and then only four pages on his topic of "Liberation Through Sensuality". The chapter contrasting the worldviews of U2 in the film Rattle and Hum and Nietzsche seemed both out of place (a live concert video/bio in a list of movies?) and somewhat arbitrary (U2 vs. Nietzsche?).



However, the opposite was also true. The chapters I had the lowest expectations for were a pleasant surprise. Chapters like "Story-Shaped Lives in Big Fish" and "Religion and Science in Contact and 2001: A Space Odyssey" gave me a new appreciation for and a desire to re-view the movies critiqued and analyzed.



Overall Faith, Film and Philosophy was enjoyable and worthwhile though, at times, over my head. This book seems to be best suited for a college-level class to couch philosophy in a more palatable context for the students, or for those looking for an in-depth analysis of one of the few dozen movies used.

[Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith, Film and Philosophy is an excellent collection of essays on various aspects of the messages of modern film. It gets a bit thick with the academics at times, but is still a brain-stirring, thought-provoking read. As always, an anthology is sometimes spotty in content, and this one, good as it is, is no exception. The chapter on horror movies is somewhat of a waste. But the majority of the essays are well worth the read.

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. It is basically a number of essays using film as a means to teach philosophical concepts. So, it is more a philosophy book than a critique on the films it address, but I think that the book is the better for it.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think philosophy is too hard to grasp? This book does a good job of taking some rather obscure thoughts in philosophy and showing that they are actually in films that you've already watched and understood.