Why are Christian Movies So Bad?
by Dallas JenkinsAs I mentioned in my last article, Hollywood is more interested in Christian, or “faith-based,” films than ever. The mind-blowing success of “The Passion” got it started, but then it waned as studios couldn’t quite figure out how to match that success. It heated up again recently with the success of the micro-budget, church-produced “Fireproof,” which was the highest grossing indie of 2008.
These trends beg a few questions. What took Hollywood so long to discover the Christian market? Why can’t they replicate even half the success of “The Passion?” And when Christians make up over half the population, why are faith-based films still relegated to the low-budget, straight to DVD world? The seemingly obvious answer would be that there are few Christians in Hollywood, both at the studio and creative level, but even that would raise the question of why.
I think I know the reason(s), although it’s a bit embarrassing because I happen to be a Christian evangelical. But we must face the truth, and as Dr. Phil so eloquently and charmingly puts it, “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.” The fact is, Christian movies have been pretty bad for a few decades. Yes, Hollywood had largely ignored the Christian market, but it’s not like there have been good examples for Hollywood to learn from. And now that Hollywood is actively seeking faith-based material, there’s still a lack of quality scripts and filmmakers available, with a few exceptions, and among the films that are being made in this genre, there are still more crappy ones than good ones.
There are plenty of reasons for this, but four stand out, in no particular order:
1. The Christian community abandoned Hollywood a few decades ago. Until 1968, the Catholic Church had a direct influence on what Hollywood produced with the “Production Code.” After the code was abandoned and movies became more risque, American Christians became disenfranchised with Hollywood. Over time, the distance between Hollywood and the church became greater, especially as many artists made movies that mocked or attacked the church or its traditions. Instead of trying to influence Hollywood by becoming a part of it, Christians avoided it and told their children to do the same. The only time that Hollywood heard from Christians was when boycotts occurred.
2. Even though Christians didn’t want to see evil Hollywood films or listen to evil secular music, they still wanted to see movies and listen to music like everyone else. So what were they to do if the acceptable choices from Hollywood were so few and far between? They created a Christian entertainment subculture, where Christian movies and music were made by Christians, for Christians. Christian bookstores exploded, as families could feel safe shopping in an environment where the only entertainment available was Christian-based. Now Christians had no need to communicate to Hollywood what they wanted because they could get it from Christian media providers, and the relationship between Hollywood and the Christian community became even more distant. Combine the cynicism of Christians towards Hollywood with the annoyance or ignorance of Hollywood towards Christians, and you’ve got the perfect divorce.
3. In “Christian film,” you’ve got a genre defined entirely by its message. There is nothing else like this in entertainment, other than perhaps “gay films,” but because there are so many more gay people in Hollywood than Christians, gay characters show up in mainstream films more than Christian characters do, thereby reducing the need or desire for films devoted exclusively to a gay theme. This has not happened with Christianity in film, so the “Christian film” sub-genre remains alive and growing.
The problem is that everyone knows good art should always put story and character above message. Message films are rarely exciting. So by their very nature, most Christian films aren’t going to be very good because they have to fall within certain message-based parameters. And because the Christian audience is so glad to get a “safe, redeeming, faith-based message,” even at the expense of great art, they don’t demand higher artistic standards. So aspiring filmmakers who are Christians have little need to perfect their craft, and Christian investors have little need to spend a lot of money because the message is going to be most important anyway. Add in the fact that the average heartland Christian couldn’t care less what a critic thinks–if anything, they assume they’ll feel the opposite of a movie critic–and you’ve got even less incentive for Christian filmmakers to be obsessed with quality.
To be fair, this trend isn’t exclusive to Christian entertainment. Horror films are similar in that they don’t need good reviews or higher budgets to deliver the goods to their core audience. And of course, in no genre is this more the case than porn. Even Christian movies are higher quality than porn films. Not that I would know.
4. The above points all lead to one predominant problem: young Christians aren’t encouraged or trained to become great artists. If a young Christian wants to become a filmmaker, they are often either discouraged to do so because Hollywood is so dangerous, or if they do find encouragement, they have a hard time getting proper training. There are two primary things that can foster someone becoming a better artist: one, seeing and being inspired by hundreds of great films, and two, getting a great artistic education. For better or worse, many parents won’t allow their kids to see some of the great films (because of questionable content), and many Christian kids are discouraged from attending the best film schools (also because of questionable content). This not only impacts potential filmmakers, but actors as well.
Therefore, when Hollywood starts to pursue more faith-based films and filmmakers (which they have), they find the cupboard bare. So even if and when they decide to make a faith-based film, they have a hard time finding great Christian filmmakers or actors, which affects both the film and the publicity. A name actor in an action or comic book film is willing to go to Comic-con to promote their film to film buffs and nerds; they know they need to go where the core fans are. This publicity is necessary of course. But if they starred in a faith-based or Biblical film, are they going to go to a church or a Christian convention to promote it to the core fans? Not likely.
Yes, it’s true that Hollywood should do a better job of understanding and relating to the heartland Christian audience. But at some point the Christian community needs to know its role in the problem. I’m talking to myself here, too. I’m a Christian, I’m a filmmaker. I’ve made a few films, and they were pretty good, but they weren’t good enough. I’ve got to get better. We can complain all we want about how Hollywood doesn’t reflect our values, but we lose that right if we’re not producing great projects and artists of our own.
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740 Comments
You make some good points.
I take issue with this statement: “The Christian community abandoned Hollywood a few decades ago.” Firstly, there are some closet Christians in Hollywood, although it is true there should be more. Secondly, some Christians didn’t abandon Hollywood, but were driven out. They were, in fact, targets of a blacklist as demonstrated by the atheist, Ayn Rand, and others. Thirdly, as Hollywood became increasingly immoral, some Christians were forced out of the social circuit. The drugs. The New Age cults. While Christians are called to reach out to all people, there are only so many risks one can take, especially if one has children. Fourthly, there are Christians who have given up artistic spoils, to literally serve the poor. Did they abandon Hollywood, or the Hollywood lifestyle?
American Idol currently has 3 Christian-raised (and two active worship leaders) in the top 5. Christian music in some cases is excellent (Jars of Clay, Six-pense None the Richer and some others), but in most cases not. Christian movies are crap and that is the reason I put off seeing Fireproof until we had to see it for a small group. It, unlike most Christian movies, had some compelling moments in it but didn't excede my low expectations. Unfortunately, for some, criticizing a Christian movie is almost heretical stifling the constructive criticism that might lead to some improvement.
I've gotten more of an education regarding great film by reading the posts here at BH than I have anywhere other than a great class I had in college with one of the best profs I've ever had. I haven't seen _Fireproof_ yet and will probably see it on DVD when it comes out (and probably by checking it out from the library, since we don't have "entertainment money" in the budget right now). I remember how much I used to love going to a theater to watch movies, but I haven't done that in years.
I'd like to see more quality Christian films, too. By the way, which films have you produced, and how might we get a chance to view them? You've got my attention.
I've gotten more of an education regarding great film by reading the posts here at BH than I have anywhere other than a great class I had in college with one of the best profs I've ever had. I haven't seen _Fireproof_ yet and will probably see it on DVD when it comes out (and probably by checking it out from the library, since we don't have "entertainment money" in the budget right now). I remember how much I used to love going to a theater to watch movies, but I haven't done that in years.
I'd like to see more quality Christian films, too. By the way, which films have you produced, and how might we get a chance to view them? You've got my attention.
Evangelicals are obsessed with hyphenating Christian onto everything, so you get Christian music and Christian restaurants, and Christian clothing, etc. It wasn't always that way, and it doesn't have to be. Michelangelo was Christian, but when we look at the David, we don't walk away with a message, do we? I propse that the hyphenating stuff be eliminated in favor of just plain quality. A movie that supports good values or that shows the folly of sin is every bit as "Christian" as one that has a conversion message at the finale.
Excellent observations, Dallas. There is very little to disagree with in your break-down.
As an evangelical Christian, I do suffer a bit of a split-personality on the topic. I have loved the "Facing the Giants" type of films, simply because it has been SO refreshing to see a film that doesn't make me cringe, or blush, or fight back some negative emotion… and a movie that I can wholeheartedly recommend to my parents AND the teenagers at church.
That being said, I can imagine the honeymoon wearing off sometime soon. I will eventually want something a little more substantial. But, for now… I can swallow another five years of the mediocre independent stuff. The more that's out there, the more I will be able to watch with my daughter as she is growing up.
Thank you for starting these discussions.
Eagerly awaiting the New Hollywood…
One of the biggest problems that I see is that potential Christian writers and actors are pushed away at a young age. Every night on network primetime TV, Christian teens and young adults are portrayed in one of four ways 1. A no-fun, pious kid who snubs everyone for leading a less moral life style; 2. A Christian gone bad who inevitably ends up in rehab or an abortion center; 3. A social outcast because of their virginity status; 4. Someone who just doesn’t get that cultural relativism is the only way to achieve social happiness,
One writer who always grabbed my attention as making (at least some) wholesome shows that had Christians and non-Christians co-existing together without too many stigmas attached to the religious lifestyle was Aaron Spelling. I always enjoyed that he had cool-kid characters that held religious beliefs/convictions.
With a few notable exceptions, Christian movies tend to be emasculated, Sunday School presentations of the sort your local mininster might run in the church assembly hall. In other words, inoffensive and shallow enough for Old Widow Jones to grasp without having to challenge her comfortable understanding of the shopworn Christian tropes. The typical Christian movie lacks passion, I guess because passion can be a dangerous thing, and this makes for a pretty dull show. A film with a G-rating has to work extra hard to involve viewers with a minimal of titilation.
[comment continues below].
Perhaps too many Christian filmmakers rely too much on the message to the neglect of high production values.
Were I making a Christian movie, I would take my cue from The Old and New Testaments and not hold back from showing sex and violence and all things carnal whenever the story called for it. You don't have to overdo it the way Mel did in his Jesus bloodbath film. I would want to portray the metaphysical mysteries of Christianity in such a way as to prompt the viewer to set off on his/her own spiritual quest (and you don't do that with hokey special effects or sub-par acting.
Christianity has great depth–so should Christian movies. Filled with mystery and miracles, it should not be boring.
{continues}
I've always believed that supernatural horror movies satisfy (to some extent) a spiritual hunger that otherwise goes unaddressed in our secular culture. The basis for horror is mayhem, putrefaction and death–the very things the Christian hopes to ultimately escape via Jesus' love and sacrifice. Christian movies should not be timid in dealing with disturbing themes or images.
A good film has to grab the audience before it can proceed to its revelations. Most Christian movies just don't know how to get the audience by the balls.
Christain filmmakers should not be afraid of getting down in the dust and dirt or of getting bloody while wrestling with angels or demons. Don't wear your Sunday best while making movies. If you do it right, it's going to get dirty and rough before you get it up there on the screen.
You're about eight years too late with your column. I said this when my parents wouldn't let me watch film. Then I moved from home. I've made some stupid decisions that are an impediment to me, but I'm getting closer to my goal of being an independent filmmaker.
Two points:
Fundamentalists have been boycotting Hollywood since Billy Sunday, so they NEVER had a say– though they would watch the same movies once they were old.
Christians tend to avoid movies that get into the muck and mire of real life, making their movies seem to exist in some Pleasantville altermative universe. There are a lot of evangelical leaders that would censor the Old Testament if they could.
Many good and great films use Christianity as it's spine and are deeply religious, "Cool Hand Luke", "The Natural", "Rainman", "Babette's Feast", and "Fargo". Yes "Fargo", believe it or not is loaded with spiritual meaning. Many Christians would dismiss mainstream films with a message, because of the violence, language and subject matter. Or because the films are spiritual and not necessarily hard core Christian. They bury their heads in the sand for lack of a better term. To embrace these films and have discussions about the symbolism would reinforce their Christain beliefs.
I'm a former lapsed Catholic who has been drawn back into the fold through the spiritual messages in some of these mainstream films. Every script I work on has some spiritual spine now. I can't get away from it. It's who I am.
I whole-heartedly agree with you. For years I've said that in order to have a super hero you must have a vile villian. This advice falls on deaf ears of so-called Christians.
Who want to go watch 2.5 hours of Mr. and Mrs. Nice live in Niceville where they have a nice house and two nice cars. Their 2.5 children are nice. The weather is nice. Everything about the Nices is nice.
Gag!
I remember being at a certain religous conference where they didn't believe in going to the theater. We had a speaker talking about writing. The point he was making was if you have witnessed something first hand, how can you report on it? He then told about how he took is son to go see Glaidator so he (the writer) could review the film for the local paper and his son could get exposure to what it would have been like to be alive in Roman Times.
The speaker was scheduled for another session the next day. He wasn't let back in.
It was at that point I said "to hell" with that cult.
Don't wear your Sunday best while making movies.
Amen! The only person who got away with this was Hitchcock, but the reason he got away with it was he knew what he was doing.
A challenge has been issued. GOD speed!
many good comments.
One problem with christan movies is that they are fluff. There is very little meat on the bones. But, if you are a good christian the second you get edgy, you are attacked by your own. No cussing, no blood (unless it is Jesus' and even then you can run into problems). movies don't have to be preachy. It just seems that we want the industry to do it rather than the individuals in to community.
As for me. If I want religion i go to church. If i want entertainment i don't need or want the message films. i just don't want to be assualted with vulgarities (usually). I tend to stick with pg-13 and find they are more in line with my sensabilities. I dont reject R movies outright, but tend to abstain.
All excellent points! I am a Christian and wish that there were more movies that were appropriate for Christians to see. Most "Christian movies" are *so* cheesy and it is embarrassing! Even Fireproof had many awkward moments because the acting and dialog was terrible!
I think what we need are not more Christian movies, but more movies made by Christians, if you know what I mean. Movies that aren't made to specifically to be a part of the "Christian Movie genre", but rather good stories without all of the garbage elements that currently come out of Hollywood. I'm thinking that either C.S. Lewis's "Until We Have Faces" or his space trilogy would make awesome movies. Or almost any classic novel has stories that would be popular with Christians — Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, or Brave New World, for example.
Budget, budget, and budget. It is all about the budget. Most films are a direct result of the money spent to produce them.
And who's going to pay big bucks for under par acting and production?
Were I making a Christian movie, I would take my cue from The Old and New Testaments and not hold back from showing sex and violence and all things carnal whenever the story called for it. You don't have to overdo it the way Mel did in his Jesus bloodbath film.
I would want to portray the metaphysical mysteries of Christianity in such a way as to prompt the viewer to set off on his/her own spiritual quest (and you don't do that with hokey special effects or sub-par acting.
{For the record, I am not the film director with the same name as mine.]
I agree with you. However, part of the reason "Christian" is always added is because the majority of what's out there is blatantly anti-Christian, making the stuff that shows off Christian values stick out.
I agree. Any sort of "preachiness" — even left-wing preachiness — saps all the wonder out of a movie.
If you're a storyteller, make me care.
I'm currently going to Cedarville University, and I can tell you that #4 does not apply at all here. Almost everyone in the electronic media program wants to be a filmmaker, and everyone in the faculty has been encouraging us toward that goal. We've even got a graduate who's tearing it up in USC's film school right now.
However, there's very little understanding of how we can improve our craft. I hear a lot of "We need to make films of better quality," as if that's a controversial statement that anyone would ever disagree with. For those students who don't get it but want to sound intelligent, they just replace "better quality" with "artistic value." The question remains, what makes a film good? What makes it an artistic achievement? And sadly, many of us have been raised in the Christian subculture ghetto and can't even begin to comprehend actual quality in films. Most people here are prone to read Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti rather than Flannery O'Connor, if you catch my drift. In terms of actual filmmaking, we're not looking to the pioneers of the craft who placed meaning in every single cut and camera movement; most students here rely on the ADD, MTV of shooting a bunch of "cool" shaky handheld shots without any plan of coverage and just trying to edit them into something coherent later.
So we're making progress in the area of intent, but unfortunately, these good intentions mean little when we've been raised as a generation of creatively illiterate Christians.
Yes, some of the best films out there are deeply religious. William Peter Blatty's "The Ninth Configuration" is an absolute wonder.
Heather, I think you have hit it saying we need more movies made by Christians as opposed to more Christian movies. I have to commend Dallas Jenkins for writing this article. I rarely if ever see this kind of discussion taking place anywhere.
When you say "Did they abandon Hollywood, or the Hollywood lifestyle?", I wonder if the conflict came more from the holier than thou attitude so prevalent in today's evangelical community as well as the in your face evangelism?
One "Little House on the Prairie" episode has more character, content and story than most "Christian" movies produced today. Sure, that fantastic show had some sort of a message in practically every episode, but rarely was it so over-the-top, smack-you-with-a-shovel heavy-handed that you felt you were watching C H R I S T I A N entertainment. The characters arrived at their decisions/actions "naturally," based on who they were developed to be. In other words, the characters weren't phoney or plastic or cardboard. For example, you knew Charles Ingalls was a godly man and would react in certain ways, which made his occasional falls from grace all the more poingiant. And Laura would fight with Nellie and get in trouble, disappoint her parents, learn her lesson–but then head off to do battle with Nellie another day. "Little House" wasn't self-consciously Christian because it didn't need to be. It was simply well-done overall (with
I take exception to the idea that a film has to be overtly religious to be a Christian film. As I wrote in another thread, what has been lost in modern film is the promotion and championing of virtue, which is what most older films managed without being overtly "Christian" or "Bible" films. Typically, stories were centered back then on the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance (restraint), and courage (fortitude), although they often touched on the theological virtues as well: faith, hope, and charity. A film like It's a Wonderful Life managed to hit on all seven of them without having anything more overtly religious in it than a bumbling angel character and a Christmas tree–neither of which was essential to the story.
Most movies of that era were Christian films in this sense then. There was a good guy–maybe flawed, but by the end he was mended, or at least much better–and the good guy won. The Christian message was clear, whether it was a Western, a gangster movie, or even a light comedy…but Jesus and Mary personally were nowhere in sight.
THIS is what needs to be salvaged from the shipwreck of American moviemaking. Merely creating a ghetto where Bible movies can be found over in the corner of the video store is not the answer. The answer is to return to the optimistic, hopeful, good-will-overcome-evil worldview that used to inform all American movies. THAT will bring moviegoers back to the theaters in droves.
(oops: (with rare exceptons).
Peretti has written some great, ballsy, Christian material in his time. My favorite book is The Visitation which was bastardized by Namesake.
I would agree with you 100%. I enjoy and think pop songs that mention God,etc… are generally better and more effective. Songs like Heaven(Los Lonely Boys), Heaven(Live), River of Dreams (Billy Joel), Everything falls Apart (dog's Eye View), I think god can Explain (Splendor), Jamming (Bob Marley), and even Only God Knows Why (Kid Rock).
I think that music is the exception. "Praise and Worship" doesn't teach the fundamentals or do much for music education, not like learning to read music and sing harmony from a hymnbook (the old "daddy sang bass, momma sang tenor, …. ") but church is still one of the very few places where musicians can get regular experience playing in front of an audience and with other musicians.
I'd say not to get caught up in discussions of ratings when talking about authenticity. You don't have to have blood and guts and on-screen nudity to be offensive, controversial or challenging. Those things are just the tools we use to communicate ideas. An R-rated film can still be as vapid and shallow as a G-rated if there are no ideas behind the images on screen. I certainly don't believe that we should shy away from authentic depictions of sin, but making blanket statements about what we can and can't put on a screen isn't the place to start. Rather, this decision should grow out of individual stories and the ideological implications of those stories.
Dont forget The Matrix, KPAX and Omega Man/I Am Legend. Christian-themes and the redemption story itself are compelling topics and make for potentially good films.
This is a great topic for discussion.
Michael Landon was a great actor. Too bad the most that so-call "Christian" filmmakers can get is some burnt out D actor from yester-year, Kirk Cameron.
Money and script. It seems like there are alot of stories in the Bible that can be adapted to modern day or Science Fiction, maintaining the message and delivering a good story at the same time. Or, a story could be told straight out of the bible, Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments is still an all time favorite of mine.
It's not all about budget, budget, budget. Look at Waterworld. It cost a boat load of money but sucked. On the other hand, look at the Evil Dead series, low budget but wonderful movies.
I think many are missing the point. Christian values and a reflection of living a Christian life have been scrubbed from most of the movies and TV. This is evident if you view movies made in the 1930's and 40's. One that comes to mind is Sergeant York with Gary Cooper. If memory serves me right it was either nominated or won an Academy Award.
The movie was about one man's struggle with his religious convictions about his interpretation of the Bible. It was an excellent film that featured a real-life situation without being preachy. The message was weaved into the plot.
The Human Comedy with Micky Rooney was another.
These films were not Christian films, but reflected the role that faith naturally played in the character's lives, especially during times of conflict and turmoil.
Faith plays an important part in many people's lives. It was recognized by many famous film makers of the past, but is ignored,, mocked or distorted today. It is not something that stands alone, but is reflected in the values and actions represented by the characters in a plot.
Did you see The Passion?
Just as a point of interest and comparison, this same discussion takes place on a regular basis regarding "LDS (Mormon) cinema", with many of the same observations and conclusions (cf.http://www.ldsmag.com/arts/061128glory.html/). I suspect the same issues hold true for "Christian fiction" (vs. fiction that happens to involve Christians). ..bruce..
This is why I included the word "Most". There are exceptions to every rule.
Heston's Old Moses at the end of the film wasn't believeable.
I think the best advice I could offer is to make the story around your message. Every good story has a strong, coherent theme, but keep it real. By that, I mean that all the elements of the story also have to be real. Christ was perhaps the only person in scripture who could be treated as better than human. He had to be in order to be the acceptable sacrifice for our sins. But everyone else is human. They have their loves, their joys, their doubts, their fears. Hollywood of today would delight in only examining their doubts particularly their doubts of their own faith. That's cool isn't it? but in doing so and in doing so so exclusively, Hollywood tends to dehumanize their Christian subjects be they priest or prophet. Make your Christian subjects a balance and an interesting one. Then your audience identifies. We've all been through that struggle. And then, give him or her the American Hero ending.
Though I didn't care for the film, neither the acting nor production was under par. Not even close to "Christian" film.
Dallas, you said: young Christians aren’t encouraged or trained to become great artists.
You're right about that. Their main dictation is to spread the Gospel.
Unfortunately, no one points out how this guy from Galilee did that a couple of thousand years ago. He used parables. He was a good storyteller. He told them to Jews, Romans, Samaritans, Gentiles, and anyone else who would listen. And because he used that method, they listened.
Thomas Jefferson went through the Bible once and pulled out the principles in them. Nice exercise in truth, and despite what some folks will try to tell you about Jefferson, he was a deeply religious man. And this is a Christian nation. Unfortunately, not many people have arms as wide as Jesus, or know how to tell a story, so they revert to trying to convince.
And that's the problem with many "Christian films" today. Go watch "Angels with Dirty Faces" some time, you'll see exactly what I mean.
Do you know what movie I found startlingly "Christian?" Constantine.
And it was a terrible movie in many ways… violent and horrible. But what were the themes?
How often are evil events in the world driven by people trying to force the hand of God or by someone certain that they know better than God or by someone sure that they know the mind of God? The best intentions entirely irrelevant to good or evil… and *that* is contrary to modern thought where virtue is placed in intentions and people consider themselves virtuous because they "care" and not because they actually managed to help anyone… maybe they "raised awareness" or something, and if nothing came of it or if their efforts actually make a situation worse it doesn't matter because at least they *tried*.
But not a family movie. Not even close. Not a movie that won't offend. Not any more doctrinally correct than "Oh, God" or some other "family" monstrosity. But with some hard, and very "christian" ideas to think about.
Why do "Christian" movies have to be "Christian"? There are great books and life stories that display Christian values that would make great movies – Chariots of Fire, Lord of the Rings. Instead of developing some "Christian" movie from scratch, produce something great that is already out there.
Neither the acting nor the production were sub par. They were still higher quality than so-call "Christian" film.
I agree, Heather. So many movies have great storylines but have just a few questionable scenes that don't really add to the storyline. Or a few F-bombs that can easily be deleted. Even if the quality of Christian movies was spectacular, relegating them to a particular genre still marginalizes them.
Um…if the movie your watching has only one line of repeated dialog and that line happens to be "Oh God!" you're watching a porno!
What's the worst part about being an Atheist?
No one to talk to durning an orgasm.
very good article. I want to add that the best Christian movies are Bible stories on film. Perhaps this is because the message is contained within the story, so character can be developed.
The problem with what you're considering Christian films is that no one feels like being beaten over the head with a message, strangely this is the same reason anti-war movies fail. No one wants to pay $10 to be guilted or preached to for two hours.
The best Christian movies are the ones who get their message across without you realizing it with the most recent example being the Chronicles of Narnia movies. If you can convey a strong moral message without emotionally exhausting people in the process you will find your good movie. The best Christian movies have always functioned more as an allegory than a literal translation.
Good post Dallas. The good news is that the publishing $$$ success trumps most of the historical problems you outline. Listen to Skip. Writing a great screenplay seems like the easiest thing in the world – but it obviously isn't.
That said, given the success of Christian fiction – why hasn't there been a crossover into film? It seems that securing film rights to any fiction that is profitable is commonplace – except Christian authors. That suggest that you and others aspiring to give the rest of us excellent movie experiences are going to have to find a path that at least partially detours Hollyweird.
To echo Ezra and the earlier post about Fargo & other films – especially the Cohen Bros – love the sinner and hate the sin – great film making is the starting point – and some real A-holes have been great film makers. Mel Gibson made two before spouting off anti-Semitic in a drunken rage – & the biggest 'story' that sold had several re-writes in the past two thousand years prior to filming. Twenty + years in the biz and his success w/Braveheart certainly influenced his creative decision making.
The simplest things are so worth restating; loving great films leads to making great films. A simple story well executed will make boatloads of $$$. But the truth is the process of film making is very hard – and there are lots of ways to screw it up. Kick down the door Dallas. One hit – like Fireproof – is a quirk – a lucky break ect. Knock off two or three in a row and you got a genre. There is unquestionably a market out here.
That said, given the success of Christian fiction – why hasn't there been a crossover into film?
Because reading a book is an active action. The reader imagines the enviornment, etc. This also means that the reader can determine what the character is thinking, if they are lustful, explosions, curse words, etc. Readers don't have to follow the book–they make up their own reality. As soon as you try to pin the utopian visions of Christian fiction to the literal screen, the controversy starts. No Chrisitans will go see the movie to support it and no secular people want to see a Christian film, so the movie makes no money. Because it is not profitable to make these kinds of films, producers don't buy the rights to Christian fiction…unless it's some Christian film company like Namesake or Cloud 9 1/2, but these companies are inexperienced as noted in the article.
I've often wondered at this too. It seems to me that making a "Christian movie" is just too narrow a goal most of the time.
Instead, what if Hollywood worked on making a movie from the 1940s? Keep the same restrictions on writers of the day. Not a period piece but a 1940s style story in 2009.
Also, not a tongue-in-cheek remake showing "how much sophisticated we now are." Fade out before the bedroom scene rather than after.
Don't try to cater to Christians specifically, just make a good clean movie and they will pay to watch it.
As a writer in Hollywood who attended the UCLA film school, I'm new to BH and I'm thrilled to see such lucid commentary from this board's readers. I've never had any desire to live in the Jesus Entertainment Ghetto- run (and approved) by big Ministries and Christian publishers who are tone deaf when it comes to popular culture. I remember Rev. Jimmy Swaggart railing against those who waste time watching sinful network comedies, mentioning "Three's Company" by name. Meanwhile, Jimmy was starring in his own sex romps and the moral relativists in Hollywood had an excuse to further indulge their Christian-bashing.
It's time Christian artists (and I meet plenty of them out here) validate themselves. Get out there and open your eyes to the compelling drama in this world and confront it all from a real perspective- not just the "niceville" (fake) version that puts the audience to sleep, nor do it from the exploitative Hollywood version that's been done to death and now rings hollow. Hollywood's story telling is dying because it's usual cliches aren't working anymore- there needs to be new perspectives to save this industry from further decline. This presents an opening to honest storytellers who can offer fresh perspectives on old stories. You listening, Christian?
Consider- I have a relative who's served time in jail for drugs, armed robbery and organized crime affiliations. He also found Jesus in jail and struggles to keep clean after getting released- but he's managed to avoid getting busted again. Trust me when I say his Christian faith, flawed and shaky as it is, has discouraged him from perpetrating further crimes on society-even if he's still a pot smoker and occasional drunk.
Imagine the Christian themes that would emerge from such an honest (and often brutal) prison story – as opposed to the same old "Shawshank Redemption" plotline (wonderful as it is). Unfortunately, I'm too busy to at the moment to write such a story but you get the idea . .
Amen. I'm with you . Get rid of the hyphen .
Up top there is a link to "17 again" glorifying teenage parenting.
Any of you who want to make Christian films should consider this closely and think about how it applies to the movies you want to make. Is the proper message more important than showing real people the way they really are? And can something less than ideal be portrayed. Is avoiding any possible chance of making teenage parenting appear anything but horrible the most important thing? (And I'm not suggesting this "teenage parenting" thing as a Christian issue… it's a liberal, PC, you should get an abortion instead, issue.)
In the past I've talked to Christian authors writing Christian books who complained that they couldn't sell them because the story was about a messed up girl who found God, but the fact that she was messed up, that she smoked, was unacceptable because the book portrayed bad behavior. What? If a book can't be written about a sinner, how can a book be written about redemption?
The last few days I've read discussions with the same premise but from a liberal-PC point of view… how *wrong* to portray the wrong ideas! What if something written plays to a stereotype even by accident? How wrong!
But the world is full of sinners… of teenage girls who smoke… of people who believe or play to oppressive stereotypes… of real people who just might pattern faults because they are not perfect.
A bit ago an author posted here (unless someone else has the same name) who published a few books with Baen that are overtly Christian and I'm convinced could never ever have been published with a "Christian" publisher. _The Year of the Warrior_ by Lars Walker. It is very much about *who* does the work of God… the person, or God? And in this case the person doesn't even approach holy but finds he doesn't have a choice but to be used for God's purpose when he is captured by viking marauders.
The vikings thought Christ was an insipid, weak, God and wanted nothing to do with Him.
Sometimes I think that Christians want an insipid and weak God, so they don't have to confront evil… not even in movies or fiction.
1) Most Christian movies are produced not by Hollywood buy Christian Groups (ie Focus on the Family) and they do not have/use the multimillion dollar budgets that Hollywood movies can produce.
2) IF Hollywood DOES produce them the message of the Christian faith is SO water down and almost nonexistant that it almost cannot be called a Christian movie… :/
As a Mormon, this is the same connection. We have a Mormon line of films that have been made over the last 10 years (I've done several myself) and we have seen message overtake story and art. I think this is changing. Very good point by this author.
*snicker*
No, I'm talking about "Oh, God" with George Burns. I know people who thought it was the best Christian movie EVER when there was nothing Christian about it but that it was about "God." If you never heard of it, think Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston's breasts… "christian" like that, except there may not have been breasts.
I think the biggest problem with "Christian" movies is that they are boring…and just kinda dumb. If you portray a real-life conversion…a conversion that many of us that are 'born-again" have gone through, you would NOT have a boring film but you may have a film that, in the beginning anyway, is pretty rough….and what church-going person can comfortably watch what sin does to people? Of course, the end of the movie would show what Christ can and does do for all of us and that's the message we want out there. I think one good example of a "Christian" movie is "The Apostle". Now that was warts and all…plus it had the greatest American actor living today: Robert Duvall!
In spite of my being a Christian I consider groups like Focus on the Family to be a huge part of the problem. Their complete disconnection from reality and absolute lack of tolerance for people who do not fit into their mold has marginalized the entire Christian community. I view them with the same ire and disgust as I view groups like the ACLU and MoveOn.org. They and their ilk are what has damaged Christian entertainment by ostracizing it from popular culture and making it irrelevant.
For the life of me I don't understand why Hollywood doesn't embrace and make films of some of the stories in the Old Testament. The story lines are engrossing and very relevant. The characters are extremely interesting. Combined with today's special effects technology, they would be amazing!
"The Passion" had both message and artistry. It was the Holy Grail (if you'll permit me) of Christian films. Hollywood can't replicate that because, though they have the talent and artistry, they lack the heart and conviction of beliefs to not water it down. And, as you pointed out, Christians have the message but they lack the artistry. "The Passion" was a rare meeting of both.
I'm waiting to hear back from Compass Film Academy to see if I've been admitted. I'm a Christian and I want to be a filmmaker. I don't want to make "Left Behind" movies, though. My goal is to lean more toward the art, but to make films that will make people think and ask themselves questions, not try to pound the answers into their heads. I hope I can do that. I hope Compass can help me learn the art well. I guess we'll see
That's a very good point. The Bible is jam-packed with exciting stories…if they can make "300", they can make something fantastic with those stories in the Old Testament.
Eh, they were just an example because they are one of the few groups that have the money to do such an endeavor…. I take the good parts of Focus on the Family and leave the bad… But I agree that they are a part of the problem and not the solution.
and I meant to say but by Christian… my fingers are typing faster than my brain can think again.. :/
Now that I think about though "One Night with the King" wasn't that bad either… It followed the story of Esther in the Old Testament… And I know it took some artistic licensing with that movie was well… And another that everyone in my little circle of friends liked was "Extreme Days"… It wasn't overtly and blatantly Christian, but you could definitely see a message there that could apply to everyone.
Richard Gross, former president of Gordon College, was fond of saying "Christian shoddy is still shoddy." By this he meant that just because we are Christians doesn't mean that it's only the effort that counts, as if God will make up the difference. Not that He can't or won't ever, but He has given us gifts and talents and we need to use them to the fullest. There are some Christian colleges/universities that have decent film schools—BIOLA comes to mind. There is also the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, which is a off-campus program of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities located in LA. It's only a semester long, but schools students in the ins and outs of Hollywood and provides internships. Alumni have and are working on productions both big and small and at all levels. But, I agree that more can and should be done to encourage Christians to enter the film industry.
The last "Christian" movie I saw was Bella – which was excellent. However it was shown only in a few theaters for a short time. I would call it a movie with a Judeo-Christian value (anti abortion). It wasn't "preachy" but simply detailed the life of a child that a mother decided to save (without giving away the plot). As with the few good movies detailing Iraq distribution is the key. I read here somewhere that Sony started a "faith" division after the runaway success of the Passion, but distribution isn't part of the deal. They'll make the movie for you but you have to decide how to get it into theaters.
This issue reminds me of a quote I just read attributed to Marylin Monroe:
"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss
and 50 cents for your soul"
The reason these movies aren't being made is that there are few movie people with these values.
Ditto, Ditto, Ditto!
When I began reading all of the comments, "The Human Comedy" immediately came to mind. Also, "Since You Went Away", starring Claudette Colbert, is exceptional in it's effectiveness in depicting a society ennobled by Christian faith and ethics without being preachy. Take a look at the screen adaptation of G. K. Chesterton's "Father Brown", starring Alec Guinness. Titled "The Detective", it tastefully tells the story of a thief's spiritual transformation by the unrelenting efforts of a meek priest/amateur sleuth, to reform him.
A work of art doesn't have to have 'Christian' as a subtitle to communicate the Christian message or worldview. One of the depressing developments in evangelical Christendom has been the notion among many of the faithful that if a movie doesn't quote Bible verses, then it doesn't reflect a Christian worldview. As a painter, this trend is especially evident in the paintings that are hung on the walls of the faithful. Certain 'painters' have begun appending scripture references on the actual painting. Somehow, this touch makes the painting, no matter how questionable in quality it is, worthy of inclusion in a Christian home. Apparently, the ability of many Christians to judge artistic quality is so stunted, that such tricks are very effective among the gullible.
It will indeed require "divine intervention" to reinvigorate the arts. I pray that I live long enough to witness it.
More movies made by Christians — add my agreement to that. More movies made by people who respect the human race, at the least, and who have some traditional morals.
I recently saw a good movie – Saints and Soldiers – that was made on the cheap (less than a million dollars) and yet it was good. It dealt with a small band of soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge and an ongoing discussion with one – who was a Mormon missionary in pre-war Berlin – and a medic who was an atheist. It wasn't "preachy" at all but just a discussion between a man of faith and one who didn't believe in God.
I found it it was made by the Mormons and filmed in the mountains above SLC. You can see it on Hulu.
The big problem with Christians making movies is dancing around the ludicrousness of the Fundamentalist "plan of salvation." I don't mean to blaspheme. I lost a very important decade-and-a-half of my life to Bible-based American Jesus-ism, having been roped in at age 17.
There are "Christian films" that really do lay out the Roman Road salvation plan explicitly, and they are impossible to take seriously. They are ridiculous.
The super majority of Bible-believers are mentally crippled because of their view of the Bible and their approach to studying it, treating it like it fell out of heaven in its completed form, when it certainly didn't. And most of these Bible-believers find their way to moments of comfort thanks to carefully constructed study bibles with built-in commentaries and cross-references.
Spend as much as you want, but if you lay out, in the light of day, the fundamental beliefs of most American Protestants Christians, you can hardly keep from laughing.
I had to walk away from my Americanized Jesus experience for that reason. My respect for Jesus did not die, though. It just changed in a healthy way. I became free to really think about him and what he taught rather than worrying constantly about whether I was in "right standing" with God.
Jacob Wrestled with God. David's life was up-and-down. Peter argued with Jesus. We must all work through our own salvation "with fear and trembling."
A fine, thoughtful, bold column, Mr. Jenkins. May it be forwarded to people who, in good faith, will act on it.
as an atheist, i get really tired reading about poor, abused and ignored Christians in this country, and how oppressed they are. i'm also amused by the part about gay and Christian film. heh. you do know there's some overlap there, dood? anyway, one cannot escape monotheistic ideology in our visual and material culture if you tried. believe me, i have. it's implied or assumed if not directly and proudly stated in just about everything. it's sort of like how you probably don't notice there aren't many asians in mainstream visual culture, unless you're asian. christians have been given so much, but it's never enough for them. the rest of us have to endure it no matter how uncomfortable we are. only christian sensibilities and feelings matter.
want to talk about a dearth of representation in film, and when it gets some, it sucks and is unfair? try counting the times proud, heroic atheists get starring roles. or in which religious people are portrayed with historical accuracy. or are about a religion that isn't monotheistic.
don't get me wrong, i loved "prince caspian" and i like fairies, monsters and goddesses in my films. film should be about fantasy sometimes, and religions provide ample material. but i laugh when i hear Christians complaining that their share of the pie isn't big enough. please. try walking in the shoes of someone who doesn't share your faith, and see what that's like. you'll stop complaining.
I agree. There are so many compelling stories to be told out there that don't have to be so in your face non-christian. Most fo the profanity in films isn't neccesary (not everyone in America uses the f-word, though you wouldn't know that by watching movies). as is most of the sexual content. (you don't have to show the actors getting it on in order to move the story along, the audience will know what happened). Let me give you an example. I'm wanting to us some seens from "The Blues Brother's" at a Christian Camp this summer, but the film is rated R. The only reason is for the language. Now I ask you, what exactly do all the F-bombs add to the movie? nothing. DOes it make it funnier? maybe for a 5th or 6th grader (he. he. he. he sad F*&^) Does it make more realistic? maybe, but since the Blues brothers survive multiple explosions and crashes I don't thinl realism was the point of the film. SO why have it in there? Any thoughts?
Except 90% of the movie is completely made up and isn't in the Bible…..
Also, it drives me crazy that Moses's wife says Ruth's lines!
{grin}
I made a film I am very proud of called Joseph's Gift (1998), a modern retelling of the Joseph and his brothers set in modern day Los Angeles. It starred Freddy Rodriguez and featured the last film performance of Marcel Marceau.
It is available on DVD but sadly had very limited release. Hollywood history is woven from its inception with films based on biblical stories. Obviously there is a difference between a "Christian" film and a religious themed film. However, whether you are an atheist, an agnostic or a believer surely any mass entertainment that examines the question of faith should be encouraged. Commercial pressures are relentless and this sadly accelerates the trend to movies that are nihilistic in the sense that they are about nothing.
They are a tricky group to measure because I respect their "mission" as it were and fully support their efforts to further Christian values and inform their audience of media content so that people can make an informed decision. My line is drawn by their escalation of that wherein they attempt to force the government to legislate those values to everyone. I'm a firm believer in values and morality being an individual's decision and right, any attempts to collectively legislate a given set of morals always strikes me as a bit…I don't know…Iranian.
First of all, there is no dearth of material for Christian or any other film makers to plumb, that have direct or indirect Christian or Jewish for that matter, themes. Want another blockbuster along the lines of Gibson's Passion? The Acts of the Apostles is a mega-hit in waiting. The post-ressurection lives of Peter and Paul have all the markers of a great story. And about there being no traing for young Christian artists, all I can say is this. i am an architect and consider architecture to be a greater form of art than just about anything. The reasons I won't elaborate on for the sake of space considerations. But in everything I design, buildings, furniture, interiors, outdoor spaces, I make a concious effort to integrate something of God or Christ into the design. We don't need Christian training for young artists, we need artists who will express their Christianity, or Judaism into their art.
Taking control of the entertainment industry is just one of the steps to destroying our culture . . . (along with controlling all mass media (most recently the proposed control of the internet) and taking control of the educational system, financial system, etc.
Anyway, re: entertainment, maybe it can be reclaimed.
At the risk of igniting a Catholic-Evangelical flame war, maybe this is a theological problem.
In our daily life, God doesn't come out with a shovel and hit you in the face too often, if at all. God is revealed to us, but many people do not see. A movie good movie is like this. A good Christian movie is obviously Christian to the viewer, but an non-believer may totally miss it. And a non-believer can produce a movie open to Christian interpretation. Donnie Darko, Groundhog Day. And some even are an argument for the existence of God: any Jessica Biel movie.
P.S. Why hasn't anyone made a rated-R Bonhoeffer?
I just don't warm to this argument at all. There is a ton of Christian imagery and messages in modern film. Forgiveness. Tolerance. Love your enemies. The righteous man beset on all sides by the cruel and selfish. You just need to readjust your viewing glasses. The movie "Contact" for example — it's about the atheist finding God.
Great discussion. My wife and I are careful in what we see. We don't like films that glorify the bad of our society, useless violence is out, graphic nudity and foul language is not needed to tell most stories.
But there are some great films out there with Christian themes that can tell the story better than most preachers. Spiderman and Spiderman 2 are shining examples of self sacrifice and redemption, they are no Ben Hur, but they are entertaining and get the message across.
Speaking of Ben Hur, if you've only ever seen it on TV, rent or buy the DVD, see what's cut out. It'll blow your mind.
I was thinking along these lines as I read the post. Remember when The Taylors went to church on The Andy Griffith Show? When everyone went to church on Little House on The Priairie? And countless other TV shows and films of years gone by?
They were good people. Their acts portrayed them as moral people. They went to Church and worshipped God in what was portrayed as Christian congregations. It was simply who they were and what they did.
If I was a filmaker — as a Christian — I would integrate acts of Christian faith just as a part of everyday life. Just as all of us do as seamlessly as possible in our every day lives. Not all good, faith based messages need a flag and a neon sign. It is just what we do and what we are.
Dallas, this is a good post and very thought provoking. Thank you.
Well, the "holier than thou" attitude in Hollywood comes just as much from the left as from Christians, and the "in your face evangelism" comes MORE from the left than from Christians.
Regarding BPT's comments…
I don't buy the "Christians were driven out" argument. For one thing, Christians have just as much right and opportunity to run a studio or provide financing as non-Christians do. The Jews have been the most hated people in the world, yet they've managed to practically run Hollywood since it began; so why could they succeed while Christians couldn't?
Same thing with being forced out because of the drugs and cults. That's the problem with the Christian community in general–we tend to cut and run when things get rough in America. Why is it that parents will proudly send their kids to the jungles of Africa, which are more godless and cultish than anywhere in America, but they won't send their kids to Hollywood because it's too "risky?" The reason Hollywood leans to the immoral side is because Christians have forsaken any influence. Let's change that.
Finally, I do agree with you that many Christians simply don't value entertainment over other pursuits, and their priorities can be different. I hope they now realize that the media has a huge influence on culture and that making an impact on Hollywood is not only good for art (even an athiest artist could agree that we need more balance), but good for society.
Ditto, ditto, ditto!
We are a family with three boys. Do you realize how hard it is to find quality movies to watch as a family? Movies that are entertaining yet have no sex scenes or curse words every three seconds? (On a related note, why on earth is "Top Gun" PG?!?!?!?!?! We thought it would be good to watch with the boys …. oh no!!!) We're almost to the point where we watch no modern movies and have relied on pre-1960s black and whites.
We love Sergeant York over here as well as "Follow Me Boys", "Run Silent, Run Deep", "Destination Tokyo", "Swiss Family Robinson", etc.
Why thank you for asking!
"Hometown Legend," "Midnight Clear," and "Though None Go With Me" are the films I've produced or directed. All available on DVD, can be in your home for just pennies a day!
Religion is a waste of time, That's why
The real problem is, Christians don't think they're a problem at all. In fact, they're so sure they're right that when an opposing view is presented, they feel threatened and start screaming persecution (see: War on Christmas).
The fact is, the Church as it has existed since ~300 years after Joshua (Jesus for the ignorant) is a very big problem. It was the Church who initiated wars like The Crusades (including one comprised of children, thousands of which died before ever leaving Europe), hate and propaganda campaigns like the Spanish Inquisition (which no one expects!), and general life-meddling malarky like removing books from libraries, working against gay marriage, the abortion debate, and the contents of science education texts.
And yet, for all these problems they either create or perpetuate, they're never wrong, are they?
As a secular humanist, I honestly love being told I'm going to hell by a SuperChristian. "Well," I say, "at least you won't be there…"
Back on topic: Kirk Cameron was never very good. He's the only "name" Christian Entertainment has, and that's not something to be proud of. Just look what he did to poor Meg Griffin!
I've never seen any movies that were specifically made to be "Christian movies," I don't think, but I saw "Amazing Grace" (does that count?) and I thought what was good about that movie was that it didn't seem like it was trying to preach at anyone, it just told the story of William Wilberforce's life and included how Christianity had been important in his efforts to end the slave trade in Britain. I think there might be a lot of potential in making movies about historical figures who were Christians.
I'd agree that the left can be worse than the right, but it doesn't justify the right's bad behavior. Some of that "holier than thou" attitude puts off other christians as well.
Why pay ten bucks to be preached at when you can sit in church and get it for free?
I love this article, I just wish I had more to add. Churches' youth groups and college/professional groups don't encourage their students to look towards the "artsy" professions for those same reasons you listed above, and it's a shame. You can't affect the culture if you aren't IN the culture. The Bible says to be in the world, just not "of" it or living for it. Missionaries don't just live in huts in Africa.
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