Johnson, Robert K.. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2000. 236 pp. $16.99
US. ISBN: 0-8010-2241-X.
[1] Robert K. Johnston (Professor of Theology
and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary) wants to put an
end to the feud between Hollywood and Christianity. He is
interested in more than just a peace treaty however; he wants
to see genuine interaction. When theology and film interact,
Johnston asserts, the individual Christian will experience
opportunities for revelations and deeper insights into what
it means to be human.
[2] Theology, defined as "'conversation
about God' is increasingly found outside the church" (14).
Quite a bit of conversation about God is taking place in the
movies, some indirectly, but almost all of it without Christian
input. The Church risks irrelevance by ignoring the culture
at large (15). The world is talking about God and what it
means to be human while the most that the Christian Church
seems to offer is moral judgment. Christians should have more
to say about movies than just giving a tally of swear words.
"Film criticism, however, has a different goal than simply
the negative or positive evaluation of a film. It seeks to
initiate a process of inquiry and reflection in order to better
understand a movie" and ourselves (125). The point is not
"to render moral judgmentsébut to achieve greater insight"
(54). According to Johnston, this insight happens during moments
of transcendence.
[3] Johnston suggests there are two types
of transcendence to consider. "Transcendence A" is the kind
that ushers us into the presence of the Holy, something outside
ourselves that cannot be predicted or forced. No one can tell
which movies or scenes will cause this kind of transcendence,
but certain movies are more likely to open up possibilities.
"Transcendence B" is more focused on humans overcoming trials
and showing the best that is in humanity; something that makes
the viewer say, "So that is what it means to be human." This
kind is much more common in movies and is easily built right
into the story.
[4] There are two audiences for the first
chapters of this book. One audience is Christians who tend
to avoid movies, so the author spends quite a bit of time
defending the idea that moments of transcendence or understanding
can come from movies. In fact, he seems to spend almost too
much time trying to convince the reader that films are of
value. This may be in some measure due to the intended/expected
audience of evangelical Christians who have traditionally
treated Hollywood with skepticism. Not only does he spend
too much time on the matter, but he is not wholly successful
in his argument. What if a person doesn't watch very many
movies? If he reads books instead, is he really selling himself
short on a chance to experience the divine?
[5] The other audience Johnston addresses
is probably the majority of American religious believers.
The author assumes that since most of us watch movies regularly,
we might as well engage them with our theology. Most people,
not just Christians, tend to watch movies without putting
any effort into analyzing the content.
[6] One of the points that Johnston emphasizes
is that viewers should first view a movie on its own terms,
and then, only after that, bring their theology into dialogue
with the film. Rather than pre-judge according to our theological
standards, we should see what the movie has to say and then
bring our standards into a give-and-take type dialogue that
can help us to see more of what a film has to offer (49).
One example of this pre-judging would be rejecting a film
out-of-hand because the lead character is a womanizer or a
smoker. The viewer should allow the characters to have flaws,
find what's good in a film, and use that as the starting place.
[7] Chapters six and seven focus on how
to critique a film. Johnston explains four types of criticism:
Genre (type of film such as romantic comedy or film noir),
Auteur (the filmmakers, usually the director), Cultural (the
audience and what is happening in the world at large), and
Thematic (broadly defined themes such as courage or nature
of good and evil) (126). This is an especially helpful section
of the book for anyone who lacks training or experience in
formal film criticism. Johnston has a certain fondness for
graphs; many of his points, such as this one, are enhanced
by representing them visually.
[8] To illustrate his points, Johnston includes
several short movie reviews within the chapters–some
of which are quite good–while also providing a more
in-depth, chapter-long analysis of the movies of Peter Weir.
Excellent appendices include: a thirteen-page bibliography
of theology and film ranging from the mid 1950s to 2000 (though
many items only seem to fall in one or the other category–theology
or film–and not both as might be expected); an index
of movies cited; and a standard subject index and notes section.
[10] Johnston occasionally makes too much
of his case: "'We are what we eat' overstates, but its truth
with regard to movies is incontrovertible–'We are what
we watch'" (173), and "[A movie] character, reflects, 'Everything
you need to know about life is in the movies.' His remark
rings true" (152). Perhaps Fuller Seminary, located in Pasadena,
is too close to Hollywood and the smog has infiltrated even
into the conservative Evangelical seminary. These statements
ring hollow to a movie lover outside the insular world of
southern California. Movies influence society and individuals,
yes, but the totality of humanity is not reflected on the
big screen.
[11] Though this book is written for a Christian
audience, many of his ideas could be expanded more broadly
to religion in general. Looking for the transcendent (both
the kind that points to something "out there" and the kind
that reveals what it means to be human) can be used by anyone
with a desire for getting more out of film. Especially valuable
are the ways of analyzing the worldview implicit in a film.
This is a book worth reading and using in the quest to understand
a very important part of popular culture.
Robert M. Lindsey
Pittsburg State University,
Pittsburg, Kansas
rlindsey@pittstate.edu
