Religion On The Big Screen
Raising children and creating a proper family environment has always offered a myriad of challenges for parents. One of the challenges that has become a somewhat major issue in the past few decades deals with what we allow our children to be entertained by. This, of course, includes the movies we take them to, or even allow them to watch. The question becomes, “Is anyone doing anything to produce and provide what could be referred to as ‘wholesome’ movies?” Fortunately, the answer is a resounding YES!!
Walt Disney Pictures, who for the longest time was the quintessential producer of family entertainment, is, again, in the vanguard. Leading the way is their new series based on The Chronicles of Narnia, the beloved work of the Christian writer, C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963). The latest offering, Prince Caspian, has the children/heroes returning to the land of Narnia, where they must contend with yet another threat to the mythical land.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe grossed $745 Million worldwide, making it the 20th highest grossing movie of all time. When Prince Caspian was released in May, it grossed $55 million during its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. Narnia fans are anxiously awaiting the next film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which will be released May of 2010.
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| Doug Gresham, co-producer of The
Chronicles of Narnia and Stepson of writer C.S. Lewis. |
“It’s well known that Jack (C.S. Lewis’ preferred name for himself) wrote Chronicles as an allegory regarding the Christian walk,” said Doug Gresham, co-producer of the film and stepson of C.S. Lewis. “However, we firmly believe that anyone viewing this film will come away with a richer appreciation of the world we live in.”
Meredith Riechmann, a housewife and mother of two, is very appreciative of the Narnia films. “When we choose a movie for our family to watch, we tend to stress an opportunity for learning over pure entertainment,” she said. “The ideal situation, of course, is a movie that is entertaining and informative.”
Disney is not alone in accepting the challenge of providing family-oriented and family-appropriate movies. Universal Pictures released Evan Almighty last year, a family-friendly film directed by Christian director, Tom Shadyac, that grossed $173 million. And when Mel Gibson produced The Passion of the Christ in 2004, which portrays the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he proved that Hollywood can make pictures that carry Christian themes. The movie grossed more than $600 million and is the 37th highest-grossing film worldwide.
Interestingly enough, one of the newest players in this realm of the film-making industry is a Baptist Church from Albany, Georgia! This church, under the name Sherwood Pictures, produced the widely-acclaimed movie, Facing the Giants. The overriding theme of this film is “With God, all things are possible.” On a budget of $100,000, the film grossed more than $10,000,000.
Their new movie, Fireproof, stars Kirk Cameron (TV series, Growing Pains) and is expected to be a blockbuster hit with its extensive promotion and publicity. Even now – months before its September 26th release date – Fireproof is uniting marriage advocates from across the U.S.
National groups such as Focus on the Family, Outreach, FamilyLife, The Marriage CoMission, America’s Family Coaches, AMFM, Marriage Alive Communications, and MarriageToday endorse the movie and are urging their constituencies to see it. Influencers such as marriage expert Gary Smalley and Bubba Cathy of Chick-fil-A are also working to spread the word.
“Fireproof” mirrors the problems of many marriages, in this case through a firefighter whose high-stress job spills into his home life. The movie hits on pain points common to married life, from indifference to insults to emotional affairs and internet porn.
Fireproof deals with the challenges that married couples face, and how they can be effectively resolved.
“Everyone, whether they are churched or not, faces challenges in their marriage,” said Jim McBride, Executive Pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church. “Something that is ‘fireproof’ doesn’t have to avoid fire, but, rather, has the ability to withstand it. That is the message we share in the film – your marriage will face challenges, but it can be strong enough to withstand them.”
While the movie is entertaining, the producers’ aim is more than entertainment. “Our number one aim when making movies,” McBride said, “is to minister to those who view it.”
How did Sherwood Baptist Church get involved in the movie industry? It’s an intriguing story. At a leadership meeting the pastor asked those present what talents they believed God had given them, and how they intended to use them as part of the church’s ministry to reach the world from right there in Albany. One gentleman stated that he believed his gift was filmmaking, but, obviously, he couldn’t use it as part of the ministry of the church because churches don’t make movies. The pastor never hesitated, and stated simply, “Well, they do now.”
Violence, Sex, and Foul Language
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The economical dilemma that “wholesome” movies face relates to doing well at the box office. There tends to be a plethora of violent, sex-laden, foul language fares from which to choose, and a somewhat limited number of true “family movies” available. One cannot help but wonder if it’s marketing the latter to the general public that presents an insurmountable task.
“I really don’t think so,” Gresham said, “though I do believe that there is an illusion that this is the case. The key is to provide a quality product to the public. If the film is on a par, where quality is concerned, with the other films being offered, viewers will flock to the theater to see it. I think our Narnia films have proven this, and certainly Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ drew large crowds.”
“Doug is absolutely right,” McBride agreed. “We partnered with Sony Motion Pictures for distribution purposes, and they have never once indicated that there was any problem with handling the film from a marketing stand point.”
“The thing is,” Meredith Riechmann, a mother of two, interjected, “it’s important that those individuals who are producing films understand that most of us actually do have standards and expectations where films are concerned.”
“Meredith has made an excellent point,” McBride agreed. “When we evaluated who our viewers would be, and what they would want, we realized that there were several things that we would need to keep in mind with our films. First, people would want something that reflects their values; second, they want something that reflects normal day to day problems, and, perhaps most importantly, they want something that reflects a message of courage and hope.”
“Exactly,” Riechmann, responded. “And the message can be subtle, not necessarily blatant. For example, one of our family’s favorite movies is ‘Homeward Bound.’ You may remember the story – two dogs, one young and one old, and a cat are separated from their ‘family’ and traverse half the country to get back to them. It is, without a doubt, one of the great adventure stories of all times.
“The thing is, there are so many lessons regarding friendship, loyalty, and, as Jim said, courage and hope, that you come away not only feeling good about the ending, but realizing that not everyone is selfish and self-centered. That’s encouraging, and a lesson that every person – young or old – should learn.”
“The idea of ‘lessons learned,’” Gresham said, “is a crucial part of The Chronicles of Narnia series. At the time Jack wrote the books, which was basically from 1949 to 1956, there really wasn’t anything like them available for kids. He firmly believed that the imaginary world he created would be one that children could immerse themselves in and come away better for the experience.”
Lewis was extremely insightful as he realized that most children learn to cope with life by first living in a world of make believe where they are able to assimilate the world they don’t understand into a world that they do. His mastery of creating Narnia to be a place where that transition can take place is something we can all be extremely thankful for. And, the fact that these stories are now being brought to the “Big Screen” is a wonderful treat for everyone who must be concerned about what children are entertained by.
Gresham said, “As a final thought, I would just like to point out that my stepfather saw a need and filled it.” With a coy smile, Gresham added, “Sometimes a need can exist and no one is immediately cognizant of it. There are several ways for parents to make known their need for quality, wholesome movies - - obviously, patronize the films that are being produced and offered. Equally important is not patronizing the films that fall short of the goal you want movie companies to present. Finally, don’t be afraid to contact those companies that produce the films and let them know what you expect of them. After all, the only ones who can generate change in a society are those who want the change.”
It is exciting to know that there are those out there who really do care about families and family values. Our job is to let them know that we have noticed their efforts, and to encourage them to continue to do so.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
