Hollywood Worldviews
Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: InterVarsity Press
- Published: 2009
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Publisher's Description
Do you watch movies with your eyes open? You buy your tickets and concessions, and you walk into the theater. Celluloid images flash at twenty-four frames per second, and the hypnotic sequence of moving pictures coaxes you to suspend disbelief andbe entertained by the implausible. Unfortunately, many often suspend their beliefs as well, succumbing to subtle lessons in how to behave, think and even perceive reality. Do you find yourself hoping that a sister will succeed in seducing her sibling's husband, that a thief will get away with his crime, that a serial killer will escape judgment? Do you, too, laugh at the bumbling priest and seethe at the intolerant and abusive evangelist? Do you embrace worldviews that infect your faith and wonder, after your head is clear, whether your faith can survive the infection? Brian Godawa guides you through the place of redemption in film, the tricks screenwriters use to communicate their messages, and the mental and spiritual discipline required for watching movies. Hollywood Worldviews helps you enter a dialogue with Hollywood that leads to a happier ending, one that keeps you aware of your culture and awake to your faith.
Endorsements (5)
“Brian's analysis is insightful and stimulating. Our biblical values are colliding with worldviews in the movies, and Brian shows us why. Those values are also illuminated by intersecting with movies, and I find that especially exciting. We might even understand the Bible with more insight from seeing these connections. The chapter on sex and violence is worth the price of the book. "What I appreciate the most is Brian?s attention to detail, to a wide number of movie examples, and his ability to simply frame the arguments of overused words like postmodern. He doesn?t talk about the surface issues from a country-club Christian perspective but helps me discern what movies are about. I appreciate the hard work he has done and look forward to reading and rewatching some of these movies again.”
“At last! A Christian book about Hollywood by a Hollywood Christian. With biblical balance and artistic insight, Brian Godawa cautions against both the legalisms of cultural anorexia and the naivete of cultural gluttony. I'll never again watch a movie and be content to simply say whether or not I liked it! "And Godawa?s appendix on sex, violence and profanity in the Bible promises to explode like a biblical bombshell among those whose idea of cultural critique is merely counting fornications on the silver screen. The appendix alone is worth its weight in gold!”
“The greatest special effect in any movie is a great story. Brian Godawa, a screenwriter himself, understands this and understands the power in a good story?s underlying assumptions. His fine book is a helpful guide for everyone who likes to go to the movies without checking their faith at the door.”
“This is an important book. Brian Godawa opens doors of understanding that we never knew were there. He gives us a grid through which we can clearly see what is going on philosophically and theologically within cinema art. Very simply, Brian has written the best book on the various worldviews behind popular Hollywood movies to date. I cannot recommend it enough.”
“Provocative and challenging. Even when I find myself disagreeing with Brian Godawa in his evaluation of a particular film, his cinemate and sophisticated point of view command attention.”
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