Essay about Cinema and Religion - 684 Words

Cinema and Religion Entertainment media are contributing to the emergence of new and novel forms of spiritual and religious phenomena in our contemporary (and past) culture. The essays in this issue explore diverse facets of the morphing relationship between entertainment, spirituality and culture. Over the last century, the cinema has played a vital role in the expression and representation of Judeo-Christian religious practices and beliefs. Early cinema told the life of Christ in the Passion Play and Cecil B DeMille produced two spectacular versions of The Ten Commandments in 1923 and 1956. While cinema represented religious themes and figures, religious institutions also shaped the emergence of this moving image technology and its†¦show more content†¦In our Post-Millennial era the Heavens are the home for satellites rather than angels and the New Age emphasis upon the paranormal and extraterrestrial as alternative avenues for spiritual expression and self-transformation melds with the preva lent sense of an impending apocalypse that was reactivated by the spectacular disappearance of the Twin Towers on our television screens on 9-11, 2001. Where once God may have been a singular entity that designed the world in seven days, the multi-dimensional relationship between new and existing media technologies now activates multiple worlds and multiple entities. The God/s of the Multi-verse take many and multifarious forms from Elvis to Lara Croft and the signs of the Heaven or Hell emerge in the shopping mall, the television screen, the web site and the comic book panel. Our media heroes are worshipped and our creations come to life. The task of media research and theory is to articulate how these Post-Millennial forms of religiosity - how the uncanny spaces and the gods in the multiverse - are shaped by the media. How are these spaces of dread or icons of worship articulated? This issue provides a collection of original research and writing on entertainment forms – past and present. It presents an interdisciplinary focus by collating material from historians, theorists, philosophers and practitioners involved in the study and teaching of art, cinema, literature and new media. However, the advantage of Gods in theShow MoreRelatedImpact of Indian Cinema1090 Words   |  5 PagesIMPACT OF CINEMA ON THE INDIAN SOCIETY Cinema has become the most powerful form of Mass Media since the day it was introduced to the world. The Lumiere Brothers who invented the ‘ Cinematograph’ ( a compact and portable device which with a few adjustments could be used as a projector , camera or a printing machine) declared that the cinema is an invention without a future. The primitive form of cinema were ‘ living photographic pictures’ which attempted to produce reality. If Cinema in realityRead MoreDifference Between American And Japanese Horror Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesSince the early days of filmmaking, Hollywood the dominated over the world cinema. American cinema has always drawn inspiration from other nations. In the past, few countries have received more attention from Hollywood than Japan. There be little doubt that Nakata’s Ringu (1998) has much to do with the recent international interest not just in Japanese cinema, but East Asian cinema more generally. (Colette, 2008) . In America and Europe horror films tell the story of extermination of evil spiritsRead MoreMy Museum Of World Religions Essay1575 Words   |  7 PagesMy Museum of Human Civilization Room 1: Religion â€Å"In the great hall of the museum of World Religions, you will find 10 major religions that were chosen based on history and the number of followers† (1). Today in our first room, we will learn about the â€Å"World’s largest religion that has over two billion followers, and that is Christianity.† Christianity began in the mid-1st century, originating in Judea but quickly spread throughout the world, it has played a major prominent role in the shapingRead MoreScholarship Essay641 Words   |  3 Pagesalways been interested in movies. My grandma, who was full of the wise the life experience left, always knew about my interest in movies. She feed my vain for the art. Even though her religion, she professed Adventist of seven-day religion, didnt let her go to the cinema, she always found the way to took me to the cinema. She and I enjoyed watch movies. We used to sit in the darkness room, with our faces illuminated from the reflection of the light which reboo ted from the screen, both absorbs in theRead MoreI Am A ----Year Old Christian Woman. I Come From Pakistan1256 Words   |  6 Pageslet others join me in my endeavors. In addition to the courses at G-ETS, my hope is to take help from the Religion and Film-ology department at the Northwestern University, and also as interact with people, to get to know their perception of the films that have shaped them and their lives and, how they think social justice is central to their lives. As a form of cultural capital, film and cinema are both reflections of a society’s ideals inasmuch as they are also what the philosopher Louis AlthusserRead MoreThe Role of the Holy Fool in the Context of Danish Cinema1580 Words   |  6 PagesGod’s wishes. In Denmark, Protestant traditions dominate the religious landscape, so the depiction of the holy fool must be adjusted accordingly. In order to understand the role of the holy fool in the context of Danish cinema, it is first necessary to look at the role of religion in Danish society. Starting in 1536, Denmark has transitioned into a country dominated by the Lutheran faith (Olden-Jà ¸rgensen 2002: 69). This transition marked the beginning of the struggle between reason and faith thatRead MoreTaking a Closer Look at Race Films Essay1241 Words   |  5 PagesIn early African American Cinema, filmmakers had a mission to move away from white perspectives on what it meant to be black (Stewart 225). Oftentimes, we would see black actors being portrayed in scenes as the antagonist committing crimes, as in the case of D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation. Soon after Griffith released the film, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux forever changed American Independent Cinema with his â€Å"response† film Within Our Gates, which helped start the advent of race films (NAACP 1). SomeRead MoreEssay on Pure Cinema1702 Words à ‚  |  7 PagesItalian Neo realism; Pure Cinema 1. Ladri de Biccilette [Bicycle Thieves] (Vittorio De Sica) Do you agree with Andre Bazin that Ladri de Biccilette is an example of ‘pure cinema’? (Bazin [1971] p.60). To what extent is such a pure cinema possible and, in your opinion, which Italian Neo-realist film screened on the unit comes closest to it? Explain your reasoning. This essay will address the characteristics of ‘pure cinema’ and the extent of its practical nature. It also seeks to analyseRead MoreThe Monarch Of Morocco : The Ruler Of The Faithful Essay1725 Words   |  7 Pagesdynasty is descended from the prophet Mohamed. He represents the Islamic religion as well as he is the ruler and leader of people: his words are revered and respected by everybody, his person and his royal family are sacred. This state of affair, as Orlando declares, represented a clear impediment regarding the thematic dimension of both Moroccan films and literature. With regards to its development, Orlando explains that Moroccan cinema differed significantly from that of its neighboring nations becauseRead MoreBollywood : The Bollywood Musical Subgenre955 Words   |  4 Pagesproduce â€Å"Bollywood.† It is important to note, however, that not all Indian films are Bollywood movies; Bollywood is representative of Mumbai and is made primarily in Hin di, one of India’s many spoken languages. Tollywood is another form of Indian cinema and its movies are made in Bengali and Telugu. In fact, in his article, â€Å"Surviving Bollywood,† Madhava Prasad explains that the word Bollywood is actually based on â€Å"Tollywood.† In 1932, Wilford E. Deming, an American Engineer who claims to have supervised