In a recent interview, Rob Johnston, who wrote "Reel Spirituality" says:
The advent of video - and more recently DVD - has changed the way movies function in our society. Rather than being simply one form of possible entertainment on a weekend night, movies have become the primary storytelling medium for our culture. Even if you miss a film the first time around, a recommendation from a friend is sufficient enough reason for you to drive to the nearest Blockbuster to rent a movie. Where novels functioned to explore the depth of life's meaning 30 or 40 years ago, now our best sellers tend more to be "pulp fiction." ....
For persons over 40, watching a movie is one possible way of using your discretionary time. For persons under 40, however, it's often like eating, sleeping, using your computer - it's simply part of life, an expectation of what happens. ...
If you asked someone how many sermons you can remember in the last two months, and then how many movies they remember in the last two months, most persons under 40 will do a much better job recounting the movies they've seen, the plots they covered and what was significant. Movie going is, in this way, putting significant pressure on church communicators on how they tell the greatest story ever told. It is being demanded that we return to a more narrative form of preaching. We might have used a story as an illustration or a throwaway 30 or 40 years ago. If we're not using narrative as a significant portion today, many are simply tuning us out. ...
The Passion will be a significant religious experience for all who see it. I saw it several months ago. Mel Gibson is a faithful conservative Catholic who has created an homage to his Lord. ...
The movie also is unique because it doesn't put the language of Jesus into modern English, encouraging us unconsciously to recast Jesus in our image. We're instead forced to experience him cross-culturally. It's a different time and a different place and a different voice. We're invited into Jesus' world, rather than recrafting Jesus into our own. I found this to be compelling. It was at times even breathtaking. I think the movie will be too much for some. The cruelty and inhumanity has a terrible "beauty," but it's still terrible. Surely, there has never been a Jesus movie with such craft and care. ...
You can check out the rest, here.
I'm really looking forward to seeing 'the passion', although I have to admit the trailers and clips I have seen have brought tears to my eyes. I guess for us its not just a 'story' - its all too real
ReplyDeleteI like that it will give us a different picture than the Jesus we've created in our image.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe making the movie in a language other than English was a good move...
"One picture is worth a thousand words"
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about the film I was completely cynical. I'll try to be a little open minded.
[...] Anyway, all that to say this, there are some really well done films out there that you never see, because they are not a part of the Hollywood thing. And as Rob Johnston says in “Reel Spirituality,” “Rather than being simply one form of possible entertainment on a weekend night, movies have become the primary storytelling medium for our culture.” [...]
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