Customer Reviews

Faith, Film and Philosophy: Big Ideas on the Big Screen

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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. If you really enjoy watching films, or even if you don't particularly but you are aware nonetheless of the impact films have on society, this is a great book for you.

"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.

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.

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!

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

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? Yes, he's pretty exotic, but Annie Hall or Hannah and her Sisters certainly should have had consideration as there is so much there to analyze and understand; Allen sort of opened the sexual doors that were not readily available before him. (A note: The choices above are by no means moral movies, but when it comes to understanding the culture we live in, I think these would have made an interesting look compared to the movies selected in the book.)

Overall, get this book for some select chapters (what fun to teach several of these movies, as mentioned above), but to get full understanding, be willing to see the other movies if you want to get something out of the chapter. And go deep. Too bad, because I think there was more promise with this book than what was delivered.

I give the authors all praise for writing this book. The subject matter is not addressed nearly enough in our culture. These days, movies are often absorbed by the masses completely unscrutinized. Thus, a book like this is very welcome. However, although the idea works in theory, the execution is sorely lacking in this work.

The authors' first mistake was limiting the range of discussed films to those which actively invite philosophical inquiry. In this book I had hoped to find authors willing to discuss films which are not on the surface very "deep". They missed a great opportunity to reveal the inherent arguments and presuppositions in all films, not just the more serious ones.

Second, they take far too much time to cover their material. The authors use far more words than are necessary to make their respective points. This book would have benefited from a more concise delivery. The most direct consequence of this is that only a very few movies can be addressed within its pages, while the book is still quite thick. One ends up getting very little information in a very long amount of time.

Entire genres are simply never addressed. Wonder what these men would have to say about Lawrence of Arabia, Ben Hurr, Braveheart, or Gladiator? Too bad. The films which attract the most Academy Awards and, more importantly, the most viewers are simply not spoken of.

A book like this needed to be written, but unfortunately for its readers, it is simply a great example of untapped potential.

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 to the public and how it relates to Christianity and/or thought in general. Using a wide range of films; from Pretty Woman to the Matrix to It's a Wonderful Life to Silence of the Lambs, the authors give in depth analyses of the message conveyed by each. Feel good movies are taken with many grains of salt, and it is surprising at times, which are praised. Often dry, this book will definitely give you something to think about.

Amanda Killgore