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As I mentioned in a prior blog, I believe it is not too far-fetched to think that Jesus would have embraced the use of motion pictures to spread his ideas of salvation through love and grace. He was innovative in his own day and he would use the subtle images and stories to teach.
To reiterate movies should not be as revered as scripture. The Bible is one revelation the primary revelation of God. However, people do not read the Bible as much as they should...and they probably do watch more movies than they should. Fortunately deep theological themes are rife in the movies. The motion picture industry over the last 100 years has produced an extensive library of religious and secular motion pictures with religious themes.
Today I am looking at religious movies. I will not be commenting on films that deal with the Holy Spirit or God the creator. As far as overtly religious films, there are what I call “Jesus-films” and “Christ-films”. In Jesus-films the movie directly brings scripture to the screen and Jesus is narratively present in the film—like Gospels. In Christ-films, the imago Dei is hidden within one of the characters or elements of Christ are dispersed in a number of characters—compare to Epistles.
Archetypal Jesus-films have Jesus as the central figure and are often set in ancient Roman-occupied Palestine such as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Jesus Christ Superstar; the exceptions being films such as: Jesus of Montreal and Godspell.
The allegorical Jesus in Jesus of Montreal is an exceptionally complex character. In this film, Daniel Coulombe is an actor portraying Jesus in a play. As the play is rehearsed and performed, Daniel begins to transform into Christ. This film seems to cross over between the two genres and is a Christ-film with the essence of a Jesus-film. The actors in the movie give the film a Christ-film feel while the play they are performing gives it a Jesus-film quality.
To me the more interesting movie is the archetypical Christ-film which focuses on the spiritual aspect of Christianity. More closely identified with the apostolic letters written to the fledgling churches, the stress is placed on the mysticism of Jesus and encourages us to remain steadfast. The Christ-film is not usually set in the Middle East and in them, Christ-like figures appear who are definitely not Jesus. Of course there are exceptions to all genre distinctions. These films embody the spiritual essence of Jesus to a large extent. Who Jesus was and what Christ represented is open for interpretation. Films such as Pay it Forward, Schindler’s List, Poseidon Adventure and Babette’s Feast feature characters whose self-sacrificing actions benefit both those whom they love and those they don’t even know.
This makes it more appealing to the general public. In overtly religious films, the secular audience would not likely embrace the effort. Important lessons are found in everyday movies and non-Christians would continue to experience religious themes.
By watching more than one aspect of Christ, we gain a greater understanding of the Word made flesh. In this regard the film industry is an ad hoc conglomeration of writers and directors who represent prophets and apostles. The scrolls they produce are motion pictures. We should trust God, believing that we will find the spiritual inspiration that is present in their films. These films are what we have today by way of new stories of life, society, hope and salvation.
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If Jesus were in human form today he would take the time to watch films with his disciples and then discuss what was seen. If we miss any element of film today it is that we cheapen the deliberate and deeply philosophical lessons and sociological themes that directors bring to us in their films by not taking the time to discuss their relevance.
Keep your eyes peeled, you just might see Jesus in the next Spiderman movie you see.
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