Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film [Paperback]

Robert K. Johnston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

How should Christians relate to the difficult and contradictory messages of modern movies? In Useless Beauty, Robert K. Johnston presents the bold position that films can be our "eyeglasses and hearing aids" in understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes. Taking up movies such as American Beauty, Magnolia, and About Schmidt, he addresses such biblical issues as life and death, chance and choice, loneliness and connection, and God's presence and absence to deepen our understanding of life's beauty amid its confusion and pain. Christian filmgoers, pastors, and youth leaders will find Johnston's book a valuable source of insight into the relationship between Christianity and popular culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Drawing the title from a line in an Elvis Costello song about "all this useless beauty," Johnston, Fuller Seminary professor of theology and culture, invites us to consider connections between biblical wisdom literature and film. In particular, he compares Ecclesiastes with films such as American Beauty, Magnolia, About Schmidt and Signs. "Useless beauty" refers to the paradox described in Ecclesiastes (and in many of the selected films) of beauty in the midst of a life filled with vanity, futility and absurdity. Although the title promotes Ecclesiastes through the lens of film, it is really a treatment of film through the lens of Ecclesiastes, as Johnston intersperses key biblical passages in italics next to his rendition of film plots and characters showing us the dynamic analogies. Johnston's hope is that this will create a "two-way dialogue" that starts with the film but moves back and forth between the film and scripture. Narrowing in on Ecclesiastes—a book embraced by many different religious traditions—exposes Johnston to a wide audience, one that includes Christians, Jews, Muslims and even New Age hybrids. That's good for everyone, because Johnston's forte is helping us think more deeply about how God is revealed in popular culture, so that our notion of God is expanded even beyond our traditional understandings.
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About the Author

Robert K. Johnston (Ph.D., Duke University) is professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author or editor of over twelve books, including Reel Spirituality and Finding God in the Movies. He served as dean at North Park Theological Seminary for eleven years and is currently president of the American Theological Society.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801027853
• ISBN-13: 978-0801027857
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid and insightful study, March 30, 2005

By 

Neville G. Kiser "NGK" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film (Paperback)

The moment I read that Johnston was covering three of my favorite films of all time ("Magnolia," "Run Lola Run," and "About Schmidt") in "Useless Beauty," I knew I had to purchase it.

The first chapter alone is worth the price of the book, as it profoundly sets up a study comparing Ecclesiastes to some hard-to-watch contemporary films. By interweving Ecclesiastes with films from some of the best filmmakers working today (Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Payne, Alan Ball, Marc Forster, etc.) Johnston makes a solid and at times, very insightful case for God working in films today. Comparing ancient Egyptian literature with "Election" or "Monster's Ball" might not be what the filmmakers had in mind, but I doubt any of them would frown on this near-perfect book that recognizes today's postmodern generation's embrace of paradoxes, mystery and the importance of pain and suffering. The Christian faith has always been hard to articulate and at times, seemingly contradictary. But Johnston juggles playfulness and seriousness, life and death, beauty and ugliness, meaning and meaninglessness in such a captivating and compelling way, I wouldn't be surprised if this book sets off a whole genre of future theology and film dialogue writings.

Of course, if you're young and already a fan of many of these films there probably won't be anything new here (in terms of insight about the movies themselves) until you come to the chapter on Alexander Payne, where Johnston fearlessly draws truth from films not often talked about in mainstream Christian circles. He connects so many dots (but yet, thankfully, leaves many ambiguously unconnected) and this is what I loved most about the book: it seemed to understand Ecclesiastes better than any Old Testament or Religious scholar ever has.

Though far from perfect, it's a satisfying read that will make you once again realize the power of mainstream and high pop culture films, and the absolute relevance of the real Christian gospel of faith---with all of its ambiguities.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars faith and film, January 17, 2007

By 

Daniel B. Clendenin (www.journeywithjesus.net) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film (Paperback)

Robert Johnston, long time professor of theology and culture at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, is one of a small number of Christian scholars who has made a serious effort across the years to engage the world of film and relate it to the life of faith. In this book he interfaces the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, with its paradoxical outlook on life, with eight important film makers and their work: Akira Kurosawa (Ikiru), Woody Allen (Crimes and Misdemeanors) , Alan Ball (American Beauty) , Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia), Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) , Marc Forster (Monster's Ball) , M. Night Shyamalan (Signs), and Alexander Payne (Election and About Schmidt). Johnston honors film makers as those voices who give us "our read on reality, our informing visions, our stories and myths." After unpacking these artists, their visions, and their works, Johnston looks at the apparently paradoxical message of Ecclesiastes, that life is beautiful, enriching and good, but at the same time often ugly, demeaning, and evil, a vanity of vanities in which we do little more than chase the wind. Yes, there is beauty, but at times it feels utterly useless. So, the films inform the Biblical text and the text the films.Three short appendices conclude the book, including one called "Christian Film Criticism." I would have wished for a whole chapter on this topic from Johnston.