American Religious and Biblical Spectaculars
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is a fascinating and useful study of a neglected but important topic. Advanced undergraduate; graduate; faculty; general.”–
“Forshey has provided a distinguished contribution to the slim literature on film and religion, taking the viewer beneath the surface of the films and the society that produced them.”–
“The concern for understanding the relationship between religion and popular culture is not a new one. But Forshey's is the first major study of the religious spectacular. His in-depth analysis explores: its aesthetic norms, role in civil religion, the way it illustrates the struggle with modernity and the scientific world view, and the praise and condemnation it generated in the religious community. American Religious and Biblical Spectaculars will serve as a major source for students of popular film genres, social critics examining the way movies gives expression to social tensions and attitudes, and to sociologists of religion interested in civil religion and cultural forms of Christianity.”–
“...a welcome contribution to a field largely ignored in film and cultural studies...a strong introduction to biblical and religious spectaculars, both as film and religious texts...a fine introduction not only for general readers but also for students of religion, film, and cultural studies.”–
Book Description
This intriguing book explores why spectacular films involving Biblical figures or set in Biblical times have been a staple of filmmaking since talkies began. Forshey looks at the generic conventions of these films, and suggests that the underlying purpose was to mediate between a monistic scientific world view and a dualistic religious world view, and between secular and religious ethics. He discusses how filmic, political, religious, and cultural history influenced filmmakers of these spectaculars.
American Religious and Biblical Spectaculars
American Religious and Biblical Spectaculars,Gerald E. Forshey,Praeger Publishers,0275931978,Bible films,Cinema/Film: Book,Communication,Film & Video - General,History and criticism,Language Arts & Disciplines,Motion Pictures Of Specific Genres,Pop Arts / Pop Culture,Religion in motion pictures,Religious films,Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication
English Books:
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