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Skidmore
College
Summer Session I
May 29th-June 29th, 2001
Class Times: M-Th., 3:45-6:15 p.m.
Class Location: TLC 201
Instructor: Prof. Nicola Denzey
Syllabus:
Week One: Some
Portraits of Jesus in Contemporary American Film
| class
date |
Topic
or Film
|
Reading
Assignment
|
| May
30th: |
The
Bible in Contemporary American Film (introductory lecture) |
The Gospel
of Mark from The HarperCollins Study Bible (read it all straight
through).
optional
reading: Adele
Reinhartz, "Scripture on the Silver Screen" from
the Journal of Religion and Film 2/1 (1999).
|
| May
31st: |
Last
Temptation of Christ
(dir. Martin Scorsese, 1988) |
"Were
You There When They Crucified My Lord?" in Margaret R. Miles,
Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies,
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1996), 26-47 (in reading pack). |
|
Writing
Assignment for the week (due by Monday, June 4th, 2001):
Select
one of the Synoptic Gospels (i.e. Matthew, Mark or Luke) and
read, preferably in one sitting. How has The Last Temptation
of Christ changed, altered, or expanded Biblical text
and why? Use specific examples of scenes from the movie and
from the gospel. Paper length: 4-6 pages, double-spaced.
|
Week Two: Men
As Messiahs
| class
date |
Topic
or Film
|
Reading
Assignment
|
| June
4th: |
Messiahs
in Movies (lecture) |
Matthew
McEver, The Messianic Figure in Film Christology Beyond the
Biblical Epic, in the Journal of Religion and Film
2/2 (1998).
Adele
Reinhartz, Jesus in Film: Hollywood Perspectives on the Jewishness
of Jesus, from the Journal of Religion and Film, 2/2/
(1998).
Check
out this website which details Christ/Neo
parallels in The Matrix.
|
| June
5th: |
Touch (dir. Paul Schrader, 1998) |
|
| June
6th: |
The
Matrix
(dirs. Andy and Larry Wachowski, 1999) |
Readings:
Hymn
of the Pearl; Gospel
of Truth; Apocryphon
of John; Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion (excerpts)
(in reading pack)
Supplementary
readings: James
Ford, "Buddhism, Christianity, and The Matrix: The Dialectic
of Myth-Making in Contemporary Cinema" in the Journal of
Religion and Film 4/2 (2000)
|
| June
7th: |
Dark
City (dir.
Alex Proyas, 1998) |
See
the commentary
at hollywoodjesus.com. |
Week Three:
The Hebrew Bible and Jewish Apocrypha in Film
| class
date |
Topic
or Film
|
Reading
Assignment
|
| June
11th: |
Magnolia
(dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999) |
Exodus
8; 34; Ezekiel 18
Mario
DeGiglio-Bellemare, Magnolia and the Signs of the Times: A
Theological Reflection in The Journal of Religion and Film
4/2 (2000).
Read a
review of Magnolia here.
|
| June
12th: |
Pi (dir. Darren Aronofsky, 1999) |
Michael
Drosnin, The Bible Code (excerpts) |
| June
13th: |
Fallen
(dir.
Gregory Hoblit, 1998) |
1
Enoch 1-36, "The Book of the Watchers" (in reading pack) ; Genesis
6 |
| June
14th: |
City of Angels (dir. Brad Silberling,
1998) |
Albert
J. Bergesen, "Angel Angst and the Direction of Desire,"
in Albert J. Bergesen and Andrew M. Greeley, God in the Movies
(New Brunswick: Transaction, 2000), 107-117. (in reading pack). |
|
Writing
Assignment for the week (due by Monday, June 18th, 2001):
Take
a look at the two articles at the end of your reading pack
(Michel Medved, "Hollywood's Poison Factory: The Movies'
Twisted Image," USA Today, Sept. 1993 v122 n2580
p79; and Lloyd Eby, "Is Hollywood Hostile to Religion:
A Matter of Perspective," World and I, April 1998 v13
n4 p92). These two pieces take rather contrary views of Religion
in Hollywood movies. Discuss the two articles, and be sure
to take a stand, adding your own reflections and supporting
your argument with examples from films we have seen together
or which you have seen on your own.
|
Week Four: Woman
As Messiah
| class
date |
Topic
or Film
|
Reading
Assignment |
| June
18th: |
The
Woman as Christ-Figure (lecture) |
Lloyd
Baugh, "The Woman as Christ-Figure: La Strada, Nights
of Cabiria, Babette's Feast, Out of Rosenheim
(Bagdad Caf») and Dead Man Walking" in Lloyd Baugh,
Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film (Kansas
City: Sheed & Ward, 1997). (in reading pack) |
| June
19th: |
Agnes
of God
(dir. Norman Jewison, 1985) |
Gospel
of Matthew 1:1-2; Gospel of Luke 1:5-2:52. |
| June
20th: |
Stigmata
(dir. Rupert Wainwright, 1999) |
Gospel
of Thomas
Film
Review of Stigmata by Ron Burke at the Journal
of Religion and Film
Joe Nickell,
"Stigmata: In Imitation of Christ,"
Skeptical Inquirer (July,
2000) v.24 i4 (in reading pack)
|
| June
21st: |
Dogma
(dir. Kevin Smith, 2000) |
Robert
Horton, "Snoochie boochies the Gospel according to Keven
Smith" in Film Comment (Nov. 1999) v. 35 i6 (in
reading pack) |
|
Writing
Assignment for the week (due Mon. June 25th):
Write
an independent film reviews which focuses on the intersection
of the Biblical and the Spiritual in one of the following
films.
Prince
of Egypt
(dir. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, 1998)
The Apostle (dir. Robert Duvall,
1997)
Seven (dir. David Fincher,
1995)
Bless This Child (dir. Russell,
2000)
The Devil†s Advocate (dir.
Taylor Hackford, 1997)
Pulp Fiction (dir. Quentin
Tarentino, 1994)
You may
cite (but not plagiarize!) other film reviews from other source.
You may also choose a film not on this list which you know
has a significant amount of relevant content, but you must
clear it with me in advance.
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Week Four: Armageddon
| class
date |
Topic
or Film
|
Reading
Assignment
|
| June
25th: |
Biblical
themes in Contemporary Film (lecture, discussion) |
Book of
Revelation (read throughout the week; don†t do it in one sitting)
Conrad
E. Ostwalt, "Hollywood and Armageddon: Apocalyptic Themes
in Recent Cinematic Presentations" in Joel W. Martin and Conrad
E. Ostwalt, Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth and Ideology
in Popular American Film (Boulder: Westview, 1995), pp.
55-63 (in reading pack)
|
| June
26th: |
The
Rapture
(dir. Michael Tolkin, 1991) |
"There
is a Bomb in Gilead: Christian Fundamentalism in Film" in
Margaret R. Miles, Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values
in the Movies, (Boston: Beacon Press, 1996), 94-
Carl
Greiner, "The Rapture: A Challenging Vision of Horror" in
the Journal of Religion and Film 1.1 (1997).
|
| June
27th: |
Seventh
Sign (dir. Carl Schultz, 1988) |
Book
of Daniel ; reread Revelation 4:1-8:13. |
| June
28th: |
End
of Days
(dir. Peter Hyams, 1999) |
Joel
W. Martin, "Anti-Feminism in Recent Apocalyptic Film," in the
Journal of Religion and Film 4. 1 (2000). |
|
Writing
Assignment for the Week (due Friday June 29th):
Based
on your careful reading of the Book of Revelation, discuss
the manner in which The Rapture "exegetes" Biblical
text.
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