Hollywood Worldviews

Subtitle: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment

 

About the Title: We buy our tickets and concessions and we walk into the theater. Celluloid images flash at twenty-four frames per second, and the hypnotic sequence of moving pictures coaxes us to suspend our disbelief and be entertained by the implausible.

 

Unfortunately, we often suspend our beliefs as well, succumbing to subtle lessons in how to behave, think and even perceive reality. We find ourselves hoping that a sister will succeed in seducing her sibling's husband, that a thief will get away with his crime, that a serial killer will escape judgement. We laugh at the bumbling priest and seethe at the intolerant and abusive evangelist. We embrace worldviews that infect our faith and wonder, after our heads clear, whether our faith can survive the infection.

 

With the sensibilities of a successful screenwriter and the sensitivities of a thoughtful Christian, Brian Godawa guides us through the place of redemption in film, the tricks screenwriters use to communicate their message, and the mental and spiritual discipline required for watching movies. Hollywood Worldviews helps us enter a dialogue with Hollywood that leads to a happier ending, one that keeps us aware of our culture and awake to our faith.

Copyright: 2002