Film as Hierophany

Abstract

Within the discussion of religious art there arises the fascinating question of how art can engender the awareness of those special (hierophanous) moments in culture where the sacred dimension breaks through into otherwise profane experience. This question requires a consideration of the peculiar relationship which a given art form has to its world (e.g., imitation vs. interpretation, recording vs. transformation).The special potency of cinematic art in its relationship to physical and spiritual reality, and to surface and depth, is the subject of the present article. While religion-and-film discussions frequently focus upon religious themes in film, the purpose of the following analysis is that of considering a theology of film, taking account of fundamental questions of cinematic theory. Among thinkers whose systems suggest possibilities for dialogue are theologian (Paul Tillich), a phenómenologist (Mikel Dufrenne) and a “school” of film theorists, including especially the followers of André Bazin.

Religion in cinema : Buddhism and Taoism in popular films through a jungian lens

“…(p.93) Plate (2007) states that films and religions are alike, as they can convey to viewers a world that they want to live in or a world that they want to avoid by presenting "other realities that stimulate moods and motivations" for viewers to imagine a world outside their own social status (p.434). Bird (1982) views art and film as filling the void or making sense of it and they are powerful agents for transcendence because they do not only stimulate thoughts, but draw from the viewers the depth of a feeling response (p.21). Hauke and Alister (2002) similarly share Jung's view and conclude that while the intense experiences that one encounters in daily life could be painful or unbearable, popular cinema can provide a space to let viewers encounter these experiences in a more accessible and bearable fashion (p.2).…”