Through a Catholic Lens: Religious Perspectives of 19 Film Directors from Around the World

(Paperback)

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Movies are often examined for subtext and dramatizations of social and psychological issues as well as current movements. Studies of well-known Catholic directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford, have made the search for Catholic themes a reputable field of examination. Through a Catholic Lens continues the search for these themes and examines the Catholic undercurrents by studying nineteen film directors from around the world. Although these directors may or may not be practicing Catholics, their Catholic background can be found in their writing and directing. Each chapter, written by a different contributor, analyzes one film of each director for its Catholic motifs. With the recent increase of cinema studies, this collection will be of interest to students and academics as well as cinema buffs.

Reviews

[A] fascinating collection of essays which should be a first purchase for all academic Catholic libraries....Peter Malone, a respected authority in the field, is to be commended for this excellent contribution. * Catholic Library World *
This superb collection explores the powerful ways that Catholic film-makers have reflected upon their religious upbringing and convictions - and their struggle with their own faith traditions - through their movies. In doing so, it also demonstrates the great diversity within Catholicism, by treating films that emerge not only from American Catholicism, but also from Great Britain, Canada, Latin America and Europe. Nor does it shy away from difficult issues, including crises of faith, the tensions among piety, atheism and agnosticism, and the fraught history of Catholic-Jewish relations. Discussion of the films is enriched by a focus on the directors, and analysis of the impact of their personal histories, including their Catholic identities and their political and cultural contexts, on their movies. A fascinating book that will interest movie-lovers of all religious persuasions. -- Adele Reinhartz, professor and chair, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa

Author Bio

Peter Malone of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart order in Australia has served as president of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. He has written more than twenty-five books on film studies, including the Lights, Camera, Faith: A Movie Lover's Guide to Scripture series (2001-2006), and has reviewed films for various publications for over thirty-seven years. Fr. Malone also lectured in the Yarra Theological Union of the Melbourne College of Divinity.