The Celluloid Savior - Religious Studies 407 F'97

Syllabus


Wednesdays12-3:00 Library 211
The Celluloid Savior: Representations of Jesus in Film
Stephenson Humphries-Brooks
Couper 202. Tel: x4280/853-3020.
Hamilton College
Fall 1997

As recent covers of Time and Newsweek proclaim, Americans remain fascinated by Jesus. Major release motion pictures present a variety of images of Jesus to a hungry movie-going population. These images are at times pious, as in Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (the first made for television mini-series, 1977). At other times they are seen as challenges to the proper image of Jesus and may be labeled as blasphemous (e.g. Scorcese's The Last Temptation of Christ [1989]). The public furor created by Last Temptation may prove tame in the near future if Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls) completes his film on Jesus as expected.

Requirements

1). Seminar Participation

2). Web Building

3) Journal

4) Final Project

Class Schedule

The boldface date is the Monday showing of the movie. Normal font date is Wednesday seminar. All movies shown at 7:00 pm. in Physics Auditorium unless otherwise indicated. These are required viewings for the class. You should also see as many Jesus movies as possible for the class. A list of other movies follows this schecule.

Sept 3 Introduction

.... 8, 10 King of Kings

Love and Betrayal: Mary, Judas, and Jesus.

King of Kings (DeMille, 1927) introduces a fictional love triangle between Jesus, Judas and Mary Magdalene that later movies will explore from a variety of angles.

Sept 15, 17 Greatest Story Ever Told

Jesus Goes to Hollywood.

Greatest Story Ever Told (Stevens, 1965) attempts a Hollywood style commentary on the major social issues of the early '60's. Jesus becomes a composite of references to every gospel. The film expresses a deep-seated, modern bewilderment about Jesus' miracles and how they might refer to God.

Sept 22, 24 Gospel According to St. Matthew

Gospel According to St. Matthew (Passolini, 1964)

Passolini develops a script almost without alteration from the Gospel of Matthew. By setting this film among the peasants of Calabria, Italy and using non-professional actors, Passolini demonstrates how easily the story of Jesus shifts and adapts naturally from one culture to another.

Sept 29, Oct. 1 Jesus Christ Superstar The Musical Jesus of the Counterculture.

Jesus Christ Superstar (Lewison, 1973) and Godspell (Greene, 1973) arise out of two different streams of the late 60's early 70's counterculture. Superstar shows Jesus as the countercultural hero of the younger generation. Godspell portrays him as clown, whose parables reveal the secret to true life.

Oct 8 (Wednesday) Open Class, to be decided.

Oct 13, 15 Jesus of Nazareth, Part 3. The Canonical Celluloid Savior.

Jesus of Nazareth, Part 2 (Zeffirelli, 1977) defines Jesus for recent popular imagination. It was the first made-for-TV miniseries and re-airs at Easter yearly. The film uses material from all four gospels. It also includes fascinating material based on other Church traditions about Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, Peter, and Judas. Its most interesting aspect is the explanation of the betrayal by Judas, which is depicted as a mistake.

Oct 20, 22 The Last Temptation of Christ. Sex, Lies, and Jesus Christ.

The Last Temptation of Christ (Scorcese, 1989) despite its explicit treatment of Jesus' sexuality, actually may be the most orthodox in its portrayal of Jesus. Scorcese poses the classical Christian question of how God can exist in a body, and answers it, again classically, by abandoning sex. Most interesting here is the way in which the triangle of Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene occurs again. And this time Judas becomes the hero.

Oct 27, 29 Bram Stoker's Dracula. The Body and the Blood of Eternal UnDeath.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Coppola, 1993) creates Dracula as the prodigal evil brother to Jesus. Dracula gives eternal UnDeath through his blood. Unlike the Jesus of Temptation the love of his woman, Mina, saves him.

Nov 3, 5 Man Facing Southeast. The Psychotic Christ and the God of Vengeance.

The Ruling Class (Medak, 1972) and Man Facing Southeast (Subiela, 1986) pose the question of what would happen if Jesus appeared in the modern world. The dark answer is that he is a psychotic.

Nov 10, 12 Jesus of Montreal. The Media is Religion: Christ as actor; Satan in a Business Suit.

Jesus of Montreal (Arcand, 1989) asks what happens when the high theater of the Passion of Christ bleeds over into the "real" world of the urbane media.

Nov 17, 19 The Second Coming. The African-American Christ

Nov 24 Wings of Desire

Dec 1, 3 Far Away So Close The Word Becomes Flesh.

Wings of Desire and Far Away So Close(Wenders, 1987, 1993) explore in muted allusions images of Jesus. These refer frequently to the Gospel of John. Wenders's handling of the miraculous and watchful "otherworld" as it interacts with the normal historical world may be cinematically the closest anyone has come to the production of a full blown twentieth century myth of the Christ.

Dec 8, 10 On the Waterfront. The Working-Class Savior and the American Dream.

On the Waterfront (Kazan, 1954) plays with scenes, quotations, and allusions to Jesus to raise its anti-hero (Marlon Brando) to become supposed savior of the working man.

RESOURCES

Movies available in Hamilton AV Library


Biographical
1916. Griffith, Intolerance.
1927. DeMille, King of Kings.
1964. Pasolini, The Gospel According to St.Matthew
1965. Stevens, Greatest Story Ever Told .
1973. Lewison, Jesus Christ Superstar.
1977. Zeffirelli, Jesus of Nazareth, Part 2 .
1988. Scorcese, The Last Temptation of Christ .

Allusional
1954. Kazan, On the Waterfront
1971. Lyon, Llanito.
1972. Medak, The Ruling Class.
1975. Russell, Tommy.
1977. Oh God!
1979. The Life of Brian.
1986. Subiela, Man Facing Southeast .
1987. Wenders, Wings of Desire .
1993. Wenders, Far Away So Close.
1989. Arcand, Jesus of Montreal .
1993. Copolla, Bram Stoker's Dracula .
1993. Weir, Fearless.
1993. Underwood, The Second Coming.
1996. Turtletraub, Phenomenon.



Created by Kristin L. Strohmeyer,
Last modified September 3, 1997