Manchester University Press
8 Controversy and the ‘Culture War’
Abstract
Conservative commentators have long criticised the film industry’s alleged negative representations or outright rejection of religion, accusing Hollywood of promoting its own secular, liberal ideology regardless of the wishes of a predominantly faith-orientated audience. Within academia the study of religion and film is an emerging area of interest, one that remains dominated by writers working in the fields of theology, biblical studies and religious studies. Why is this? To what extent can secularisation theory be used as a way of understanding the historical lack of involvement of film studies scholars in the field? How might the controversy surrounding Noah’s perceived ‘atheist’ adaptation be used as a way of understanding broader tensions between religious and non-religious elements in Hollywood and the academy? Through analysis of the controversy surrounding the interpretation and adaptation of scripture in Noah, this chapter reflects on the position of film studies scholarship in the emerging and developing multidisciplinary field of religion and film.
Abstract
Conservative commentators have long criticised the film industry’s alleged negative representations or outright rejection of religion, accusing Hollywood of promoting its own secular, liberal ideology regardless of the wishes of a predominantly faith-orientated audience. Within academia the study of religion and film is an emerging area of interest, one that remains dominated by writers working in the fields of theology, biblical studies and religious studies. Why is this? To what extent can secularisation theory be used as a way of understanding the historical lack of involvement of film studies scholars in the field? How might the controversy surrounding Noah’s perceived ‘atheist’ adaptation be used as a way of understanding broader tensions between religious and non-religious elements in Hollywood and the academy? Through analysis of the controversy surrounding the interpretation and adaptation of scripture in Noah, this chapter reflects on the position of film studies scholarship in the emerging and developing multidisciplinary field of religion and film.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures ix
- List of contributors xi
- Preface by Adele Reinhartz xv
- Acknowledgements xix
- Introduction 1
- 1 Battles over the biblical epic 23
- 2 Depicting ‘biblical’ narratives 36
- 3 Special effects and CGI in the biblical epic fi lm 50
- 4 The phenomenon of biblical telenovelas in Brazil and Latin America 68
-
Part II Modern narratives and contexts in adapting the Bible
- 5 Mythic cinema and the contemporary biblical epic 87
- 6 The Nativity reborn 102
- 7 Convince me 122
- 8 Controversy and the ‘Culture War’ 143
- 9 ‘Can anything good come out of Southern California?’* (*hyperlink to John 1:46) 161
- 10 Examining the digital religion paradigm 174
- 11 The devil and the Culture Wars 193
- 12 Ben-Her(?) 214
- 13 The biblical-trial film 230
- 14 ‘Squint against the grandeur’ 247
- Filmography 265
- Index 270
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures ix
- List of contributors xi
- Preface by Adele Reinhartz xv
- Acknowledgements xix
- Introduction 1
- 1 Battles over the biblical epic 23
- 2 Depicting ‘biblical’ narratives 36
- 3 Special effects and CGI in the biblical epic fi lm 50
- 4 The phenomenon of biblical telenovelas in Brazil and Latin America 68
-
Part II Modern narratives and contexts in adapting the Bible
- 5 Mythic cinema and the contemporary biblical epic 87
- 6 The Nativity reborn 102
- 7 Convince me 122
- 8 Controversy and the ‘Culture War’ 143
- 9 ‘Can anything good come out of Southern California?’* (*hyperlink to John 1:46) 161
- 10 Examining the digital religion paradigm 174
- 11 The devil and the Culture Wars 193
- 12 Ben-Her(?) 214
- 13 The biblical-trial film 230
- 14 ‘Squint against the grandeur’ 247
- Filmography 265
- Index 270
