Religion and Myth in the Movies:
A Bibliography of Books and Articles in the UC Berkeley Libraries
Books and Videos
Religion
Myth
Journal Articles
Religion
Myth
Books and Articles About Individual Films

Jews in film bibliography
Journal of Religion and Film


Books and Videos: Religion

Agel, Henri.
Le visage du Christ a l'ecran Paris: Desclee, c1985.
Main Stack PN1995.9.J4 A381 1985

Anker, Roy M.
Catching light : looking for God in the movies Grand Rapids, Mich. : William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., c2004.
MAIN: PN1995.5 .A64 2004;

Ayfre, Amedee.
Un cinema spiritualiste / Amedee Ayfre ; textes reunis par Rene Predal ; preface d'Henri Agel. Paris : Cerf ; Conde-sur-Noireau : Corlet, 2004.
Main Stack PN1995.5.A88 2004

Aylmer, Kevin J.
"Towering Babble and Glimpses of Zion: Recent Depictions of Rastafari in Cinema." In: Chanting down Babylon: the Rastafari reader / edited by Nathaniel Samuel Murrell, William David Spencer, and Adrian Anthony McFarlane Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998.
Main Stack BL2532.R37.C43 1998
Music BL2532.R37.C43 1998

Babington, Bruce.
Biblical epics: sacred narrative in the Hollywood cinema / Bruce Babington & Peter William Evans. Manchester ; New York: Manchester University Press ; New York, NY, USA: Distribution exclusively in the USA and Canada by St. Martin's Press, c1993.
Main Stack PN1995.9.B53.B3 1993

Baugh, Lloyd, 1946-
Imaging the divine: Jesus and Christ-figures in film / Lloyd Baugh. Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward, c1997. Communication, culture & theology.
Main Stack PN1995.9.J4.B38 1997

Bazin, Andre
"Cinema and theology." In: Plays, movies, and critics / Jody McAuliffe, editor. Durham [N.C.]: Duke University Press, 1993.
Main Stack PN2020.P57 1993

Bergesen, Albert.
God in the movies: a sociological investigation / Albert J. Bergesen, Andrew M. Greeley ; with a preface by Roger Ebert. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, c2000.
Main Stack PN1995.5.B44 2000

The Bible according to Hollywood [Videorecording]
[produced by] Passport International Productions. [videorecording] [s.l.]: Passport International Productions ; [Westlake Village, CA]: Brentwood Home Video [distributor], c1994.
Media Center VIDEO/C 9318 Library has: Pt. 1-2

Blake, Richard Aloysius.
The Lutheran milieu of the films of Ingmar Bergman / Richard Aloysius Blake. New York: Arno Press, 1978, c1972. Arno Press cinema program. Dissertations on film series. Arno Press cinema program.
Main Stack PN1998.A3.B46144 1978 NRLF #: B 3 188 401

Blake, Richard Aloysius.
The Lutheran milieu of the films of Ingmar Bergman / Richard Aloysius Blake. Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI Dissertation Service, 1989. Arno Press cinema program. Dissertations on film series. Arno Press cinema program.
Moffitt PN1998.A3.B46145 1989

Bliss, Michael
The word made flesh: Catholicism and conflict in the films of Martin Scorsese / by Michael Bliss. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, c1995. Filmmakers series ; no. 45
Main Stack PN1998.3.S39.B65 1998
Main Stack PN1998.3.S39.B65 1995 [earlier edition]

Boyd, Malcolm
Christ and celebrity gods; the church in mass culture. Greenwich, Conn., Seabury Press, 1958.
Main Stack PN1995.5.B6 NRLF #: $B 428 617

Butler, Ivan.
Religion in the cinema. New York, A. S. Barnes [1969] International film guide series
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.B8 NRLF #: $b 384 382

Cawkwell, Tim.
The filmgoer's guide to God London : Darton, Longman and Todd, 2004.
PFA : PN1995.9.R4 C39 2004

Chidester, David.
Authentic fakes : religion and American popular culture Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, c2005.
MAIN: BL65.C8 C455 2005
MOFF: BL65.C8 C455 2005
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0417/2004008504.html

Cinema divinite : religion, theology and the Bible in film
Edited by Eric S. Christianson, Peter Francis and William R. Telford. London : SCM, 2005.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.C56 2005

Coates, Paul
Cinema, religion, and the romantic legacy / Paul Coates. Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT: Ashgate Pub., c2003.
Main Stack PN1995.5.C54 2003

Cunneen, Joseph E.
Robert Bresson : a spiritual style in film New York : Continuum, 2003.
MAIN: PN1998.3.B755 C86 2003

Deacy, Christopher.
Faith in film : religious themes in contemporary cinema Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate Pub., c2005
MAIN: PN1995.5 .D38 2005
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip052/2004023831.html

Deacy, Christopher.
Screen christologies: redemption and the medium of film Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2001. Religion, culture, and society.
Main Stack PN1995.5.D43 2001

Dorsky, Nathaniel.
Devotional cinema Berkeley, Calif. : Tuumba Press, 2005.
MAIN: PN1995.9.R4 D67 2005

Dorsky, Nathaniel.
Devotional cinema Berkeley, CA ; Tuumba Press, c2003.
PFA : PN1995.9.R4 D67 2003
BANC: \p PN1995.9.R4 D67 2003

Dwyer, Rachel.
Filming the gods : religion and Indian cinema London ; New York : Routledge, 2006.
MAIN: PN1993.5.I4 D88 2006
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip067/2006001846.html

Elley, Derek.
The epic film: myth and history / Derek Elley. London ; Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul, c1983. Cinema and society.
Moffitt PN1995.9.H5.E4 1983
Main Stack PN1995.9.H5.E4 1984

Explorations in theology and film: movies and meaning
Edited by Clive Marsh and Gaye Ortiz. Oxford, UK ; Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1998.
Main Stack PN1995.5.E96 1998

Exum, J. Cheryl.
Plotted, shot, and painted: cultural representations of biblical women / J. Cheryl Exum. Sheffield, Eng.: Sheffield Academic Press, c1996. Journal for the study of the Old Testament. Supplement series ; 215 Gender, culture, theory ; 3
Main Stack PN1995.9.B53.E88 1996

Flesher, Paul Virgil McCracken.
Film & religion : an introduction Nashville, TN : Abingdon Press, c2007.
MAIN: PN1995.5 .F54 2007
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip074/2006037351.html

Forshey, Gerald Eugene
American religious and Biblical spectaculars / Gerald E. Forshey. New York: Praeger, 1992. Media and society series.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.F67 1992

Fraser, Peter
Images of the passion: the sacramental mode in film Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1998.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.F73 1998

God in the details: American religion in popular culture
Edited by Eric Michael Mazur and Kate McCarthy. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Main Stack BL2525.G625 2001

Grace, Pamela
"Gospel truth? From Cecil B. DeMille to Nicholas Ray." In: A companion to literature and film / edited by Robert Stam, Alessandra Raengo. Malden, MA ; Oxford: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Blackwell companions in cultural studies ; 7
Electronic location: Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0421/2004017778.html
Main Stack PN1995.3.C65 2004

Herrmann, Jorg
"From Popular to Arthouse: An Analysis of Love and Nature as Religious Motifs in Recent Cinema." In: Mediating religion : conversations in media, religion and culture Edited by Jolyon MItchell and Sophia Marriage. London ; New York : T&T Clark, 2003.
MAIN: P94 .M3627 2003

Herx, Henry
"Religion and film." In: Encyclopedia of the American religious experience: studies of traditions and movements / Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams, editors. New York: Scribner, c1988.
Main Stack BL2525.E53 1988
Doe Refe BL2525.E53 1988 Library has: v.1-3 (c1988)

The hidden God : film and faith
Edited by Mary Lea Bandy, Antonia Monda. New York : Museum of Modern Art, c2003.
MAIN: PN1995.9.R4 H53 2003
PFA : PN1995.9.R4 H53 2003

Hurley, Neil P.
Theology through film [by] Neil P. Hurley. [1st ed.] New York, Harper & Row [1970]
Main Stack PN1995.5.H81 1970

Image & likeness: religious visions in American film classics
Edited by John R. May. New York: Paulist Press, c1992. Isaac Hecker studies in religion and American culture.
Main Stack PN1995.5.I46 1992

Images of Christ: ancient and modern
Edited by Stanley E. Porter, Michael A. Hayes & David Tombs. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, c1997. Roehampton Institute London Papers ; 2
Main Stack BT202.I46 1997

Jasper, David
"Literature and film." In: World Christianities c. 1914-c. 2000 / edited by Hugh McLeod. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Main Stack BR477.W87 2006

Jewett, Robert.
Saint Paul at the movies: the apostle's dialogue with American culture / Robert Jewett. 1st ed. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox Press, c1993.
Moffitt BS2652.J48 1993

Johnston, Robert K.
Reel spirituality: theology and film in dialogue / Robert K. Johnston. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, c2000. Engaging culture.
Main Stack PN1995.5.J59 2000

Johnston, Robert K.
Useless beauty : Ecclesiastes through the lens of contemporary film Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, c2004.
MAIN: BS1475.52 .J64 2004
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0416/2004007267.html

Ketcham, Charles B.
The influence of existentialism on Ingmar Bergman: an analysis of the theological ideas shaping a filmmakers's art Lewiston, N.Y.: E. Mellen Press, c1986. Studies in art and religious interpretation ; v. 5
Main Stack PN1998.A3.B466351 1986
Moffitt PN1998.A3.B46635 1986

Keyser, Lester J.
Hollywood and the Catholic Church: the image of Roman Catholicism in American movies / by Les and Barbara Keyser. Chicago: Loyola University Press, c1984.
Moffitt PN1995.9.C35.K48 1984

King of the Jews[Videorecording]
Written, directed, edited and produced by Jay Rosenblatt. Utilizing Hollywood movies, 1950's educational films, personal home movies and religious films, the filmmaker depicts his childhood fear of Jesus Christ. These childhood recollections of a Jewish youth are a point of departure for larger issues, including the roots of Christian anti-semitism. The film recontextualizes the history of Christianity by placing Jesus firmly in the Judaic tradition. 18 min.
Media Resources Center Video/C 7838

Kinnard, Roy
Divine images: a history of Jesus on the screen / by Roy Kinnard and Tim Davis. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, c1992.
Main Stack PN1995.9.J4.K5 1992

Kreitzer, L. Joseph (Larry Joseph)
Pauline images in fiction and film: on reversing the hermeneutical flow / Larry J. Kreitzer. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, c1999. biblical seminar ; 61
Main Stack PN56.B5.K74 1999

Loughlin, Gerard.
Alien sex: the body and desire in cinema and theology / Gerard Loughlin. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Challenges in contemporary theology. Electronic location:
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip046/2003015211.html
Main Stack BT741.3.L68 2004

Lyden, John
Film as religion: myths, morals, and rituals / John C. Lyden. New York: New York University Press, c2003.
Main Stack PN1995.5.L89 2003
Table of contents (via Google books)

Malone, Peter.
Movie Christs and antichrists / Peter Malone. New York: Crossroad, 1990.
Moffitt PN1995.9.J4.M35 1990

Marsden, Michael T.
"Western Films: America's Secularized Religion." In: Movies as artifacts: cultural criticism of popular film / edited by Michael T. Marsden, John G. Nachbar, and Sam L. Grogg, Jr. pp: 105-114, Chicago: Nelson-Hall, c1982
Main Stack PN1993.5.U6.M67 1982
Moffitt PN1993.5.U6.M67 1982

Martin, Thomas M.
Images and the imageless: a study in religious consciousness and film / Thomas M. Martin. 2nd ed. Lewisburg [Pa.]: Bucknell University Press ; London: Associated University Presses, c1991.
Main Stack PN1995.5.M37 1991

May, John R.
Nourishing faith through fiction: reflections of the Apostles' Creed in literature and film / John R. May. Franklin, Wis.: Sheed & Ward, c2001. Communication, culture & theology.
Main Stack PN49.M389 2001

McDonogh, Gary W. Wong, Cindy Hing-yuk.
"Religion and Representation in the Filmic South." In: Images of the South: constructing a regional culture on film and video / Karl G. Heider, editor. pp: 24-54 Athens: University of Georgia Press, c1993. Southern Anthropological Society proceedings ; no. 26
Anthropology PB1995.9.S66.I4 1993

Mckee, Gabriel
The Gospel according to science fiction : from The twilight zone to the final frontier Louisville : Westminster John Knox Press, c2007.
MAIN: PS374.S35 M4 2007

Miles, Margaret Ruth.
Seeing and believing: religion and values in the movies/ Margaret R. Miles. Boston: Beacon Press, c1996.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.M56 1996
Contents: pt. I. Religion in popular film. Moving shadows: religion and film as cultural products -- "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?": The Last temptation of Christ; Jesus of Montreal -- Seeing (as if) with our own eyes: The Mission; Romero -- Not with my other: representing Islam and Judaism in a dominantly Christian society: Not without my daughter; The Chosen; Chariots of fire -- There is a bomb in Gilead: Christian fundamentalism in popular film: The Handmaid's tale; The Rapture. pt. II. Race, gender, sexuality, and class in popular film. "Older, wiser, stronger": representation and self-representation: The Long walk home; Daughters of the dust -- Good clean fun: Love in popular film: Thelma and Louise; The Piano -- Bodies, pleasures, and pains: Jungle fever; Paris is burning -- What you see is what you get: religion and values in movies.

Moses, Gavriel
"The Bible as cultural objects(s) in cinema." In: A companion to literature and film / edited by Robert Stam, Alessandra Raengo. Malden, MA ; Oxford: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Blackwell companions in cultural studies ; 7
Electronic location: Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0421/2004017778.html
Main Stack PN1995.3.C65 2004

New image of religious film
John R. May, editor. Kansas City, MO: Sheed & Ward, c1997. Communication, culture & theology.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.N48 1997

Paietta, Ann Catherine
Saints, clergy, and other religious figures on film and television, 1895-2003 Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., c2005.
Main PN1995.9.S234 P35 2005

Pavlik, Katherine B.
"The Bible into Film: 'Bring on the Dancing Girls' or 'Throw Them to the Lions, Sire'." In: Florida State University Conference on Literature and Film (6th: 1981: Tallahassee, Fla.) Transformations in literature and film : selected papers from the Sixth Annual Florida State University Conference on Literature and Film / edited by Leon Golden. pp: 84-97 Tallahassee: University Presses of Florida, 1982.
Main Stack PN1995.3.F55 1981

Prigent, Pierre.
Ils ont filme l'invisible : la transcendance au cinema Paris : Cerf, 2003.
MAIN: PN1995.5 .P75 2003

Reinhartz, Adele
Scripture on the silver screen / Adele Reinhartz. 1st ed. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, c2003.
Main Stack PN1995.5.R45 2003

Religion and popular culture in America
Edited by Bruce David Forbes and Jeffrey H. Mahan. Rev. ed. Berkeley : University of California Press, c2005.
Main Stack BL2525.R4613 2005
Moffitt BL2525.R4613 2005
Contents: The Oriental monk in American popular culture / Jane Naomi Iwamura -- Consecrating consumer culture: Christmas television specials / Robert J. Thompson -- Re-mythologizing the divine feminine in The Da Vinci code and The secret life of bees / Jennie S. Knight -- Like a sermon: popular religion in Madonna videos / Mark D. Hulsether -- Evangelicals and popular music: the contemporary Christian music industry / William D. Romanowski -- The internet and Christian and Muslim communities / Greg Peterson -- The cross at Willow Creek: seeker religion and the contemporary marketplace / Stewart M. Hoover -- It's about faith in our future: Star trek famdom as cultural religion / Michael Jindra -- Losing their way to salvation: women, weight loss, and the salvation myth of culture lite / Michelle M. Lelwica -- An American apotheosis: sports as popular religion / Joseph L. Price -- The church of baseball, the fetish of Coca-Cola, and the potlatch of rock 'n' roll / David Chidester -- The disguise of vengeance in Pale rider / Robert Jewett -- Rap music and its message: on interpreting the contact between religion and popular culture / Anthony Pinn -- The gender dynamics of the Left behind series / Amy Johnson Frykholm -- Conclusion: establishing a dialogue about religion and popular culture / Jeffrey H. Mahan

Religion in film
Edited by John R. May and Michael Bird 1st ed Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, c1982
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.R4 1982
Moffitt PN1995.9.R4.R4 1982

Representing religion in world cinema: filmmaking, mythmaking, culture making
Edited by S.... ist Palgrave Macmillan ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Religion/culture/critique ; 2
Main Stack PN1995.5.R47 2003
">Contents via Google books

Rosenberg, Joel.
"What the Bible and Old Movies Have in Common." In: Beyond the biblical horizon : the Bible and the arts / edited by J. Cheryl Exum. Leiden ; Boston, Mass. : Brill, 1999.
Main Stack NX661.B48 1999

Runions, Erin.
How hysterical: identification and resistance in the Bible and film / Erin Runions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Religion/culture/critique.
Main Stack PN56.S48.R86 2003

Ryan, Judylyn S.
Spirituality as ideology in Black women's film and literature Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2005.
MAIN: PN1995.9.N4 R93 2005
PFA : PN1995.9.N4 R93 2005;
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip057/2005001760.html

Sanders, Theresa
Celluloid saints: images of sanctity in film / Theresa Sanders. 1st ed. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2002.
Main Stack PN1995.9.R4.S345 2002
Contents: What is a saint? -- Celluloid saints -- Holy blood -- Ascetics and mystics -- Make disciples of all nations -- The miracle worker -- Blessed are the poor -- Saints and Auschwitz -- Hail Mary -- Saint or psychotic?.

Sayre, Nora.
"Cold War Biblicals." In: Running time: films of the Cold War / Nora Sayre. New York: Dial Press, c1982.
Main Stack PN1993.5.U6.S315 1982

Schreck, Nikolas.
The satanic screen London : Creation, 2001.
MAIN: PN1995.9.H6 S342 2001

Scott, Bernard Brandon, 1941-
Hollywood dreams and biblical stories / Bernard Brandon Scott. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, c1994.
Moffitt PN1995.9.R4.S36 1994

Screening scripture: intertextual connections between scripture and film
Edited by George Aichele and Richard Walsh. Harrisburg, Pa.: Trinity Press International, c2002.
Main Stack PN1995.5.S35 2002

Screening the sacred: religion, myth, and ideology in popular American film
Edited by Joel W. Martin, Conrad E. Ostwalt, Jr. Boulder: Westview Press, 1995.
Main Stack PN1995.5.S36 1995
Contents: 1. On finding a non-American revelation : end of days and the Book of Revelation / Richard Walsh -- 2. Of Gods and demons : blood sacrifice and eternal life in Dracula and the Apocalypse of John / Tina Pippin -- 3. Atomic anxiety in Cold War Britain : science, sin and uncertainity in nuclear monster films / Neal R. McCrillis -- 4. Alienation, sex, and an unsatisfactory ending : themes and features of stories old and new / Ralph J. Brabban -- 5. Coming-of-age in The Prince of Egypt / Jennifer Rohrer-Walsh -- 6. Sitcom mythology / George Aichele -- 7. Non-sense : total recall, Paul and the possibility of psychosis / Roland Boer -- 8. Gazing at impotence in Henry King's David and Bathsheba / Julie Kelso -- 9. Why girls cry : gender, melancholia, and sexual violence in Ezekiel 16 and Boys don't cry / Erin Runions -- 10. Meeting Patch again for the first time : purity and compassion in Marcus Borg, the Gospel of Mark, and Patch Adams / Jeffrey L. Staley -- 11. Learning from the Life of Brian : saviors for seminars / Carl Dyke -- 12. The characterization of Martin Riggs in Lethal weapon 1 : an archetypal hero / Fred Burnett -- 13. Paradoxical protagonists : Sling blade's Karl and Jesus Christ / Mark Roncace.

The silents of God: selected issues and documents in silent American film and religion, 1908-1925
Compiled by Terry Lindvall. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2001.
Main Stack PN1995.5.S58 2001

Sison, Antonio D.
Screening Schillebeeckx : theology and third cinema in dialogue New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
MAIN: PN1995.5 .S625 2006
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0659/2006044751-t.html

Tatum, W. Barnes.
Jesus at the movies: a guide to the first hundred years / W. Barnes Tatum. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Polebridge Press, c1997.
Main Stack PN1995.9.J4.T37 1997

Vollmer, Ulrike.
Seeing film and reading feminist theology : a dialogue New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
MAIN: PN1995.5 .V65 2007

Wall, James McKendree
Church and cinema; a way of viewing film, by James M. Wall. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans [1971]
Main Stack PN1995.9.E9.W271

Walsh, Richard G.
Reading the Gospels in the dark: portrayals of Jesus in film / Richard Walsh. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, c2003.
Main Stack PN1995.9.J4.W35 2003

War games: Hollywood's power and philosophy [videorecording]
Presented by Reel to Real Ministries. Gainesville, FL: Reel to Real Ministries [production company] ; Cleveland: American Portrait Films [distributor], c1992. VHS. Unholy Hollywood [videorecording] ; 1
Media Center VIDEO/C 3559
"An expose of the spiritual realities behind Hollywood entertainment. Seeks to expose sin, inspire repentance, and present a compelling strategy for reforming the arts."

Wright, Melanie Jane
Religion and film : an introduction London ; New York : I.B. Tauris ; New York : Distributed in the U.S. by Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
MAIN: PN1995.9.R4 W75 2007

Journal Articles: Religion

Alston, Macky
"Filmmaking as Spiritual Practice and Ministry." Cross Currents, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 76-83, Spring 2004
UC users only

Anker, Roy M.
"Lights, Camera, Jesus." (Film Portrayals Of Jesus) Christianity Today May 22, 2000 V44 I6 P58 (3954 Words)
UC users only

Austin, Ronald (ed.).
"Screening Mystery: The Religious Imagination in Contemporary Film." Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion. 20 1998 Summer.

Bazin, Andre.
"Cinema and Theology." South Atlantic Quarterly. 91 (2): 393-407. 1992 Spring.

Beavis, Mary Ann.
"'Angels Carrying Savage Weapons': Uses of the Bible in Contemporary Horror Films." Journal of Religion and Film. 7 (2): 29 paragraphs. 2003 Oct.

Bendle, Mervyn F.
"The Apocalyptic Imagination and Popular Culture." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, vol XI, Fall 2005

Berkey-Gerard, Mark
"Woody Allen & the sacred conversation: if God has a sense of humor, who gets it?" The Other Side Jan-Feb 1997 v33 n1 p60(3) (1848 words)
UC users only
"The films of Woody Allen tie comedy to theology. The combination is rare in Western culture but important because it reveals the nature of human beings. Most moral questioning is dry and serious. Allen's is entertaining and comic and suggests that God, too, has a sense of humor. An understanding of God is incomplete unless it includes the comedy of life." [Expanded Academic Index]

Blake, Richard.
"From Peepshow to Prayer: Toward a Spirituality of the Movies."Journal of Religion and Film, Vol. 6 No. 2 October 2002

Blake, Richard Aloysius.
"Ingmar Bergman's Post-Christian God: Silent, Absent, and Female." Religion and the Arts. 1 (3): 27-45. 1997 Summer.

Blake, Richard Aloysius.
"Looking for God: Profane & Sacred in the Films of Woody Allen." Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 19 no. 2. 1991 Summer. pp: 58-66.

Blake, Richard Aloysius.
"Redeemed in blood. The sacramental universe of Martin Scorsese." Journal of Popular Film and Television Vol XXIV nr 1 (Spring 1996); p 2-9
Explores the relationship between Catholicism and the films of M.S., focusing on how the Catholic elements in his films express his perception of himself and the world.
For other works dealing with Catholicism and the films of M. Scorsese see separate Scorsese bibliography

Bottomore, Stephen
"Projecting for the Lord - the work of Wilson Carlile." Film History Vol XIV nr 2 (2002); p 196-209
Traces the career of one of the first ministers to make use of the film medium: Wilson Carlile.

Brunstad, Paul Otto
"Jesus in Hollywood – The Cinematic Jesus in a Christological and Contemporary Perspective." Studia Theologica Volume 55, Number 2 / December 1, 2001 Pages: 145 - 156

Buckley, William F.Jr.
"Looking for God in Hollywood." (Column) National Review June 30, 1997 v49 n12 p59(1) (855 words)
UC users only
"New York Post film critic Michael Medved made a documentary about the manner in which religion in portrayed in motion pictures. The film shows scenes from 50 movies. Hollywood overwhelmingly portrays religion in a negative light."

Carreras-Kuntz, María Elena de las
"The Catholic vision in Hollywood: Ford, Capra, Borzage and Hitchcock."Film History Vol XIV nr 2 (2002); p 121-135
Deals in detail with a particularly Catholic vision of four well-known Hollywood directors: Ford, Capra, Borzage and Hitchcock.

Cheng, Scarlet .
"Rending the Veil: The Search for the Spiritual in Recent Cinema." World and I April 1999 v14 i4 p116
UC users only
"Hollywood is always searching for attention-grabbing concepts it can sell an audience in a preview trailer and advertising campaign, but such exciting advertisements do not make a film a certain success. The 1998 Robin Williams movie "What Dreams May Come" was visually pleasing but its plot was confusing. Other 1998 movies dealing with the afterlife, angels or ghosts, also failed." [Expanded Academic Index]

Comstock, W. Richard.
"Religious Transcendence and the Horizons of Culture: Observations on the Role of Religion in American Film." Revue Francaise d'Etudes Americaines. 6 (12): 275-289. 1981 Oct.
"Discusses film as a means to express, in D. W. Griffith's words, "currency"; traces its ability to influence religious thought and political ideals; and summarizes the history of the medium since 1896." [America: History and Life]

Eby, Lloyd.
"Is Hollywood hostile to religion?" Current July-August 1998 n404 p26(4)
UC users only
"The movie industry's conflicting attitudes towards religion illustrate the uneasy relationship between the two sectors. While the industry has produced films that malign religion, some producers have also created movies that emphasize the importance of religion and spirituality." [Expanded Academic Index]

Elkin, Frederick
"God, Radio, and the Movies" Hollywood Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 2. (Winter, 1950), pp. 105-114.
UC users only

Elliott, Andrea.
"Muhammad At the Movies: Venerated, and Animated." (Metropolitan Desk) The New York Times Nov 15, 2004 pB1(L) col 01 (23 col in)

Forshey, G.
"Popular religion, film and the American psyche." The Christian Century v. 97 (April 30 1980) p. 489-93

Geier, Thom.
"Hollywood hosannas: why are filmmakers suddenly respectful about matters of faith?" (religion in motion pictures) U.S. News & World Report Jan 26, 1998 v124 n3 p73(2) (941 words)
UC users only

Greeley, Andrew M.
"A God who plays it by ear." (various images of God in recent motion pictures)(The Catholic Imagination in Popular Film & Television) Journal of Popular Film and Television Summer 1991 v19 n2 p67(5)

Greeley, Andrew M.
Images of God in the Movies." The Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 1, No. 1 April 1997

Hall, Sheldon.
"Selling Religion: How To Market A Biblical Epic." Film History 2002 14(2): 170-185.
"Describes the marketing and publicity for the film The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), one of the last of the epic Hollywood films with biblical themes. Director George Seaton insisted the film was exceptional in its reverence for the story of the life of Christ, but it was a critical and commercial failure that audiences found no different from other biblical spectacles." [America: History and Life]

Jaffar, Ali.
"Babylon's turning.(religious movies are the latest trend in Hollywood)." Sight and Sound 16.1 (Jan 2006): 5(1).
The latest trend in Hollywood movies is that of religious movies like The Chronicles of Narnia, The passion of the Christ etc. The fastest money-spinner market for Hollywood movies is faith-based audiences.

Johnson, Brian D.
"Jesus on celluloid." Maclean's March 8, 2004 p28(2)

Jump, Herbert A.
"The religious possibilities of the motion picture." Film History Vol XIV nr 2 (2002); p 216
UC users only
Reprint of a pamphlet printed in 1910 by the minister of the South Congregational Church in New Britain, Conn. on the positive use of films.

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Christian communication in the popular cinema: Cross imagery, cruciform poses and pieta stances." Nebula: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Scholarship, 4(1), 143-165. (2007)

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Hollywood Hermeneutics: A Religion-and-Film Genre for the 21st Century." Film Journal, vol. 1, no. 11, pp. [no pagination], Winter 2005

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"The holy cinema: Christianity, the Bible and popular films." Colloquium: The Australian and New Zealand Theological Review, 38(2), 182-205.(2006).
Held by Graduate Theological Union Library

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Religious Film Fears 1: Satanic Infusion, Graven Images and Iconographic Perversion." Quodlibet Journal Volume 5 Number 2-3, July 2003

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Religious Film Fears 2: Cinematic Sinfulness." Quodlibet Journal Volume 5 Number 4, October 2003

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Religious Film Fears 3: Being Sacrilegious, Criticising or Devaluing the Faith." Quodlibet Journal Volume 7 Number 2, April - June 2005

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Sacred cinema: Exploring Christian sensibilities within popular Hollywood films." Journal of Beliefs & Values, 28(2), 195-208, 2007.

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"Sacred subtexts and popular film: a brief survey of four categories of hidden religious figurations." Journal of Contemporary Religion Volume 18, Number 3 / October 2003
"Sacred subtexts have had a long and honourable history in popular cinema, but they have not always been easily recognised by audiences. The critical literature was reviewed and four taxonomic categories of subtexts were identified, selected, and explicated herein, namely: (a) Christ-figures, (b) New Testament-figures, (c) Old Testament/Hebraic figures, and (d) Buddhist parallelism. An ad hoc survey of these subtextual religious figurations proved to be numerous, complicated, and insightful. As an act of applied cinema, their pursuit is useful for a post-millennial religious education tailored for the video generation. Further research into what pop culture's cinematic sages are saying about contemporary religiosity was recommended, whether as an academic pursuit or a Christian duty to scrutinise the signs of the times (Matt. 16_3)." [Ingenta]

Kozlovic, Anton Karl
"The Structural Characteristics of the Cinematic Christ-figure." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, vol VIII, Fall 2004
UC users only
Christ-figures are built into many popular films, particular in the science fiction genre, but they are frequently ignored by critics, unappreciated by film fans, or resisted by anti-religionists. Conversely, believers sometimes want to see them where none credibly exist, thus religiously distorting their reading of the films. So, what can be legitimately called a cinematic Christ-figure? Previous calls for research into this area have been overlooked, but given the pervasiveness of Christ-figure films today, it is now opportune to address that scholarly deficiency. Using textually-based, humanist film criticism as the analytical lens, the critical literature is reviewed, the popular cinema scanned, and twenty-five structural characteristics of the Christ-figure are identified and explicated. Numerous examples are used to illustrate the genre points raised. It is concluded that the Christ-figure film is a legitimate pop culture phenomenon, and that as a living genre, its usage will be undiminished in the foreseeable future. Further research into Christ-figures, holy subtexts and the emerging interdisciplinary field of religion-and-film is recommended.

Leab, Daniel J.
"Introduction: film and religion." Film History Vol XIV nr 2 (2002); p 119-228
UC users only
Special issue devoted to the treatment of religion by various filmmakers and societies

Lewis, Kevin
"Rev. Herbert Jump and the motion picture." Film History Vol XIV nr 2 (2002); p 210-215
Discusses the efforts of a Protestant minister, Rev. Herbert A. Jump to embrace the cinema as an educational medium to further the aims of his church. Followed by a reprint of Rev. Jump's pamphlet.

Lindvall, Terry.
"Religion and film: Part I: history and criticism." Communication Research Trends Dec 2004 v23 i4 p1 (33792 words)
UC users only

Lyden, John.
"To Commend or to Critique? The Question of Religion and Film Studies." Journal of Religion and Film. 1 (2): (no pagination). 1997 Oct.

Mahan, Jeffrey H.
"Celluloid Savior: Jesus in the Movies." Journal of Religion and Film. 6 (1): 40 paragraphs. 2002 Apr.

McEver, Matthew
"The Messianic Figure in Film: Christology Beyond the Biblical Epic." The Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 2, No. 2 October 1998

Marsh, Clive.
"Religion, Theology and Film in a Postmodern Age: A Response to John Lyden." Journal of Religion and Film. 2 (1): (no pagination). 1998 Apr.

Martinez-Echazabal, Lourdes.
"The Politics of Afro-Cuban Religion in Contemporary Cuban Cinema." Afro-Hispanic Review. 13 (1): 16-22. 1994 Spring.

May, John R.
"Close Encounters: Hollywood and Religion after a Century." Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion. 20: 87-100. 1998 Summer.

Matties, Gordon.
"Religion & Film: Capturing the Imagination." Journal of Religion and Film. 3 (1): (no pagination). 1999 Apr.

McEver, Matthew
"The Messianic Figure in Film: Christology Beyond the Biblical Epic." The Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 2, No. 2 October 1998
With the decline and fall of the religious epic, christology (the study of the person of Christ) in film has moved into genres outside of the biblical spectacular. Deliberate attempts to harmonize the Gospels and offer a literal rendition of the life of Jesus have proven mediocre to some and offensive to others. What has proven more successful is the Messianic Figure: a formula in which the central character is a non-conformist or unlikely redeemer who transforms lives and ultimately undergoes martyrdom. Four films offer the prototype of such a character: Cool Hand Luke (1967), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Dead Poets Society (1989), and most recently Sling Blade (1997).

Monserrate, Carey (ed. and introd.).
"The Passion of Cinema: Religion, Film, and Visual Ethics." Cross Currents. 54 (1): 4-156. 2004 Spring.
UC users only

Mork, Gordon R.
"Dramatizing the Passion: From Oberammergau to Gibson." Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 85-92, Spring 2005
UC users only

Morris, Michael.
"Looking for Reel Religion." Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion. 20: 72-78. 1998 Summer.

"Motion-picture as a handmaid of religion."
Literary Digest v. 65 (May 15 1920) p. 46-7

Musser, Charles
"Passions and the passion play: theatre, film and religion in America, 1880-1900." Film History Vol V nr 4 (Dec 1993); p 419-456
On protestant attitudes towards the staging of passion plays in late 19th century America, and the effect the introduction of film had upon religious objections to the representation of the story.

Nelson, Richard Alan
"Commercial propaganda in the silent film: a case study of A Mormon maid (1917)." Film History Vol I nr 2 (1987); p 149-162
Discusses the film and the publicity for it as an example of propaganda against minority religions.

Nelson, Richard Alan
"Mormons as silent cinema villains: propaganda and entertainment." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television Vol IV nr 1 (1984); p 3-14
A number of films from the USA, UK and Denmark are examined to trace the anti-Mormon campaign during this period.

Niebuhr, Gustav.
"Spiritual values are in, but, please, no sermonizing; religious themes have a long history in Hollywood, but today's cinematic spirituality departs from chapter-and-verse literalism." The New York Times Sept 1, 1996 v145 s2 pH7(N) pH7(L) col 1 (48 col in)

Nolan, Steve.
"The Books of the Films: Trends in Religious Film-Analysis." Literature & Theology: An International Journal of Theory, Criticism and Culture. 12 (1): 1-15. 1998 Mar.

Norden, Edward.
"Holy Hollywood!" (filmmakers' view of religious beliefs) Commentary Nov 1992 v94 n5 p51(2)
"The motion picture industry traditionally omitted religious topics, in spite of openness to religion in the US. Two 1992 films, 'Sister Act' and 'A Stranger Among Us,' promote positive attitudes towards orthodox beliefs" [Expanded Academic Index]

Oakes, Edward T.
"Luther, the movie." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life Jan 2004 i139 p20(2) (1131 words)
UC users only

Ostwalt, Conrad.
"Religion & Popular Movies." Journal of Religion and Film. 2 (3): (no pagination). 1998.

Ostriker, Alicia.
"Whither Exodus? Movies as Midrash." Michigan Quarterly Review. 42 (1): 139-50. 2003 Winter.

Pally, Marcia.
"The Cinema as Secular Religion." Cineaste: America's Leading Magazine on the Art and Politics of the Cinema. 23 (3): 32-33. 1998.

Peavy, C.D.
"The secularized Christ in contemporary cinema."Journal of Popular Film and Television Vol III nr 2 (Spring 1974); p 139-155

Plate, S. Brent.
"The Re-creation of the World: Filming Faith." Dialog: A Journal of Theology Volume 42 Page 155 - June 2003
UC users only
"This essay is about the connection of two worlds: the world "out there," and the re-created world seen on screen and experienced through religious myth and ritual. It is about the similarity between the way films are constructed and the way religious practices are constructed. Film and religion each begin with space and time, but re-create both: Film does this through cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing, while religions achieve this by setting apart particular objects and periods of time, through the telling of stories, and the gathering together of people focused on a common object, text, or image. The hypothesis here is that by paying attention to the ways films are constructed, we can shed light on the ways religious myths and rituals are constructed, and vice versa.' [Blackwell]

Plate, S. Brent.
"Religion/Literature/Film: Toward a Religious Visuality of Film." Literature & Theology: An International Journal of Theory, Criticism and Culture. 12 (1): 16-38. 1998 Mar.
UC users only

Pointer, M.
"Good gods and bad." American Film Vol I nr 10 (Sept 1976); p 60-64
Hollywood's approach to religious films and religion in films.

"Reflections on the Uncritical Appropriation of Cinematic Christ-Figures: Holy Other or Wholly Inadequate?." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 13 (Summer 2006): NA.
UC users only

Reinhartz, Adele
"Jesus in Film: Hollywood Perspectives on the Jewishness of Jesus." Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 2, No. 2 October 1998

Reinhartz, Adele
"Passion-ate Moments in the Jesus Film Genre." Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 8 Special Issue No. 1 February 2004

Reinhartz, Adele
"Scripture on the Silver Screen." Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 3, No. 1 April 1999

"Religion and the media."
Velvet Light Trap nr 46 (Fall 2000); p 1-91
Special issue addressing religion (Judeo-Christian) and/in contemporary film and other media

"Religion on film: new status of cinema.."
Time v. 82 (September 20 1963) p. 78-82

Renick, Kyle
"For Christ's Sake: A Brief History of Music for Jesus Movies." Film Score Monthly 9:3 [March 2004] p. 18-21, 23-24, 48

Rothman, Stanley.
"Is God Really Dead in Beverly Hills? Religion and the Movies" The American Scholar. 65 (2): 272-78. 1996 Spring.
"Hollywood filmmakers have mostly turned away from traditional Judeo-Christian religious traditions in films since the 1960s. Instead, current films seem to focus on the power of evil in the world, as in 'The Exorcist' and 'Rosemary's Baby' or the supernatural, as in 'Beetlejuice' and 'The Shining.' Science fiction films, such as 'Star Wars,' have replace God with the concept of omnipotent natural forces. Studies show that the number of film characters defined as practicing one of the major religions has declined from 19% between 1945-1956 to just 4% in films since 1976." [Expanded Academic Index]

Shafer, Ingrid
"Introduction: the Catholic imagination in popular film and television." Journal of Popular Film and Television Summer 1991 v19 n2 p50(8)
Introduces the special issue by describing the concepts of Catholic and Protestant imaginations and analysing their implications for popular film and tv production and criticism.

"Sin and cinema." [religion through movies].
American Magazine v. 140 (December 1945) p. 156

Schroeder, Caroline T.
"Ancient Egyptian Religion on the Silver Screen: Modern Anxieties about Race, Ethnicity and Religion." Journal of Religion and Film. 7 (2): 25 paragraphs. 2003 Oct.

Shaw, Tony.
"Martyrs, Miracles, And Martians: Religion And Cold War Cinematic Propaganda In The 1950s."Journal of Cold War Studies 2002 4(2): 3-22.
UC users only
"Examines Cold War film propaganda in the 1950's, when the cinema was enjoying its last period as the dominant visual mass entertainment form in both the West and the East. This article concentrates on the role that religion played as a theme of propaganda, primarily in British and American movies, but also in some of the Soviet films released during the decade. The article explores the relationship between film output and state propagandists to show how religious themes were incorporated into films dealing with Cold War issues and considers how audiences received the messages contained within these films. The article therefore builds on scholarship of the 1990's that highlights the importance of ideas and culture during the Cold War by looking at the adoption and adaptation of religion as a tool of propaganda." [America: History and Life]

Singer, M.
"Cinema savior." [Jesus Christ in films, past and present]. Film Comment v. 24 (September/October 1988) p. 44-9

Smilgis, Martha
"Hollywood goes to heaven; filmmakers are haunting theaters with a horde of afterlife movies. Is it a search for the Almighty or just the almighty buck?" Time June 3, 1991 v137 n22 p70(2) (1306 words)
UC users only

Smith, Jeffery A.
"Hollywood Theology: The Commodification of Religion in Twentieth-Century Films." Religion and American Culture, Vol. 11, No. 2. (Summer, 2001), pp. 191-231.
UC users only

Stone, Bryan P.
"Religion and Violence in Popular Film." Journal of Religion and Film. 3 (1): 43 paragraphs. 1999 Apr.

Stone, Bryan P.
"The Sanctification of Fear: Images of the Religious in Horror Films." Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 5, No. 2 October 2001

Sullivan, Rebecca
"Celluloid sisters: femininity, religiosity, and the postwar American nun film." Velvet Light Trap nr 46 (Fall 2000); p 56-72
UC users only
"Assesses the representation of nuns in American films of the fifties and sixties, arguing that they made viable a contradictory ideology for women, at once passive and independent, at the border of old notions of femininity and new emphases on women's social concerns." [FIAF]

Toensing, Holly Joan.
"''Who Do You Say That I Am?'': Identity and Discipleship in The Last Supper and the Gospel of Mark' [1].(portrayal of Jesus Christ in movies)." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 14 (Fall 2006): NA.
UC users only

Tooze, G. Andrew.
"Moses and the Reel Exodus." Journal of Religion and Film. 7 (1): 51 paragraphs. 2003 Apr.

Torry, Robert
"The Wrath of God: Hollywood Religious Epics and American Cold War Policy." Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 67-86, Summer 2005

Wall, James M.
"Theology and film." Theology Today 62.1 (April 2005): 74(4).
Several academics and religionists who are not willing to give any space for American movies in their publications often dismiss them, even though movies are important for the American public. There is a need for the evocative power of the arts, including film so that inner souls can be focused upon.

Walsh-Pasulka, Diana.
""Passion Tickets Bear Mark of Beast!" Otherworldly Realism, Religious Authority and Popular Film." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 11 (Fall 2005): NA.
UC users only

Watkins, Greg
"Seeing and Being Seen: Distinctively Filmic & Religious Elements in Film." Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 3, No. 2 October 1999

Williams, Peter W.
"Religion Goes to the Movies.." Religion and American Culture. 10 (2): 225-39. 2000 Summer.
UC users only
"Reviews five monographs on the portrayal of religion in films: Gregory D. Black's The Catholic Crusade against the Movies, 1940-1975 (1998), Gerald E. Forshey's American Religious and Biblical Spectaculars (1992), Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in Popular American Film (1995) edited by Joel W. Martin and Conrad E. Ostwalt, Jr., Margaret R. Miles's Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies (1996), and Bernard Brandon Scott's Hollywood Dreams and Biblical Stories (1994). The works address the Legion of Decency's influence on the themes Hollywood pursued, the changing depictions of Jewish and Christian clergy and culture, and the cultural resonances of bibilical extravaganzas." [America" History and Life]

Wollheim, P.
"Latter-Day Screens: A History of Mormons and the Movies." Afterimage v. 33 no. 6 (May/June 2006) p. 26-9
UCB users only
"The writer traces the history of Mormons and films. He charts the representation of Mormons in movies, from explicitly anti-Mormon themes in early Hollywood films to the current emergence of independent films targeted at a Mormon audience. He describes this independent cinema as a significant measure of Mormonism's new self-confidence and continuing cinematic savvy, in which creative energies and moral constraints mirror each other while also vying for domination. He concludes that Mormon cinema merits greater attention, given the larger interplay of religion, ethnicity, identity, and consumerism in American society." [Art Index]

Books and Videos: Myth

Andriano, Joseph
Immortal monster: the mythological evolution of the fantastic beast in modern fiction and film Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
MAIN: PS374.M544 A53 1999

Classical myth & culture in the cinema
Edited by Martin M. Winkler. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
MAIN: PN1995.9.M96 C59 2001;

Ferrell, William K.
Literature and film as modern mythology Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000.
Contents: pt. 1.ch. 1.ch. 2.pt. 2.ch. 3.ch. 4.ch. 5.ch. 6.ch. 7.ch. 8.pt. 4.ch. 9.ch. 10.ch. 11.ch. 12.pt. 5.Journey begins --In the beginning --Reading the novel and the film --Knights and heroes --Hope springs eternal --"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank redemption" by Stephen King --Search for laughter --One flew over the cuckoo's nest by Ken Kesey --Romantic heroes never die --Shane by Jack Schaefer -- pt. 3.Rites of passage --Return to matriarchy --Color purple by Alice Walker --Finding yourself in a lost world --English patient by Michael Ondaatje --Steep hills of Thalia, Texas --Last picture show by Larry McMurtry --Morality and magic --"Good" politician is hard to find --All the king's men by Robert Penn Warren --Heaven comes to Iowa --Shoeless Joe/Field of dreams by W.P. Kinsella --Finding morality in a bullring --Sun also rises by Ernest Hemingway --Politics and the public --Being there by Jerzy Kosinski -- Closure.
Main Stack PN1995.3 .F47 2000

Mackey-Kallis, Susan.
The hero and the perennial journey home in American film Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, c2001.
MAIN: PN1995.9.H54 M33 2001

Journal Articles: Myth

Books/Articles About Individual Films

Hail Mary (Je Vous Salue, Marie) (Jean-Luc Godard)

King of Kings (DeMille)

Kundun (Martin Scorsese)

Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese)

The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe

Alleva, Richard.
"No Tame Lion: 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.("It All Began with a Picture")." Commonweal 133.1 (Jan 13, 2006): 22(2).

Kaveney, Roz.
"Into the woods again.(The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)(Movie review)." TLS. Times Literary Supplement 5358 (Dec 9, 2005): 17(1).

Law, Shirley.
"Into the wardrobe: imagining and re-imagining Narnia.(The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)(Critical essay)." Metro Magazine 148 (Spring 2006): 10(8).
UC users only

McGrath, Charles
"The Narnia Skirmishes: C. S. Lewis and His Christianity-Laced 'Chronicles' Have Always Invited Interpretation and Controversy. Disney's Movie Version Won't Change That." New York Times Magazine, pp. 98-101, November 2005.

Moore, Caroline.
"War of the worlds: Caroline Moore finds the atheism of Philip Pullman more violently propagandist than the Christianity of C.S. Lewis.(Critical Essay)." Spectator 299 (Dec 24, 2005): 32(3).
UC users only

Newman, Kim.
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.(Movie Review)." Sight and Sound 16.2 (Feb 2006): 47(2).

Weinkopf, Chris.
"Movie Messiah: could the lion behind the new Narnia movie bring a springtime to Hollywood?." The American Enterprise 17.1 (Jan-Feb 2006): 35(4).

The Passion of Christ

Allen, Nicholas P.L.
"Gibson's Passion: flogging a dead horse?(movie director Mel Gibson and his movie "The Passion of the Christ")(Critical essay)." Journal of Literary Studies 21.1-2 (June 2005): 164(29).
UC users only
"This article attempts to place Gibson's The Passion of the Christ in a more objective context, by attempting to focus on the real significance of Gibson's film in the light of Christianity's theological import and its possible interpretation(s) for a contemporary Western world. In this regard, the film is evaluated from a number of interrelated perspectives, viz: Gibson's avowed intentions, historical accuracy, the known development of the canonical Gospels, the theological teachings of both contemporary and sectarian Catholics and most importantly, the phenomenon of the film itself. The author concludes that Gibson, who clearly views his faith through the mediation of often violent film imagery, rather than serious theological insights, has pandered to the needs of a cinema-going public that is largely incapable of responding to subtlety because it has become visually punch-drunk by so much celluloid brutality and technological special effects. As a result, this film undermines its own purpose of conversion to Christianity due to its message of hate, violence and bigotry. In addition, it has the potential to undermine any reconciliation between Jewish and Christian groups." [Expanded Academic Index]

Alleva, Richard
"Torturous: Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ'." (Screen)(Movie Review) Commonweal March 12, 2004 v131 i5 p18(2) (1536 words)
UC users only

"Anti-semitism and false alarms." (The public square: a continuing survey of religion, culture, and public life)(reaction to "The Passion of the Christ") First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life August-Sept 2004 i145 p92(2) (890 words)
UC users only

Arenas, Amelia.
"Between Pleasure and Horror: Watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics. 12 (1): 1-15. 2004 Spring-Summer.

Beal, Timothy K.
"'The Passion': They Know Not What They Watch." Chronicle of Higher Education. 50 (28): B14-B15. 2004 Mar 19.

Berger, David
"Jews, Christians, and "The Passion"." (Movie Review) Commentary May 2004 v117 i5 p23(9) (7095 words)
UC users only

"Beyond the Passion of Our Christ." Africa News Service April 2, 2004 pNA (3244 words)
UC users only

Bosco, Mark.
"Brutally real: why 'The Passion' appeals to young people." (Movie Review) Commonweal May 7, 2004 v131 i9 p18(3) (1728 words)
UC users only

Boys, Mary C.
"I didn't see any anti-semitism": why many Christians don't have a problem with the Passion of the Christ." (Critical Essay)Cross Currents Spring 2004 v54 i1 p8(8) (2859 words)
UC users only

Brintnall, Kent L.
"Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and the politics of resurrection." English Language Notes 44.1 (Spring 2006): 235-240.
UC users only
"A study compares Mel Gibson's 2004 film, 'The Passion of the Christ' with the Hollywood male-hero action genre to offer a reading of the codes of masculinity operating within the film. Reading Gibson's film alongside action films may help understand that the most politically troublesome image in the Christian symbolic is not the crucifixion, but rather the resurrection." [Expanded Academic Index]

Brown, Stephen J.
"Celluloid Jesus." Sight and Sound. 14 (4): 18. 2004 Apr.

Callahan, Tim.
"Blood and passion: a review of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and an analysis of who really killed Jesus." (Movie Review) Skeptic (Altadena, CA) Spring 2004 v11 i1 p85(2) (1970 words)
UC users only

Caterson, Simon.
"The persecution of the martyr." (The Passion of the Christ)(Movie Review)Quadrant April 2004 v48 i4 p73(3) (1740 words)
UC users only

Childs, Hal
"The Eye of Suffering: Reflections on The Passion of the Christ." Pastoral Psychology Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 329 - 335
UC users only
This reflection on Mel Gibson's Passion views the movie as myth and takes an archetypal perspective on the role of suffering in the deep transformation of both person and God. My approach is intentionally in contrast to most liberal reviewers who have taken issue with the movie from historical perspectives.

Christiansen, Drew.
"Reverence over reason? Jews question the Catholic reaction to 'The Passion of the Christ'." America August 2, 2004 v191 i3 p12 (1398 words)
UC users only

Cooper, Simon.
"Ecce Pomo: Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ is much more a product of this society than its proponents or critics would like to admit." (cooper's last)(Movie Review) Arena Magazine April-May 2004 i70 p50(2) (1753 words)
UC users only

Cooper, Thomas.
"Of Anti-Semitism, Romans de Sade, and Celluloid Christianity: The Cases For and Against Gibson’s Passion." Journal of Media and Religion 2005, Vol. 4, No. 4, Pages 251-268
UC users only
Although enormously successful at the box office and popular among most traditional Christians, Mel Gibson's feature film The Passion of the Christ also proved highly controversial due to its graphic violence, interpretation of scripture, and especially Gibson's depiction of Jewish characters. Indeed the allegations of anti-Semitism against the film and against Gibson are impetus for this research. A detailed empirical inspection of The Passion of the Christ compares the images of and dialogue by Jews, Romans, believers in Jesus, and others with a shot-by-shot analysis to assess whether the film or Gibson might be said to be anti-Semitic. Consideration of Nietzsche's (1901/1967) perspectivism, Goffman's (1974) framing, and the ethics of distribution and representation inform the analysis.

Corliss, Richard
"The Goriest Story Ever Told: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is a well-made film. That doesn't mean you'll want to see it." (Arts/Movies)(Movie Review) Time March 1, 2004 v163 i9 p64 (1033 words)
UC users only

Cunningham, Philip A. .
"A dangerous fiction: 'The Passion of the Christ' and post-conciliar Catholic teaching." America April 5, 2004 v190 i12 p8 (1725 words)
UC users only

Denton-Borhaug, Kelly
"A Bloodthirsty Salvation: Behind the Popular Polarized Reaction to Gibson's The Passion." Journal of Religion and Film, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. [no pagination], Spring 2005

Donohue, John W.
"Of many things." ("The Passion of the Christ") , America April 19, 2004 v190 i14 p2 (682 words)
UC users only

Edelheit, J.A.
"The Passion of the Christ and Congregational Interfaith Relations." Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies vol 33, no 3, 2005
UC users only

Edwords, Fred
"A dispassionate appraisal." ('The Passion of the Christ')(Movie Review) The Humanist May-June 2004 v64 i3 p40(2) (853 words)
UC users only

Fisher, Eugene J..
"After the maelstrom: Catholic-Jewish relations in the wake of a new film." America (190:12) 2004, 12-14. (2004)

Fox, Matthew.
"Mel Gibson's passion and fascism's piety of pain." (Jesus the Jew)(Movie Review) Tikkun May-June 2004 v19 i3 p41(3) (2389 words)
UC users only

Frohnen, Bruce.
"The Passion's severe mercy." (COMMENT) Modern Age Fall 2004 v46 i4 p374(8) (4397 words)
UC users only

Girard, Rene. Doran, Robert (translator).
"On Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." Anthropoetics: The Journal of Generative Anthropology. 10 (1): (no pagination). 2004 Spring-Summer.

Glick, David
"Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ Seen Through Jewish Eyes." Pastoral Psychology Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 285 - 289
UC users only
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has stirred up long simmering tensions between Christian, and Jews. This article, by someone of the Jewish faith who has for many years worked at a Presbyterian seminary, discusses Gibson's morbid—almost pornographic—fascination with violence, Gibson's theology of sin and atonement, and the dangers of Gibson's disparaging and inflammatory portrayal of Jews through the use of despicable stereotypes. Gibson's violence drenched Christianity is contrasted with a more tolerant Christianity rooted in love and justice.

Grace, Pamela.
"Sacred savagery: The Passion of the Christ." (Critical Essay) Cineaste Summer 2004 v29 i3 p13(5) (4851 words)
UC users only

Greenberg, Irving.
"Anti-Semitism in 'The Passion': a rabbi reflects on Mel Gibson & the Gospels." (Critical Essay) Commonweal May 7, 2004 v131 i9 p10(4) (2697 words)
UC users only

Griffiths, A.
"The Revered Gaze: The Medieval Imaginary of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"." Cinema Journal v. 46 no. 2 (Winter 2007) p. 3-39

Heschel, Susannah
"The Passion of America." (Jesus the Jew)(macho Jesus?)(Movie Review) Tikkun May-June 2004 v19 i3 p44(2) (997 words)
UC users only

Hitchens, Christopher.
"When Mel had a hammer: as Jesus is nailed to the cross, the hands wielding the hammer are those of Mel Gibson himself." (Op-Ed) Free Inquiry June-July 2004 v24 i4 p15(2)
UC users only

Horowitz, Marc.
"Take, beat: the violent mission of Mel Gibson's Christ." Sound & Vision Oct 2004 v69 i8 p101(1)

Hutch, Richard
'Mel Gibsonrs's Big Gamble: The Passion of Christ." Pastoral Psychology Issue: Volume 53, Number 4 Date: March 2005, Pages: 337 - 340
UC users only
"Mel Gibson's film is a creative reworking of opportunities provided by migrating to Australia as a boy and a life-long desire to be reconciled to his father, Hutton Gibson. If the film is read as a study in psychology and biography, then biblical and theological critiques, along with contemporary politically correct stances towards what Gibson did, can be set temporarily aside in search of a larger trajectory of meaning implicit in the film. The embodied nature of the film, along with other violent films in which Gibson starred in the past three decades, points to wellsprings of "power in the blood." Violence becomes an idiom of reconciliation with authority. Gibson's relationship to his father plays a major role in such a reading of the film. A continuous reconciliation with his father is evident not only in thematic continuities over the course of Mel Gibson's professional acting career and starring roles. It also structures the director's construction of Christ's Passion. A desire "not to be forsaken" gives rise to this idiosyncratic and controversial film, itself a cinematic statement about Gibson's own personal spiritual torment." [Springer]

Jacobs, S.L.
"Jewish 'Officialdom" and The Passion of the Christ: Who Said What and What Did They Say?" Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies vol 23, no 3, 2005
UC users only

James, Nick.
"Hell in Jerusalem." Sight and Sound. 14 (4): 15-18. 2004 Apr.

Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: the film, the gospels and the claims of history
Edited by Kathleen E. Corley and Robert L . Webb. London ; New York: Continuum, 2004.
Main Stack PN1997.2.P39.J47 2004
Contents: Introduction:The Passion, the gospels, and the claims of history /Robert L. Webb and Kathleen E. Corley --pt. 1.The Passion as a film-viewing experience: responding to the film as a whole.Hymn to a savage God /John Dominic Crossan --The power of The Passion: reacting and over-reacting to Gibson's artistic vision /Mark Goodacre --pt. 2.The Passion as story: evaluating the film's characterization and plot.The flashbacks in The Passion: story and discourse as a means of explanation /Robert L. Webb --The betrayal of Jesus and the death of Judas /Scot McKnight --Satan and the demons /Mark Allan Powell --Mary and the other women characters /Kathleen E. Corley --The Jewish leaders /Alan F. Segal --Pilate and the Romans /Helen K. Bond --The trials of Jesus /Glenna S. Jackson --The procession and the crucifixion /Craig A. Evans --pt. 3.The Passion as art: considering the film's artistic influences.The Passion in the history of Jesus films /W. Barnes Tatum --The Passion, classical art and re-presentation /David J. Goa --The Passion and the influence of Emmerich's The dolorous Passion of our lord Jesus Christ /Robert L. Webb --Conclusion:The Passion, the gospels, and the claims of history /Kathleen E. Corley and Robert L. Webb.

Kauffmann, Stanley
"On Films - Gibson's Offering." (The Passion of the Christ)(Movie Review) The New Republic March 22, 2004 p22 (1078 words)
UC users only

Kille, D. Andrew
"More Reel than Real: Mel Gibsonrsquos The Passion of the Christ." Pastoral Psychology Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 341 - 350
UC users only
Responses to Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ have run the gamut from high praise to condemnation for excessive violence and antisemitism. Outlining some key observations of the psychology of antisemitism, this article explores how Gibson's film may or may not be antisemitic. It further explores whether Gibson's cinematic technique guides the viewer to a specific understanding of Jesus' crucifixion and its meaning, drawing on theories of meaning-making and interpretation proposed by Umberto Eco and Norman Holland and René Girard's theory of sacrificial violence and the scapegoat.

Kistner, Ulrike.
"The passion of The Passion--return of the public spectacle?(analysis of the movie "The Passion of the Christ")(Critical essay)." Journal of Literary Studies 21.1-2 (June 2005): 143(12).
UC users only

Klawans, Stuart.
"Adaptation." (The Passion of the Christ)(Movie Review) The Nation March 29, 2004 v278 i12 p34 (1801 words)
UC users only

Klawans, Stuart.
"Blind faith." ("The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson)(Movie Review) Stuart Klawans. The Nation March 15, 2004 v278 i10 p34 (1778 words)
UC users only

Krondorfer, Bjorn
"Mel Gibson's alter ego: a male Passion for violence." (Critical Essay) Cross Currents Spring 2004 v54 i1 p16(6) (2486 words)
UC users only

Kurtz, Paul
"The Passion as a Political weapon: Gibson's film is extra-biblical and deceptive." (Movie Review) Free Inquiry June-July 2004 v24 i4 p50(4) (3675 words)
UC users only

Leone, Massimo
"A Semiotic Comparison Between Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to Saint Matthew." Pastoral Psychology Issue: Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 351 - 360
UC users only
The purpose of this article is to draw a comparison between Mel Gibson's and Pier Paolo Pasolini's filmic representations of the Passion of Jesus through semiotic instruments of analysis.

Madden, Ronald
"The Passion of the Christ: A Modern Mystery Play." Journal of Religion and Health Volume 43, Number 3 September 2004 Pages: 247 - 252
UC users only
In a review article the author reflects upon the recent film by Mel Gibson in the tradition of the medieval mystery play. As the biblical story of human origins begins in a garden, so too does this story of the birth of a new creation brought into being by the suffering of Jesus. With an understanding and acceptance of Jesus' unique vocation as the Christ, Mary is a central figure of spiritual empowerment to her son as he fulfills his mission

Martin, James.
"Of many things." (Mel Gibson and "The Passion of the Christ") America March 8, 2004 v190 i8 p2 (682 words)
UC users only

Masson, Sophie
"Cathedral of the imagination: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." (Critical Essay) Quadrant May 2004 v48 i5 p74(5) (4322 words)
UC users only

McDonald, Neil
"Mel Gibson's gospel." (Film)(The Passion of the Christ)(Movie Review) Quadrant April 2004 v48 i4 p70(3) (1977 words)
UC users only

McFarlane, Brian
"Mel Gibson's passion and 'the passion of the christ': in view of the extraordinary lead-up to The Passion of the Christ, it has been harder than usual to approach this film cold." (Critical Essay) Metro Magazine Spring 2004 i140 p14(6) (3121 words)
UC users only

Mel Gibson's Bible : religion, popular culture, and The Passion of the Christ
Edited by Timothy K. Beal and Tod Linafelt. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, c2006.
MAIN: BR115.C8 M278 2006
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0513/2005014261.html

Moore, J.F.
"Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ: A Protestant Perspective." Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, vol 23, no 3, 2005
UC users only

Morey, Anne.
"The languages of The Passion.(The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson)." English Language Notes 44.1 (Spring 2006): 241-245.
"A study examines the rhetorical and generic consequences of the use of Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew, rather than English, in Mel Gibson's 2004 film, 'The Passion of the Christ'. It contends that the potential perversity of the choice of these ancient languages confers several hidden advantages, addressing concerns about ways of breathing new life into the Christ film, seizing the advantage of 'authenticity', and addressing foreign audiences within the idiom of the action film." [Expanded Academic Index]

Musselman, Elizabeth A. ,
"Bad little boys: the children of 'The Passion'." (Critical Essay)Commonweal May 7, 2004 v131 i9 p21(2) (1195 words)
UC users only

Newman, Herta
"The Gospel according to Mel Gibson." (analysis of the movie The Passion of the Christ)(Critical Essay) Midstream Nov-Dec 2004 v50 i7 p21(2) (1841 words)
UC users only

Nickell, Joe.
"'Visions' behind The Passion." (Special Report)(Influence of "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by Anne Catherine Emmerich, a vision-seeing nun, on Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ") Skeptical Inquirer May-June 2004 v28 i3 p11(3) (2321 words)
UC users only

O'Brien, Geoffrey.
"Throne of Blood." Film Comment. 40 (3): 26-29. 2004 May-June.
UC users only

Ohad-Karny, Yael
"Anticipatingrdquo Gibsonrsquos The Passion of the Christ: The controversy over Cecil B. De Millersquos The King of Kings."Jewish History Volume 19, Number 2 June 2005 Pages: 189 - 210
UC users only
Cecil. B. De. Mille's epic production The King of Kings (1927), though not the first to recreate a Passion Play, raised first a quiet and then a more public Jewish outcry, which lead to rancor and, eventually, changes, if minor, in the film. The Anti-Defamation League also reached an agreement with the Motion Picture Producers Association allowing it to preview potentially problematic films. Jews were especially outraged at De Mille's pernicious portrayal of Caiaphas, but saw the film in its entirety as arousing anti-Semitism. De Mille himself felt misunderstood. By contrast, Mel Gibson's, The Passion of the Christ (2004), which uses cinema realite to create a sense of horror, evoked an immediate public uproar, although with no concessions on Gibson's part. Following the story of reactions to The King of Kings compared to reactions to The Passion of the Christ provides important perspective on the evolving Jewish self image in the United States between 1927 and today.

Parenti, Michael.
"Jesus, Mel Gibson, & the demon Jew." (blood guilt)("The Passion of the Christ") The Humanist Sept-Oct 2004 v64 i5 p22(4) (2405 words)
UC users only

"The Passion of Christ" (special issue) Journal of Religion and Film

Pizzato, Mark
"A Post-9/11 Passion: Review of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." Pastoral Psychology Volume 53, Number 4: March 2005 Pages: 371 - 376
"Gibson's film extends a long tradition of Euro-American passion plays and martyr dramas, related also to the ritual sacrifice of ldquogod-actorsrdquo in other cultures. Yet, the extreme violence of this popular religious movie involves the devotional dangers of cinematic sadomasochism and melodramatic paranoia, with Jews, Romans, and devils as villainous stereotypes–as well as the potential value of tragic catharsis–on a vast scale for today's mass-media audience, especially in the post-9/11 context." [Expanded Academic Index]

Pollitt, Katha .
"The protocols of Mel Gibson." The Nation March 29, 2004 v278 i12 p9 (1014 words)
UC users only

Rambo, Lewis R.
"Engaging The Passion of the Christ: Editorial Introduction to the Special Issue." Pastoral Psychology Issue: Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 281 - 284
UC users only

Reinhartz, Adele
"Jesus of Hollywood - From D.W. Griffith to Mel Gibson." (Critical Essay) . The New Republic March 8, 2004 p26 (3862 words)
UC users only

Re-viewing The passion : Mel Gibson's film and its critics
Edited by S. Brent Plate. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
Main Stack PN1997.2.P39.R4 2004
Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/hol052/2004057277.html

Rhonheimer, M.
"Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ": A Plea for Fairness." Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, Winter 2005
UC users only

Robertson, Stuart D.
"A view from the pew on Gibson's Passion.(The Passion of the Christ)(Mel Gibson)." Shofar 23.3 (Spring 2005): 105(5).
UC users only

Ronan, Marian
"Mel Gibson's Passion and the Many Uses of Christ's Suffering." Pastoral Psychology Issue: Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 377 - 380
UC users only
" Many Christians resonated with Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. The film's sympathetic portrayal of Pontius Pilate reinforces the sense of victimization Americans have experienced since 9/11, however, and obscures the real meaning of Christ's suffering."

Sandmel, David Fox
"Jews, Christians, and Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"." Judaism 53,1-2 (2004) 12-20

Sandmel, David Fox
"Jews, Christians, and Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Text Jews, Christians, and Gibson's The Passion of the Christ." Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought Wntr-Spring 2004 v53 i1-2 p12(9) (4021 words)
UC users only

Segal, Alan F.
"'How I Stoppedworrying about Mel Gibson and Learned to Love the Quest for the Historical Jesus': A Review of Mel Gibson’S the Passion of the Christ." Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, Vol. 2, No. 2, 190-208 (2004)
UC users only
The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson has proven to be a mass-cultural phenomenon. This article compares it with the recent film The Gospel of Johnand then evaluates the film under three rubrics: (1) artistic and religious merit, (2) historical accuracy, and (3) anti-Semitism. The relationship between these two films and the problem of the historical Jesus is investigated.

Shargel, Raphael
"The exaltation of brutality." (On Screen)(The Passion of the Christ)(Movie Review) The New Leader March-April 2004 v87 i2 p32(3) (2656 words)
UC users only

Snyders, F.J.A.
"The Passion of the Christ: behind the mask of violence.(Critical essay)." Journal of Literary Studies 21.1-2 (June 2005): 193(8).
UC users only
"The film The Passion of the Christ is discussed in terms of its possible provocative and hidden messages in the service of particular interest groups and political alliances. Violence is viewed as persuasive communication, and the possible psychological effects of such a search for power and dominance are illustrated." [Expanded Academic Index]

Steyn, Mark .
"Seeing salvation." (Cinema)(Movie Review) Spectator March 27, 2004 v294 i9164 p68(2) (1116 words)
UC users only

Strijdom, Johan.
"Suffering for a worthy cause?: the misplaced focus of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.(movie actor and director Mel Gibson)(Critical essay)." Journal of Literary Studies 21.1-2 (June 2005): 155(9).
UC users only
"This contribution offers an ideological criticism of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ from the perspective of historical Jesus studies. It is argued that Gibson's fundamentalistic hermeneutics gives rise to at least two ethical concerns that need critical reflection: the charge of anti-Semitism and the problematic doctrine of vicarious suffering. A social-historical paradigm, informed by the humanities, is offered as alternative." [Expanded Academic Index]

Stuart, Laird J.
"Reflections on The Passion of the Christ." Pastoral Psychology Issue: Volume 53, Number 4 March 2005 Pages: 381 - 383
UC users only
The purpose of this article is to offer pastoral reflections on the movie by Mel Gibson entitled The Passion of the Christ.

Walsh, Richard
"Wrestling with The Passion of the Christ At the movies with Roland Barthes and Mel Gibson." The Bible and Critical Theory Volume 1, No. 2, 2005
UC users only
"Gibson offers his spectacle of Christ suffering as a reel sacrament. To do so, he writes the Hollywood passion hero and the legalistic Western Christian myth over Jesus, or lifts the sign of Jesus' suffering into those mythic orders. In the West, as Gibson's success shows, this myth often masquerades as the nature of things. This myth transforms us into bastards who consume the suffering of others at a safe distance. We can confess this myth, as if it were a hierophany, or we can wrestle with it, exposing it as an interpretation." [Expanded Academic Index]

Wieseltier, Leon.
"The Worship of Blood - Mel Gibson's lethal weapon." (The Passion of the Christ)(Critical Essay) The New Republic March 8, 2004 p19 (2899 words)
UC users only

Whalen, Tom .
"The Passion of Mel Gibson." Literature-Film Quarterly July 2004 v32 i3 p240(4)
Mel Gibson's film, 'The Passion of the Christ' exposes its venerable cinematic underthings to the viewer. Gibson's film is capable of sustaining pain beyond normal human limits.

"Who Killed Jesus? Mel Gibson's powerful but troubling new movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' is reviving one of the most explosive questions ever. What history tells us about Jesus' last hours, the world in which he lived, anti-Semitism, Scripture and the nature of faith itself." (Cover Story) Newsweek Feb 16, 2004 p44 (5116 words)
UC users only

Widdecombe, Ann .
"Mel Gibson and the passion: why the Jews are wrong." (Observations)(Critical Essay) New Statesman (1996) April 5, 2004 v133 i4682 p18(1) (689 words)
UC users only

Woodward, Kenneth L.
"The Passion's passionate despisers." (Opinion)("The Passion of the Christ") First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life June-July 2004 i144 p13(4) (2656 words)
UC users only

Zuckerman, Bruce.
"Where are the flies? Where is the smoke? The real and super-real in Mel Gibson's The Passion.(The Passion of the Christ)." Shofar 23.3 (Spring 2005): 129(8).
UC users only

Ten Commandments (DeMille)


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