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Wow, over 300 views and only 5 responses to these great questions? I’ll throw in my .02

often do you/your children/your parents watch movies? If there is a generational difference, why do you think that is?

It varies, but my wife and I probably avg. 4 movies/month. My 12 year old daughter watches more, primarily because she has more time and is willing to watch a movie she likes several times in a row. I don’t think there is a generaltional difference between us, but there is definitely one between me and my parents. They very rarely watch movies. Part of that is due to their having grown up in very conservative Wheaton when it was taboo to go to movies. They’re fine with movies now, but never developed a real interest or desire to see them.

]What movies most clearly resonated with the deepest yearnings of your heart? How did they achieve that? What characters, in which films, have you identified with most closely?

Babette’s Feast is one movie that I watch nearly every year. I don’t know that I have ever been able to say exactly what it is that resonates so deeply with me from that film, the God-given sensuality, the servanthood, I’m not sure. As far as identifying with characters, hmmm… that’s more difficult. Unfortunately on some days as I sit in my cube and move data around I identify with Ed Norton’s character in Fight Club – I just haven’t let Tyler Durden escape.

[What movies challenged your thinking most deeply? How did they achieve that?

I don’t know about challenging my thinking most deeply, but one of the most significant movie watching experiences I had was watching Schindler’s List while I was in Hungary. Hungary had more Jews deported than any other country and I was able to watch it with a German man. The conversation that followed was amazing.

]What film(s) seemed to best capture the essence of your generation? The older/younger generation? Your vocation? Your family/relationships/marriage? Your spirituality?

Well, I hate to say it, but what comes to mind is Fast Times at Ridgemont High :roll: My vocation? Office Space. My family/relationships/marriage? Good question – I’ll have to think about that one some more. Spirituality? That’s a tough one, but I’m tempted to say The Apostle – I think that depicts the desire to be Godly with the complete failings that come as a result of sin. It’s very much a Flannery O’Conner/Frederick Buechner type movie.

[Are there movies you saw which you simply ?didn?t get,? but sensed you should?

I’m still not too sure that I really get the Color Trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski. I need to watch it a couple more times (probably with Dennis’ review in hand.)

]What film(s) moved you most deeply emotionally? Spiritually? Have you ever been led to worship in a movie? Have you ever sensed God?s presence in a film?

Most emotionally/spiritually? I’m not sure about most – Shindler’s List, Magnolia, Babette’s Feast, Tender Mercies… All of these have produced a pretty powerful emotional and/or spiritual response. I can’t say that I’ve ever been led to worship in a movie though.

[Has a film ever convicted you that something is wrong in your life and needs to change?

not too sure about this…

]How has your spiritual pilgrimage been effected by movies? Are there films that forever mark a moment worth remembering in your life?

When I was in high school a couple of friends and I went to see Dead Poets Society. That is the movie that first made me realize that there are movies that are truly worth thinking about and that can move you closer to God.

[What?s the most number of times you?ve seen a particular film? Why did you watch it so many times?

um…Monty Python’s The Holy Grail… I lost count of how many times… but I can nearly quote the entire thing still, and it’s been quite a while since I last saw it!

]Some people say that a movie ?changed their life.? Can you say that? What film(s) and how?

No, I don’t think I can honestly say that a movie changed my life.

[Have you ever walked out of a film? Why or why not?

No, but I probably should have. The closes I’ve come was Natural Born Killers. I was repulsed, but couldn’t bring myself to actually get up and leave. I’m not sure why.

[*]What films would you be most pleased to have written/directed?

From a purely monetary standpoint? Something like Napolean Dynamite – low budget, big profit! Plus it would have been fun.

In Critique #9-2004, I listed some questions that I often ask people—if people are willing to respond to them, I’d like it very much. (This is NOT some sort of survey, but merely my interest in understanding the influence of cinema.)
[list:da96a537d6]
:da96a537d6]How often do you/your children/your parents watch movies? If there is a generational difference, why do you think that is?
[:da96a537d6]What movies most clearly resonated with the deepest yearnings of your heart? How did they achieve that? What characters, in which films, have you identified with most closely?
:da96a537d6]What movies challenged your thinking most deeply? How did they achieve that?
[:da96a537d6]What film(s) seemed to best capture the essence of your generation? The older/younger generation? Your vocation? Your family/relationships/marriage? Your spirituality?
:da96a537d6]Are there movies you saw which you simply ?didn?t get,? but sensed you should?
[:da96a537d6]What film(s) moved you most deeply emotionally? Spiritually? Have you ever been led to worship in a movie? Have you ever sensed God?s presence in a film?
:da96a537d6]Has a film ever convicted you that something is wrong in your life and needs to change?
[:da96a537d6]How has your spiritual pilgrimage been effected by movies? Are there films that forever mark a moment worth remembering in your life?
:da96a537d6]What?s the most number of times you?ve seen a particular film? Why did you watch it so many times?
[:da96a537d6]Some people say that a movie ?changed their life.? Can you say that? What film(s) and how?
:da96a537d6]Have you ever walked out of a film? Why or why not?
[:da96a537d6]What films would you be most pleased to have written/directed?
[/list:u:da96a537d6]

I have, here at college, a psychology-major friend, and I absolutely love watching movies with her, because the moment the final credits role, we get into the most intense discussions about human nature and what causes people to do things. We watched “Reality Bites” the other week-end, and she has adopted that as the reason she wants to go into psychology: it represents a world of people so very hungry for meaning but without anywhere to turn to find it.

Especially at college, I find I am often oblivious to the plight of the lost and dying around me. Movies like “Reality Bites” and “In the Bedroom” and “13 Conversations” remind me of what my purpose must be as a Christian: to, as my friend says, “speak meaning into people’s lives.”

Thanks for all the thoughtful questions and thoughtful reviews—they tend to help bring a little direction to my teen-age mind. It’s too easy to get talking about how much we disagree with a movie before looking toward the aspect of our lost humanity that it represents.

I’m very glad you find the discussions here helpful ameliaruth.

You asked a lot of good questions, Denis, that may be a little difficult to go into in depth in the context of a discussion post. I’ve included a few thoughts and some quotes below that I collected while I was working on an essay on film for Adrienne Dengerink-Chaplin’s “Faith in Art” class at the Institute for Christian Studies. They express something of the heart of my aesthetic, which is, I think, deeply Seerveldian, and thus Biblical in the fullest sense. I hope this addresses some of what you’re interested in. I don’t have the exact references for all the quotes at hand, but I think you’ll recognize the names. I’ll post the sources later if I can find them.

I think these quotes also address some of the reservations people have expressed lately on the board regarding films like “Million Dollar Baby” (which I haven’t seen, but I have read about the controversy surrounding this film in evangelical circles). I believe the narrative of Creation, Fall, and Redemption finds its expression in the WHOLE of culture, culture being the entire scope of human endeavour – what anthropologist Wade Davis refers to as “the ethnosphere”. Some cultural products will be more about creation, some more about the fall and our brokeness, some more about redemption. I think some Christians get into trouble over this concept. It is unreasonable and dishonest to expect EVERY narrative we encounter to encompass the ENTIRE scope of this grand narrative (or metanarrative). It can’t be done, and it shouldn’t be done. To insist that every story have a “redemptive” ending would not reflect our experience of life. Bad things do happen to good people and we don’t always know why. This is the message of Job. To insist that the role of Christian discernment is to decide which films (and implicitly which filmmakers) are ultimately “saved” and which are “doomed” is like trying to sort the weeds from the crop in the parable. It’s not time for that yet, and it’s not our job. Our job is to engage films, and respond creatively and intelligently to what we encounter. There is a role for critique and judgment, but we must be sure we are judging the film as a film – a product of our culture – and not as something it was never intended to be – a vehicle for our ideology.

My notes start here:

Broadly speaking there are two fundamental philosophical positions one can take regarding the nature of existence. The first is described as ?realist?, the second as ?non-realist?.

Philosophical ?realism? ?is the belief that there exists a reality beyond or beneath the universe we articulate through language… Traditional realism assumes this reality to exist ?beyond? language, in the form of some ultimate and absolute essence;? (Coupe: 98).

Theologian Don Cupitt ?opposes [to realism] what he calls ?non-realism? (or, more dramatically, ?anti-realism?)… the basic idea is that of ?perspectivism?: ?there are many perspectival viewpoints, but there is no absolute and perspectiveless vision of things? (Cupitt 1986: 223). For the non-realist, then, ?we are the only makers of meanings, truths and values, and our theoretical postulates, such as God, gravity and justice, have no being apart from the language in which we speak of them and the practical uses to which we put it? (Cupitt 1995; 148).

For a fascinating juxtaposition of these viewpoints, try watching Christopher Nolan’s film “Memento” (deeply anti-realist) followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” (deeply realist).

Josef von Sternberg:

The cinema is a work of art when motion conforms to a perceptible rhythm with pause and pace and where all aspects of the continuous image relate to the whole.

Robert Johnston:

Film has the power to disturb and enlighten, to make us more aware of both who we are and what our relationships with others could be…

It took European film critics in the fifties and sixties to discover the value of American Westerns or of a Hitchcock thriller…

Over the centuries, the characterizing elements of art have changed, but its center continues to be its exploration of the meaning of life. Art seeks to initiate a dialogue as it shares the vision of its creator with its audience. It is through this sharing that life takes on added meaning and wholeness. For as Kierkegaard suggests, art recreates experience and awakens it to life…

Martin Scorsese:

I don?t really see a difference between the church and the movies, the sacred and the profane. Obviously, there are major differences. But I can also see great similarities between a church and a movie-house. Both are places for people to come together and share a common experience… And I believe there?s a spirituality in films, even if it?s not one that can supplant faith… It?s as if movies answer an ancient quest for the common unconscious.

Andrew Greeley :

a sacramentality of ordinary folk, their hopes, their fears, their loves, their aspirations… hints of the Being who lurks in beings…

Romanowski:

The melodramatic vision is problematic from a Christian perspective. First, carving the world up into black and white, good and evil, is a very simplistic view of life and the human condition that gives us stock characters, straightforward situations, and clean resolutions. Instead of the moral ambiguity and complex characterization we encounter in Scripture, melodramatic characters are either completely good or corrupt…

Instead of portraying the frailty of human experience and the need for a source of redemption outside of ourselves, the classical Hollywood mythology invests humans with everything they need to secure their own destiny and salvation… The history of redemption recorded in Scripture contains a mixed bag of saints and sinners… They were, in other words, ordinary people – unable to save themselves and desperately in need of redemption.

In an article on Alfred Hitchcock entitled [i:4be95ac29f]Hitchcock the Metaphysician[/i:4be95ac29f], Gerard Genette argues that Hitchcock?s vision transcends simplistic questions of morality. This is to me the most succinct statement of a Biblical understanding of narrative that I have ever encountered.

I find it both legitimate and necessary to speak of his theology – which is… at least that of St. Cyran and Jansen, and finally (to go straight to the heart of the matter) that of Saint Augustine himself… it may be traced to a metaphysics of sin, one that, from every perspective, refers to the dialectic of grace. Because sin presupposes grace just as much as grace presupposes sin… It is insufficient to say that Hitchcock does not despise his heroes; he does not even condemn them, because he sees them as carrying the burden of sin even before they openly acknowledge their guilt. The crime they commit (or supposedly commit) invariably bears the stain of Original Sin… It would appear that Hitchcock?s ?morality?, which has nothing to do with the common meaning of the term, is tied to the purest and most rigorous strain of Christian metaphysics (footnote: Here we see one of the reasons why Hitch denies having an underlying ?message? in his work. There is, properly speaking, only one message: the divine message. Human artistic creations do nothing more than illustrate, popularize or parody this message. Hitch might well say that he is interested only in telling ?stories?. That is because every story is a version of The Story, the divinely comic tale of human tragedy.)… This tradition teaches us not to play with Sin: the fall-grace dialectic can only be resolved at the Last Judgement, an endless horizon to which Hitchcock?s heroes advance… It is futile, in my view, to insist on the lessons a modern viewer can draw from a reflection on these subjects. For Hitchcock?s terrifying reality only reflects the even more terrifying reality of Christianity.

Can I just say that I’m rather fascinated with how much movies are a topic of discussion around here at college? I sit up in the writing center and discuss movies with my professors even more frequently than we discuss books! Movies have a profound impact on how we see reality. My roommate was just telling me about Mexican guys who were convinced that all American women were promiscuous based on what they’d seen in the movies.

Denis, you ask if we often watch movies with parents. I may say that I am blessed to have parents who have encouraged the discerning watching of movies ever since I was in middle school. There are certainly a few movies that I wouldn’t want to watch with my parents, but typically that is because those movies are dirty and I shouldn’t watch them anyway. My mother is amazing at starting discussions (like about the imagery in “13 Conversations”), and typically we watch movies that lend themselves well to intelligent conversation. I don’t know that there is much of a generational difference: we’re all seeking to understand our current culture and my parents aren’t obsessive about “how things used to be.”

Anyway, just more thoughts on my own movie-watching habits.

One of the movies that most challenged me was the Matrix. It challenged me indirectly, I guess.
It came out when I was in high school, working at a coffee shop with a girl with some of the most hopeless worldviews. She named her dog after Gaia, the earth goddess that she worshipped when in a worshipping mood. We had discussed many things in the past, most conversations ended with her laughing at me in my sixteen-year-old Christian idealism. She was cynical, and I was perpetually happy – I’m surprised we were friends at all. Then the Matrix came out. We both saw it.
She came into work the next day more contemplative than usual. I asked her what had her in such a thoughtful mood, and she said, “I saw the Matrix last night. What if that is true? What if we only are living to provide energy for something else?”
I was taken aback. I really didn’t know what to respond. I don’t remember much about the conversation that followed at all. I wish I could look back and say I spoke of man’s purpose in winning terms, told her clearly about my Christianity . . . I know we talked about it, but that conversation didn’t end any differently than any other that I had had with her . . .she laughed at me. But I remember in this situation I felt differently about her laughter. I suddenly looked at her and realized that some of her laughter was because she was slightly envious of my stability, my total lack of fear about purpose in my life.
I may not have represented well in that conversation, but I have thought a lot since then, and maybe next time . . .

often do you/your children/your parents watch movies? If there is a generational difference, why do you think that is?

I watch movies quite frequently; a few per week. I keep track of which films I watch, and to give you an idea, my tallies for January and February were 22 movies viewed, each month (some of that figure is due to my being in film studies classes which require viewing 2 or sometimes 3 films a week). My parents watch movies less frequently, because they have busier lives than I do, but if my dad has the weekend off work it’s not uncommon for him to watch 3 or 4 movies over the weekend. I grew up with family movie nights, so my parents have encouraged watching and discussing films from a young age.

[*]What movies most clearly resonated with the deepest yearnings of your heart? How did they achieve that? What characters, in which films, have you identified with most closely?

[*]What movies challenged your thinking most deeply? How did they achieve that?

Now those are easy questions. ;) Hmm. I’ll get back to you on that.

[*]What film(s) seemed to best capture the essence of your generation? The older/younger generation? Your vocation? Your family/relationships/marriage? Your spirituality?

I think Garden State (sort of a current-day The Graduate) will turn out to be a quintessential film of my generation (I’m 21, by the way). Also Fight Club seems to have struck a chord with men my age in a significant way. I’m sure there are others I’m not thinking of at the moment.

[*]Are there movies you saw which you simply ?didn?t get,? but sensed you should?

It took me a couple of viewings to make any sense of Mulholland Drive. And I still can’t figure out what the heck was going on in Persona. :)

[*]What film(s) moved you most deeply emotionally? Spiritually? Have you ever been led to worship in a movie? Have you ever sensed God?s presence in a film?

Rushmore, Magnolia, Heaven – all emotionally, and the latter two spiritually. And I would say yes to the last two questions, although not terribly frequently. Heaven is one example that would qualify for those two questions.

[*]Has a film ever convicted you that something is wrong in your life and needs to change?

Zoolander. Just kidding. :) Hmm. I am certain that I have been influenced, subtly and overtly, by some films I’ve seen, but I can’t remember a specific time that I ever watched the credits roll and thought “I am going to change something in my life now.”

[*]How has your spiritual pilgrimage been effected by movies? Are there films that forever mark a moment worth remembering in your life?

Not to keep harping on Heaven, but I remember the first time I saw it. I was so overcome by a sense of beauty, of God’s unconditional love, that I just sat motionless for several minutes after the credits had ended.

Also I would say Moulin Rouge was a significant experience, partly just because the film itself moved me (I’m a sucker for musicals), but also it’s a beautiful picture of redemptive love, one I keep returning to.

[*]What?s the most number of times you?ve seen a particular film? Why did you watch it so many times?

Oh gosh…I don’t really keep track, but I would have to guess that I’ve seen Moulin Rouge at least 7 or 8 times, and Magnolia and The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore would probably fall close behind. Those are films I keep coming back to because they move me deeply and are great films in and of themselves.

Also my familly watches It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas together, so I’ve seen that probably 15 times.

[*]Have you ever walked out of a film? Why or why not?

The only movie I think I walked out of at a theatre was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, because I was extremely uncomfortable with the subject matter in the mixed group of guys and girls I was seeing it with.

I also shut off a dvd of The Truth About Charlie about half an hour in, just because it was really poorly made.

[*]What films would you be most pleased to have written/directed?

Magnolia, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Heaven, Sense and Sensibility, You Can Count on Me, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, The Station Agent, and a whole lot more :)

[*]How often do you/your children/your parents watch movies? If there is a generational difference, why do you think that is?

I don’t have time to watch as many movies as I’d like… Maybe only one a month. When our kids or my Ron are watching a film, I’m often out in the kitchen cooking or cleaning. To sit down and watch a film often requires loss of sleep, which is a sacrifice I don’t make lightly.

As for my parents, my mom watches a lot more tv movies than I do. I don’t think she goes to the movie theater, though. She and her s.o. seem to prefer old movies rather than new. Again, they have the time.

I doubt that my dad watches too many movies. He falls asleep. No, he isn’t in a nursing home yet, but he’s the person most easily lulled to sleep by tv or the motion of a car that I know. He can stay awake during the Indy 500, however. What does that tell you?

Another generational difference that my mom verbalized: “I don’t like to watch movies that make me think. I like to just relax and enjoy.” Well, my tendency is to choose a film that I know will make me think—often something that has been reviewed in Critique or a film based on a work of literature. In this as in so many other things, my leanings are the opposite of my mother’s. Sigh…

[*]What?s the most number of times you?ve seen a particular film? Why did you watch it so many times?

a Wonderful Life[/i:0c829e71fa] is one I regularly rewatch. I never tire of [i:0c829e71fa]Life is Beautiful[/i:0c829e71fa], either, probably for similar reasons. Both are uplifting movies that make me feel life can have a purpose. I’ve enjoyed watching [i:0c829e71fa]Chocolat[/i:0c829e71fa] multiple times, I guess because it makes me think. The movie that might rank as most-viewed by our family is [i:0c829e71fa]Oh Brother, Where art Thou?[/i:0c829e71fa] simply because it’s fun and full of music. I can enjoy it even when I’m in the kitchen hearing the audio. ;)

How has your spiritual pilgrimage been effected by movies? Are there films that forever mark a moment worth remembering in your life?

Memorable films in my life, films that have affected my thinking in some way:

I watched [i:0c829e71fa]Brother Sun, Sister Moon[/i:0c829e71fa] at a time when I was just beginning my christian walk. Rewatching it a couple years ago reminded me how deeply the film influenced my view of spirituality. Conversations about One Thing[/i:0c829e71fa]—I watched this alone late one night. Still haven’t found an opportunity to share it with my Better Half! It didn’t change my thinking a great deal, but I will remember the warning it gave me about not becoming a glib, everything’s-great-even-when-my-life-is-falling-apart christian like the character in the insurance office who was fired.

I’ve exhausted my capacity to remember films for today. I think some movies have influenced my views on love, marriage and parenting, but I’m not coming up with any specific memories right now. Good questions. And thanks for all the reviews in [i:0c829e71fa]Critique.[/i:0c829e71fa]

In grace,
Colleen

I also was brought up watching lots of movies with my parents. This taught me how to watch them and what kinds of questions to ask about them. It also developed my taste for which films were better and more satisfying. I really do believe that all the film-watching I did was one of the most influential educational experiences I have had in my life. I encountered all kinds of moral dilemmas and dramatic situations through films and experienced the joys of film’s visual pacing and coordination of sound and the smorgasbord of feelings it offers (wow, that’s kind of a dry way of saying how much exhilaration I feel when I’m in the middle of a good movie).

Some of the films I saw when I was young and often too young to understand are like dreamscapes. The images and emotions associated with them are burned into my brain. I remember the feeling of the opening credits of Return of the Jedi and a packed theatre and how the long wait finally gave way to the bittersweet conclusion of the Star Wars Saga. I also remember a scene from a Woody Allen movie where Allen’s character tries to commit suicide and then the gun slips off his head. I was so confused by the laughter of the crowd, but I continued to hold some of those images in my head. I was pretty young when I saw it. And I also remember Lynch’s “Twin Peaks”. I only saw a couple episodes, but its weirdness initiated me in a lifetime love of Lynch’s movies. And the movie I watched the most in Middle School was Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. To this day, I don’t know why I liked it so much, but me and my friend would record parts of it on audio tape and listen to the “Large Marge” scene and laugh hysterically every time her face changed.

This is what I want to say to Henry about film: I think film is so powerful precisely because it operates on a level beyond or even before narrative. Hitchcock and Augustine are excellent names to bring up in this context. Hitchcock’s stories often follow a psychological reality that is more in keeping with the strengths of filmatic storytelling (David Lynch goes even further with films like “Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive”) than logical narratives. Film really is not so much narrative as it is dream-like. When we’re dreaming, all it takes is a little noise or a word or a name or an image to jettison our dream “story” to another seemingly unrelated scene. This is how film narratives work as well. Augustine is interesting in this context because he recognized that though he could make some progress with the sanctification of his conscious life, he could not control the thoughts of his unconscious life, and so he prayed that Christ would also be lord over his dreams. This is what I think Hitchcock does not do, and is therefore not a great example of Christian film-making. Andrei Tarkovsky, the orthodox Russian iconic film-maker, is very critical of Hitchcock for this and for other reasons, and I think Tarkovsky does a better job of letting the dreamlike sequences of his films follow God’s creational leading and revelation.