Hollywood and religion interact to mixed results such as in Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ.”
“The Passion of the Christ,” “The Ten Commandments,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and the “Book of Mormon” are all examples of Hollywood (OK, Broadway in the case of the “Book of Mormon”) depicting major religious themes. Some religiously themed movies have been financially successful, but the debate over how and if Hollywood should portray religion is an uneasy dance that can help a religion gain exposure to a wide audience or negatively shape public opinion.
There are many ways to view Hollywood portraying religion in a movie. On the one hand it can be seen enriching faith or educating. People of all faiths enjoy going to the movies and movies can be a nonthreatening and widely available medium to spreading religious ideas. USA Today reported in 2004 that a young moviegoer described seeing Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” as a way to learn more about Christianity and another said it helped strengthen her faith.
According to IMDB the movie is the highest grossing non English language film ever made, meaning a movie with a clear Christian message was seen by a large number of people, Christian and non Christian. The success of a movie like the “Passion of the Christ” may have been clear, but the interplay of using religion in movies is not always so simple.
On the Catholic League website, Peter E. Dans says feature films are a powerful tool in shaping public opinion and that seeing religions portrayed negatively can create polarization and a corrosive effect on society as a whole. The author was clearly referring primarily to Catholicism, but other religions can suffer backlash from being portrayed in a negative light, especially less commonly portrayed religions.
Hollywood has a long history with religion. The now long gone Hays Code was a set of rules that placed bans on nudity, lustful kissing and the mocking of religion, according to NPR. When it was lifted in the late sixties and the R rating was introduced, Hollywood was able to include more radical elements in its films, including mocking religion.
For a popular audience, it is much easier to passively watch a 90-minute movie than interview members of a congregation or attend a religious service to get facts straight. Under the first amendment, Hollywood can legally portray religions in a negative light, but the aftereffects can be harmful in shaping the public opinions about the religion or its followers.
Religion in movies is still a heavily debated issue. The Huffington Post reported a rumor that Dreamworks might be planning to make a movie about the 2002 investigation into the pedophilia that involved the Archdiocese of Boston. The film would deal with a touchy and political subject facing many churches worldwide, as well as Vatican. Movies that deal with religious issues are unlikely to go away anytime soon, seeing as religion is both socially and culturally significant, but the interplay between them will likely continue to evolve and change and will never reach a point where it satisfies everyone.
