"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.
Faith, Film and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen
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About the Author
R. Douglas Geivett is professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. His previous books include Evil and the Evidence for God and Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology (coedited with Brendan Sweetman). James S. Spiegel is professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. The author of Hypocrisy, How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad and The Benefits of Providence, Spiegel is active in many professional organizations and runs a music recording studio, where he records his own music and others'.
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Doug Geivett is a native a southern California who has been teaching philosophy at Biola University (La Mirada, CA) since 1993. He was educated at Multnomah University (B.S.), Gonzaga University (M.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (M.A.), and the University of Southern California (Ph.D.). He has participated in public debates on the question of God's existence with Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Paul Draper, Bruce Russell, John Shook, and Gordon Stein. He lectures nationally and internationally on an assortment of topics related to his publications.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very fine collection of film analyses from fourteen Christian philosophers. It is a diverse book in that it covers films from a variety of genres, new films and old films; it is also a focused book in that each film is carefully mined for its philosophical ideas and presuppositions and then assessed for how sound those ideas and presuppositions are and for how well they align with the Christian worldview. Don't miscontrue me on that last point: the films mentioned in this book are not praised or scorned for merely superficial reasons (such as, for example, whether or not a film contains gratuitous violence--you don't need a philosopher to tell you that). These chapters are consistently philosophical in their approach, dealing with the ideas the films propose (or assume, rightly or wrongly) about larger truths about reality.
The book is split into 4 parts: The Human Condition, Mind and Knowledge, The Moral Life, and Faith and Religion. Spiegel and Geivett both have chapters; as do Dallas Willard, Winfried Corduan, and Sara L. H. Shady, just to name a few. It is written in such a way that people without a background in philosophy should be able to understand it given some effort, but I don't think that anyone who has studied philosophy will read it and find it too "basic." Having read it, I not only have a deeper understanding of the ideas underlying the films that were covered(all well-known, highly lauded films, I should add), but I feel better prepared to analyze films from a philosophical and Christian perspective in the future. Considering how much impact films have on our culture, it's very important to be assess them in such a way, don't you think? I strongly recommend this book.... Read more ›
The book is split into 4 parts: The Human Condition, Mind and Knowledge, The Moral Life, and Faith and Religion. Spiegel and Geivett both have chapters; as do Dallas Willard, Winfried Corduan, and Sara L. H. Shady, just to name a few. It is written in such a way that people without a background in philosophy should be able to understand it given some effort, but I don't think that anyone who has studied philosophy will read it and find it too "basic." Having read it, I not only have a deeper understanding of the ideas underlying the films that were covered(all well-known, highly lauded films, I should add), but I feel better prepared to analyze films from a philosophical and Christian perspective in the future. Considering how much impact films have on our culture, it's very important to be assess them in such a way, don't you think? I strongly recommend this book.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't stop talking to people about this book! It covers a wide time frame for movie-making, as well as many different genres, and even if you haven't seen a movie you're fine because the book has plot summaries in the back.
It was the most fun to read chapters focusing on films I already knew, but it also inspired me to want to watch at least three I haven't seen.
I took a few philosophy courses ten years ago and at this point I have no interest in slogging through dense, painful, footnote-infested textbooks. This book was the opposite of that.
It was the most fun to read chapters focusing on films I already knew, but it also inspired me to want to watch at least three I haven't seen.
I took a few philosophy courses ten years ago and at this point I have no interest in slogging through dense, painful, footnote-infested textbooks. This book was the opposite of that.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Verbivore
Format:Paperback
This is not the type of book to sit and read in one go. Rather it's best read slowly, over time. See the movie, read the review, mull over it, talk about it with a friend.
Divided into 4 categories, The Human Condition, Mind and Knowledge, The Moral Life, and Faith and Religion, the authors and editors have done an excellent job of demonstrating how to recognize and articulate the various worldviews foisted on us in Film.
I love the opening line in the introduction by James Spiegel,"Those who tell stories, rule the world." (Plato) Todays world offers a plethora of storytellers. Each with their own unique worldview. The discerning movie- goer will want to read this book to better understand the message behind the movies we all enjoy.
A great resource for parents and teachers!
Divided into 4 categories, The Human Condition, Mind and Knowledge, The Moral Life, and Faith and Religion, the authors and editors have done an excellent job of demonstrating how to recognize and articulate the various worldviews foisted on us in Film.
I love the opening line in the introduction by James Spiegel,"Those who tell stories, rule the world." (Plato) Todays world offers a plethora of storytellers. Each with their own unique worldview. The discerning movie- goer will want to read this book to better understand the message behind the movies we all enjoy.
A great resource for parents and teachers!
By Klee
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This books is well-written, well-organized and presents a variety of fascinating "readings" of films. It is accessible to the non-philosopher, but deep enought to engage those schooled in philosophical thinking. We are using it for a discussion group with young college students and have found it provoked thought raised questions and stimulated conversations we never would have had otherwise. Great book!Faith, Film and Philosophy (EasyRead Edition): Big Ideas on the Big Screen
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By E. Johnson
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I first picked up the book, I was excited. It looked like something we could utilize in teaching our senior high school Bible students in the world views class. As I read through the chapters, though, the book went much deeper than I would have liked, delving into many no-name movies that, honestly, made reading this book a chore. By the end, I was ready for it to be over like a poorly written movie.
Don't get me wrong, as there were several awesome choices, including The Truman Show (Geivett) and The Matrix (Hunt), films that could be talked about for hours. But I believe that if you want to give this book a fair shake, you will need to see each of the films first, and I just wasn't willing to pay the price. Some of the choices were specialty/independent movies that many local video stores probably don't even carry. In addition, the authors used some pretty immoral R-rated movies that I wouldn't want to subject myself or my students to. Don't get me wrong, as I will watch select R-rated movies, but Pretty Woman, Run Lola Run, King of the Ants, and others that were written about are just, quite frankly, not worth the 2-hour investment you would have to spend on each one. Also, the writing in this book really gets pretty deep, which more than once lost me in the analysis.
Shoot, there are so many other movies--and popular ones at that--that I think would have been better choices to analyze, especially those done in the last decade. How about Juno? Lord of the Rings? Brokeback Mountain? A Beautiful Mind? Those would have all been good and were very popular in the culture. And where was Woody Allen?... Read more ›
Don't get me wrong, as there were several awesome choices, including The Truman Show (Geivett) and The Matrix (Hunt), films that could be talked about for hours. But I believe that if you want to give this book a fair shake, you will need to see each of the films first, and I just wasn't willing to pay the price. Some of the choices were specialty/independent movies that many local video stores probably don't even carry. In addition, the authors used some pretty immoral R-rated movies that I wouldn't want to subject myself or my students to. Don't get me wrong, as I will watch select R-rated movies, but Pretty Woman, Run Lola Run, King of the Ants, and others that were written about are just, quite frankly, not worth the 2-hour investment you would have to spend on each one. Also, the writing in this book really gets pretty deep, which more than once lost me in the analysis.
Shoot, there are so many other movies--and popular ones at that--that I think would have been better choices to analyze, especially those done in the last decade. How about Juno? Lord of the Rings? Brokeback Mountain? A Beautiful Mind? Those would have all been good and were very popular in the culture. And where was Woody Allen?... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Idea
I give the authors all praise for writing this book. The subject matter is not addressed nearly enough in our culture. Read more
Published on January 3, 2010 by Ronald W. Bronson
3.0 out of 5 stars
3 stars
It has been noted that movies and media are the means by which modern people communicate, so it is therefore only appropriate that someone should examine what is being communicated... Read more
Published on November 22, 2007 by AK
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