Posted on 03/02/2005 7:59:07 AM PST by Mr. Silverback
The great Christian thinker Francis Schaeffer once wrote that philosophy—often dismissed as irrelevant—is, in reality, a powerful engine that drives cultural change. Ivory Tower ideas filter down into popular culture, including films. There, they influence millions who often have no notion of what they’re consuming along with the car chases, love scenes, and popcorn.
This brings us to the Academy Awards of Sunday night. If you watched them, you already know that the films Hollywood chose to honor had little to do with quality and everything to do with philosophy and worldview. As Christian film critic Barbara Nicolosi acerbically put it, Hollywood’s choices affirm, once again, “just how very, very sick America’s storytellers have become.”
Several awards, including Best Picture, went to Million Dollar Baby, a film that promotes euthanasia. Five Oscars went to The Aviator, a film that celebrates billionaire Howard Hughes, the man who bedded dozens of starlets, made unwelcome advances to many others, and ultimately died of syphilis-induced insanity.
Oh, and then there’s the nasty little film called Sideways. This film suggests that it’s fine—even funny—for a man to engage in an orgy of sex with strangers just before his wedding. That got an award, too. Films that were nominated, but did not receive awards, included one intended as a warning against making abortion illegal, and one that celebrates Kinsey, a twisted researcher whose now-discredited theories continue to degrade America’s view of sexuality. Meanwhile, one of the greatest films ever made, one of the biggest box-office hits of the year, worldwide, and the biggest independent film in the history of the world—that is, The Passion of the Christ—was ignored.
It’s gotten to the point where you can’t help but laugh at the pretense that the Oscars actually honor the best films, and at the intrepid efforts of Hollywood to make its choices seem relevant. And, I might add, laughter is a better response than simply getting mad. Critics who do little more than count up the four-letter words and sex scenes, and then issue an outraged press release, only boost the audience. Instead, Christian critics like Barbara Nicolosi take a more sophisticated approach, pointing out that movies like Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator are mediocre films, and they celebrate degraded values—not worth the price of a ticket.
That is the message we need to press home to our friends and to our impressionable kids. They need to know that everyone embraces one philosophy or another—a worldview that defines his or her conception of the world, of reality, and of human life. These beliefs are woven into movies—often in subtle ways that viewers miss. That is why it’s so important that we teach our kids how to find the worldview message in every film.
This week, especially if your kids are home because of the snow, why not teach them a little philosophy. Rent some of the better films and watch them together. Help them identify, not only the filmmaker’s philosophy, but also what makes for artistic excellence.
Schaeffer was right. Philosophy is a powerful engine that drives social change. And the time for philosophy lessons is before our kids walk into the multiplex—not when the lights go out.
Ain't it the truth....
Yes, it is. Too bad as a socity that we do not shame people who glorify this type of behavior, much less the people who actually watch these kinds of films.
The thing I noticed was the conformity of the Hollywood women all wearing the same dress style from the 1940's.
"Rent some of the better films"? I'd like to hear suggestions.
As a Christian, I believe in the natural depravity of man. Human nature is sinful. Media such as Hollywood is one case where I'm not sure I trust the free market. Sinful humans crave sex, violence, etc. and marketing executives give them what they want. Depravity sells, thus we get the lowest common denominator.
this movie does NOT glorify "this type of behavior." you haven't seen the movie. not a question, a statement.
Exactly which movie? Several are referred to. Is a question, not a statement.
The "Sensate Culture" continues to circle the drain. The late Pitirim Sorokin was truly a cultural prophet. He predicted this would be the path that the "arts" took in the decades ahead. Writing in the 1920's and later publishing a book called "The Crisis of Our Age", he accurately foresaw where our culture was headed in the arts, law, science, philosophy, ethics, etc.
I highly recommend his book if you can find it.
the movie does NOT "promote" euthanasia. and thank you for being moderate, and stating that you haven't seen the movie. the movie, which is fiction, which is a narrative, shows a flawed, complex human being (Eastwood) who ends up in a moral situation where he is a loser no matter what he does. it's a struggle, it was the woman character's idea and wish, and he commits the act knowing that doing it will make him a lost soul--and after he has discussed it with his priest.
the amount of hysteria over this film has been incredible. as I've said elsewhere here, how many of us were outraged when the other side disparaged The Passion--prejudged and dismissed it without even seeing it.
Although maybe it isn't selling. This was the lowest grossing set of Best Picture nominees in 20 years, and when you adjust for inflation one of the lowest grossing sets ever. The ones still out didn't even get the usual post nomination bounce.
we're talking about Million Dollar Baby, and you know that. And I know you haven't seen it. What did you think about the people who dismissed The Passion without even seeing it? Yeah, I thought so.
BreakPoint/Chuck Colson Ping!
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No, I did not know that. As I said, several movies were mentioned in the article.
Boy, you sure know a lot about me. Why do you have such a bad attitude? did something I say hit close to home?
I think there is a little hysteria. I think Eastwood was just laying the cards on the table about the issues revolving around euthanasia and presenting them in an unbiased light, at least I would like to think that. The fact is in today's world, euthanasia, like abortion, is a tangible issue, whether you agree with it or not. It's something that's already being practiced in some countries, and simply ignoring the issues surrounding it won't make it go away. For the record I'm pro-life, I don't know enough about the euthanasia issue but I'm pretty sure it's an issue I likely wouldn't agree with.
I've begun to watch a lot of the older movies from the `30s, `40s, & `50s, & `60s that are offered on Turner Classic Movies on cable - they're worth the price. The old ones w/Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Jimmy Stewart, etc. Even though many are in black and white, it's refreshing to watch great acting and pretty good plots all without explicit sex/nudism and profanity. Most/many of these I had not seen being born in 1945. There are also very good (current) British mystery programs on the Biograpy channel on the weekends - Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Midsomer Murders, etc. All "G/PG" type programs. I also watch/record (to rewatch later) a lot of programs on the History Channel of WWII. It's interesting to learn what a struggle we and the allied nations had defeating Nazism and the Japanese in the Pacific. It's doubtful our society could be as successful today as our parents' generation was during the early 1940s.
They're just in a snit because The Passion didn't win.... A film I didn't see because I was told by people who loved it the most, that it was NOT entertainment.
Entertainment is what is awarded here. Last year, Lord of the Rings swept the awards. It was a popular and very clean film with no nudity or bad language, and centering on an epic struggle where good wins out over evil.
This year, they awarded the films of the year they had a chance to choose from. Maybe they aren't the kind of films that will be watched and remembered years later, but few films are.
I will be posting a thread with Colson's list of 50 films shortly.
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