REEL REFLECTIONS

SOME BOOKS ABOUT THE MOVIES

David Greiser

Over the years I have been an avid reader of movie reviews—from the acerbic criticisms of the late Pauline Kael, to the more commercially friendly viewpoints of Roger Ebert, to the occasional moralizing of Michael Medved. The reviews of others have helped me to do my own thinking and evaluating about questions of quality, taste, style, morality, and worldview in film watching and criticism.

In recent years several excellent books have appeared, written by Christian scholars and film critics, dealing with the question of how Christians might watch and evaluate movies. Are there Christian "canons" of film criticism? By what categories can we watch and judge the merit of a film? Bottom line: How may I as a Christian and a movie junkie redeem the hours I spend in darkened theaters? Voila! Others are asking and answering your questions.

For those who watch movies and desire to place the film viewing experience in dialogue with their Christian values and worldview, I suggest the following books out of many that could be chosen and deserve attention.

• Robert K. Johnston. Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000. 236 pp.

I lifted (and altered) my column title from this book. If I were to teach a course on "Theology and the Movies," this is the book I would use as a text. Johnston, professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, supervises students earning Ph.D.’s in theology and film and mentors the work of several filmmakers who are Christian.

Johnston summarizes the history of the church’s attitude toward movies (from a posture of avoidance at one extreme, to a belief that even secular films can be, in some sense, revelatory, at the other). He builds a good case for his belief that movies qualify as serious art and, as such, deserve the same kind of reflective response from Christians that the visual and musical arts have received.

He discusses how movies have portrayed specifically religious and spiritual themes, and he analyzes the work of several important directors and how they wrestle with matters of meaning, morality, and God. Finally, he ponders the parameters of film criticism from a Christian perspective. How do we engage in the critique of movies in such a way as to maintain our integrity as Christians while going deeper in our evaluation than counting cuss words and sex scenes?

Gire’s book is more popularly written than Johnston’s and covers some of the same territory. He discusses the influence of movies on our culture, truth in the movies, and criticism from a Christian perspective. Even better, Gire offers reviews of 14 classic films through history, from Bambi to Schindler’s List.

For Christians who have been uneasy about movie watching (and enjoying) and still feel like the experience is one of the forbidden fruits, Gire, an evangelical minister and writer, offers encouragement and the perspective of one who has been there.

As the title suggests, Billingsley views Hollywood and its creations more cautiously and negatively than Gire or Johnston. Seductive Image asks, Are we being manipulated by movies? Why do films often reflect the worst in our culture? How does political ideology affect filmmaking—both the perspective of the film and the decisions as to which films get financed and produced?

The book reflects a perspective that is politically and culturally conservative, but whether you agree with the author’s point of view or not, his questions and criticisms are intelligently framed and significant. Billingsley himself, interestingly enough, is a script-writer for television and film.

Hibbs teaches philosophy at the Roman Catholic Boston College. His book is really about television more than film, but the thesis he advances is significant for both mediums. Hibbs believes that while conservative Christians have often castigated Hollywood for a product that attacks "family values" and promotes violence, the real culprit is a deepening cultural malaise in which both filmmakers and film viewers are complicit.

Hibbs documents a growing belief in nihilism (the philosophical conclusion that life itself has no meaning beyond that which we assign it) throughout American culture. In television and film, nihilism is seen in the growing number of "shows about nothing" ("Seinfeld," for example) and films in which characters do not grow or gain insight, because ultimately nothing is to be gained from such growth.

I find Hibbs’s thesis disturbing because I want to disagree, but I see strong evidence in some quarters for what he observes. His analysis is specific and deep, and like it or not I have to recommend this book to thoughtful film watchers.

For me, watching movies is far more than an escape (though at times it is that, too). It is an exercise in worldview evaluation, art appreciation, and cultural observation. Here are some books that will enhance the viewing experience at multiple levels.

—Dave Greiser is reading books, watching movies, and going to baseball games this summer on his sabbatical leave from Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church. He serves as a pastor there and also as an adjunct professor at several local seminaries.