Cinematic Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ, considers the life of Jesus as it has been portrayed in such films as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth, The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Passion of the Christ, as well as the more allusive and implicit use of Christ-related themes in Spartacus, Shane, and The Matrix. It looks at the diverse content and often-surprising impact of these and other films, and reveals how these depictions have helped determine, and been determined by, particularly American notions of who Jesus was, how he lived and died, and what he means for both our religious and secular cultures.
Through an objective consideration of these movies, the emergent religious culture of mainstream American film becomes apparent as a central element in Hollywood movies--and in American popular culture at large.
-- Endorsement From Christopher Rowland, Dean Ireland Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture,
University of Oxford
Through an objective consideration of these movies, the emergent religious culture of mainstream American film becomes apparent as a central element in Hollywood movies--and in American popular culture at large.
Reviews
"This cogent and timely study maps the changing culture of mainstream America through a fascinating lens. Humphries-Brooks is doing for the cinematic Jesus what Albert Schweitzer did a hundred years ago for the historical Jesus."-- Endorsement From Christopher Rowland, Dean Ireland Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture,
University of Oxford
