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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A welcome contribution to this topic, 29 Sep 2001
The author teaches Film Studies and Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. Unlike some books on this topic, which try to read religious significance into juvenile "blockbuster" movies, this deals in the main with serious films, dealing partly with the "Jesus-Film" and partly with the "Christ-Figure" in cinema. Like others who have considered this subject, Baugh feels that the latter type of film is generally far more satisfactory than the former.
What I find most interesting is the author's detailed analysis, from a theologian's perspective, of several excellent films with which I am familiar. Above all there is Au Hasard Balthaza This is one of the better books I have read on religion and film, written by a Jesuit priest who r, Bresson's superb portrayal of a donkey as a Christ-Figure, which in recent years has established itself as among the all-time great films. Others to which whole chapters are devoted include Arcand's brilliant Jesus of Montreal, and (an eye-opener, this) Kieslowski's A Short Film About Love, which for some is a semi-pornographic movie about a Peeping Tom. Less convincing is his inclusion of Stevens' Shane, which he bizarrely states is "recognized by many as the greatest of all westerns" (of the 233 critics and directors polled by Sight and Sound magazine for their choice of 10 greatest films, not one mentioned Shane, while 23 listed Ford's The Searchers). There is an all-too-brief discussion of the films of the great Tarkovsky.
The book is marred by some poor proof-reading: I lost count of the number of times "principal" is misspelt, commas often appear in the wrong place, while the film-makers' index omits two (Adlon and Axel) to whose films major sections are devoted. Overall, however, this is a valuable addition to the ever-growing literature on this subject, and includes an epilogue suggesting further areas for research.
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(1 customer review)
