{"id":227,"date":"2008-01-15T18:29:18","date_gmt":"2008-01-15T23:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christandpopculture.com\/film\/in-praise-of-film\/"},"modified":"2008-01-15T18:29:18","modified_gmt":"2008-01-15T23:29:18","slug":"in-praise-of-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/2008\/01\/in-praise-of-film\/","title":{"rendered":"In Praise of Film"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

One problem with much of the Christian commentary on the arts is that it treats every medium essentially the same. Television, music, film, stage, the internet, literature, and illustrated novels are all treated vaguely as one giant neutral monolith by which culture influences weak Christians. The truth is that these mediums are drastically different in what their primary uses are, how they are received, the amount of influence they can have, and their conditioning effects on our culture.<\/p>\n

In an effort to demonstrate this, as well as to make us more aware and intentional in the ways we consume and interact with pop culture as a whole, I am beginning a series on the benefits and dangers of various mediums.<\/p>\n

This week, I begin by sharing some benefits of the medium of film.<\/p>\n

Film Provides Common Ground<\/strong>
\nWe live extremely individualistic lives. Private rather than public transportation is the norm. Communal living, even with close relatives, is seen as odd and even unacceptable. Recent developments have allowed us to have our news and entertainment tailor made for our tastes. With the variety of television channels, web sites and musical outlets, it\u2019s rare to find any common ground with the average person these days.<\/p>\n

However, for a number of reasons, blockbuster films have become cultural events. Even if someone hasn\u2019t seen the number one film in the country, odds are they have some idea what it\u2019s about. Best of all, usually these films give us opportunities to talk about big ideas. A quick look at last week\u2019s top two movies \u2013 Juno <\/em>and I Am Legend<\/em> \u2013 demonstrates this truth adequately.<\/p>\n

Film Provides Opportunities for Communal Experience<\/strong>
\nA few years ago, Hollywood panicked. With the rise of home theater systems, the increased ease of home movie rental, and the rising costs of movie tickets, theater ticket sales seemed to plummet. Many predicted that movie theaters as we know them would soon die away.<\/p>\n

And yet, this year movie theaters recovered splendidly. Seemingly every other week another film had defied expectations and brought in more money than anyone expected. People may have been watching film at home, but that didn\u2019t stop them from also watching in the theater. The reasons for this are many and varied, but it\u2019s hard to deny the human being\u2019s fundamental desire for community. As much as we hate that annoying couple that talks during the movie, the cell phones going off and the 14-year old theater hoppers, nonetheless we keep returning to one of the only remaining community experiences left.<\/p>\n

Film Often Challenges Our Most Base Instincts<\/strong>
\nWe go to movies with expectations. We want to laugh, cry, cheer for the good guy, or solve a mystery. Sometimes, though, we have expectations that are less than desirable. We want revenge. We want the married woman to leave her husband for the man she\u2019s \u201cmeant\u201d to be with. We want a typical, formulaic \u201chappy\u201d ending. But films, when used rightly, have the ability to draw attention to some of our worst tendencies as human beings. The Kingdom<\/a>, though flawed, does an excellent job at catching us red-handed as we thirst for the blood of our enemies. We want to see them bleed, and not for justice sake, but because it makes us feel good. Juno <\/a>challenges our desire to shirk responsibility and \u201cbe ourselves.\u201d Once <\/a>shows us the glorious happy ending that can result if we just forsake the self-centered \u201chappy ending\u201d we wrote ourselves.<\/p>\n

Film Treats Life Meaningfully<\/strong>
\nWe get our fair share of biopics and tales about people and situations already deemed \u201cimportant,\u201d in the movie theater, but some of the best and most loved stories in film are those that feature normal people. In a culture in which we idolize celebrity, film often embraces the regular guy or girl. Implicit in the film about a regular person is the idea that the story of the regular person is in fact worth telling.
\nBeyond that, life itself<\/em> is given meaning in even the most pessimistic and nihilistic films. When we watch a film, every moment in that film has our undivided attention. We treat each moment as if it is crucial. Even when the character on-screen does not, the viewer <\/em>redeems the time, and seeks out the ultimate meaning in every situation.
\nThis may seem irrelevant to the Christian, but in fact it fulfills one of the greatest needs today: to instill in people a sense that every moment is crucial to the big picture and that life should be lived thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

Film Provides a Rare Means of True Mainstream Art<\/strong>
\nThe average American doesn\u2019t seek out opportunities for artistic experience. Museums are not cultural staples, there are little to no artistic expectations for today\u2019s popular music, and television is more about entertainment than excellence. Every weekend, however, scores of people make their way into theaters and partake in something which \u2013 in addition to being entertaining \u2013 was also often challenging, beautiful, and well-crafted. This is most likely the case because film takes such a long time to produce. Writers and directors know that they\u2019re going to spend a significant fraction of their life on any one film, and the last thing many of them want to do is waste it on something like Norbit<\/a>. Cynics might say that good art is rarely seen at film theaters, but when we compare film with the other popular mediums of the day, one can\u2019t help but admit film\u2019s artistic superiority.<\/p>\n

All of these are benefits that can be missed or ignored by the thoughtless person or the skeptic. In order to reap these benefits, we must watch film with them in mind. As Christians, we musn\u2019t go into a film waiting to be offended. Instead, we must treat film-going as we should any other part of life: making the most of the time, and watching to the glory of God.<\/p>\n

Next week: The Dangers of Film<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One problem with much of the Christian commentary on the arts is that it treats every medium essentially the same. Television, music, film, stage, the internet, literature, and illustrated novels are all treated vaguely as one giant neutral monolith by which culture influences weak Christians. 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Clark is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Christ and Pop Culture. He has a Master of Arts in Theology and the Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Louisville, Ky. He is also the managing editor of Gamechurch and a freelance writer for Unwinnable, Paste, and other outlets. E-mail: clarkrichardh [at] gmail [dot] com. Twitter: @deadyetliving\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christandpopculture\/author\/rclark\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In Praise of Film","description":"One problem with much of the Christian commentary on the arts is that it treats every medium essentially the same. Television, music, film, stage, the internet, literature, and illustrated novels are all treated vaguely as one giant neutral monolith by which culture influences weak Christians. 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