Cinematic Faith (William Romanowski)

"Cinematic Faith is a primer for navigating the world of film- specifically, American film and culture- from a Christian vantage point. This book is written for moviegoers who are interested in the relationship between faith and cinema." So opens William Romanowski in his book, Cinematic Faith. 

Romanowski argues that movies map a cultural space- they reveal and reinforce cultural principles (with culture being our "widely accepted ideals, beliefs, values, attitudes, and assumptions"). But not always in obvious or direct ways- rather, movies "communicate in a roundabout way- not by telling but by showing." Therefore, it's important to think critically (and not be passive consumers) of anything we watch. A movie is always presenting some view of reality- some set of ideals or values it upholds as true. It does so through form ("the patterns and techniques used to tell stories"), content ("the film's subject"), style ("the filmmaker's distinctive use of patterns and techniques"), and perspective ("the film or filmmaker's point of view"). And we should learn these- he argues that "appreciating what makes movies artistically interesting and effective can make us better viewers and more creative storytellers."

The author presents four basic principles as a guide for a critical and productive engagement with the cinema.

• "the arts are a vital aspect of human life and culture, a legitimate and worthy human endeavor enriched with creativity and curious interpretation. We should understand film, then, as valuable in and of itself and ask how we can make the most of its creative potential and unique capacities in service of God and neighbor."
• "created to love and worship God, human beings are incurably religious . . . [therefore], looking at artworks to see how form, style, and perspective come together . . . reveal in whose service the artist stands." "[M]ovies function religiously by conveying life visions."
• "since faith is universal and encompasses all of life, we should expect movies to deal with our full humanity . . . all movies merit religious reflection in the sense that they represent certain values and a vision of life. To put it another way, instead of making faith the issue- that is, the qualifying factor for Christian interest or concern- we allow faith to provide a context for thinking about film."
• Because of common grace ("a Reformed theological concept referring to God's general provision for humankind"), we cannot lose sight of the fact "that all people have the capacity for creativity and truthfulness." 

Together, he argues that "these four principles lay the groundwork for a two-pronged approach . . . [which] recognizes and values diverse perspectives, while also maintaining the importance of one's own perspective in thinking critically about the cinema." In other words, "to engage a film on its own terms means to resist the temptation to unfairly impose your own point of view, while adhering to your own vantage point as a place of reference to understand and think critically about the film." This approach "helps us to respsect artistic freedom and integrity, recognizing the interests and opinions of other groups and people," which "is a necessary first step toward encouraging dialogue and fostering mutual understanding in the service of the common good. The larger aim seeks a pluralistic cinema: an arena for discourse with room for diverse viewpoints, including Christian ones, on the universal search for human meaning in God's world."

He proceeds to look at the melodramatic vision, classical Hollywood cinema, American action-adventure movies, and gender portrayals. Along the way, he includes "movie musings"- analyses of popular films as examples of Hollywood presenting a set of American values through archetypal themes and approaches.

I really liked this book. Years ago, I read his work Eyes Wide Open, which (without having it in front of me) seemed to make the same basic points: movies matter, we're all religious, therefore movies convey sets of perspectives/values and make some statement about truth, therefore we must think critically about them. I especially appreciated his treatment of American cinema and just how powerfully the American story is presented in so many of them, focusing on individual (not community) triumph against all odds, looking to yourself (instead of God or others) for strength to overcome, etc. Movies we think of as harmless may be conveying very harmful messages- and vice-versa. This book is very enlightening.

Rating: A