Title
Film as Religion : Myths, Morals, and Rituals / John C. Lyden.
ISBN
9780814752869
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2003]
Copyright
©2003
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Item Number
10.18574/nyu/9780814752869.001.0001 doi
Call Number
PN1995.5 ǂb L89 2003eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
291.1/75
Summary
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2003 Film as Religion argues that popular films perform a religious function in our culture. Like more formal religious institutions, films can provide us with ways to view the world and values to confront it. Lyden contends that approaches which interpret films only ideologically or theologically miss the mark in understanding their appeal to viewers. He develops an alternative method which shows how films can be understood as representing a "religious" worldview in their own right.Lyden surveys the state of the study of religion and film, offering an overview of previous methods before presenting his own. Rather than seeking to uncover hidden meanings in film detectable only to scholars, Lyden emphasizes how film functions for its audiencesQ21;the beliefs and values it conveys, and its ritual power to provide emotional catharsis. He includes a number of brief cases studies in which he applies this method to the study of film genres-including westerns and action movies, children's films, and romantic comedies-and individual films from The Godfather to E.T., showing how films can function religiously.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814751800
Frontmatter
Contents
Introduction
Part I. A Method for Viewing Film as Religion
1. Existing Approaches to Religion and Film
2. The Definition of Religion
3. Myths about Myth
4. Rituals and Morals
5. The Religion-Film Dialogue as Interreligious Dialogue
Part II. Genre and Film Analyses
Introduction
6. Westerns and Action Movies
7. Gangster Films
8. Melodrama, Tearjerkers, and "Women's Films"
9. Romantic Comedies
10. Children's Films and Fantasy
11. Science Fiction
12. Thrillers and Horror Movies
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Name and Subject Index
Film Index
About the Author
