Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place at 7:00 PM at Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). The group meets informally on the second floor in the open dining area, seated at round dining tables. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend.

Cinema Lounge is moderated by Daniel R. Vovak.

Religion in Movies

On July 13, 2009, a large group of attendees discussed "Religion in Movies." The relationship with Hollywood and religion has evolved, beginning with support of religion in Going My Way (1944), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Story of Mankind (1957) with Groucho Marx, and The Singing Nun (1966). Early Hollywood was afraid to touch religious taboos, with Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) leading the way by setting a tone of mixing religious themes with sexuality. Notable films within that era include: Gentleman's Agreement (1947), which attacked anti-Jewish sentiment; Ben-Hur (1959), which did not show Jesus' face; and King of Kings (1961), the first movie wherein Jesus was the main character.

From 1930 to 1968, the Hays Code censored movies with three primary rules: (1) No picture could be produced that would lower the moral standards of those who saw it. Hence, the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin, (2) Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, could be presented, and (3) Law, natural or human, should not to be ridiculed, nor should sympathy be created for its violation. After the Hayes Code ended, Hollywood questioned religion with satire, confusion and rebellion. Rosemary's Baby (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Straw Dogs (1971), Star Wars (1977), and Oh God! (1977, 1980, and 1984) depicted religion as essentially phony. The Devil's Advocate (1997) made Satan into a near-hero. In The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Jesus was depicted as a real person, with sin (and lust) within his thoughts.

In the modern era, there is a striking conflict between movies that show people with religious conflicts and people with religious hope. With religious conflict, examples include: The Da Vinci Code (2006), Religulous (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), and numerous South Park television episodes. With religious hope, examples include: Se7en (1995), The Apostle (1997), Pay It Forward (2000), Keeping the Faith (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), Saved! (2004), and Evan Almighty (2007).

One person innocently commented, "It seems all the Catholic Church does is complain about movies," though the same could fairly be said about Jewish interest groups regarding the blockbuster financial success The Passion of the Christ (2004). Contrastingly, it seemed like a marketing game for producers of The Golden Compass (2007) to offend Evangelical Christians (or at least claim they were offended).

One Jewish participant shared that A Price Above Rubies (1998) was about "Orthodox Jews, which I do not really like much, in spite of being Jewish (myself). But watching that movie, I became sympathetic towards them." The Jazz Singer (1927) used strong Jewish themes whereas Mass Appeal (1984) was about a priest in conflict. Doubt (2008) was about a priest in a conflict. It seemed obvious to many that most modern movies carry a strong anti-Catholic message, depicting sinful priests, horny nuns, and hypocrisy. Certainly the pious example of Father Barry (played by Karl Malden) in On The Waterfront (1954) has become sadly extinct.

We tried to think about movies that dealt with non-mainstream religions. Witness (1985) was a respectful movie about the Amish (which they actually liked), though it created the irony that Amish people could not really watch the film due to their anti-technology beliefs. Kingpin (1996) is a comedy about Quaker bowlers. Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre (2004) was about Mormons. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) was about Hinduism. Dances with Wolves (1990) was about the religion within American Indian cultures. Kundun (1997), directed by Martin Scorsese, was about Tibet's 14th Dalai Lama. Little Buddha (1993) was an insult to the religion with its depiction by Keanu Reeves. Matrix (1999 and 2003) played with similar themes. East is East (1999) was about a Pakistani Muslim. Strangely, we could not think of a movie about Jehovah Witnesses.

Some movies have significant support behind people within a religion. An example is Milk (2008) about a gay Mormon, which was primarily funded by prominent Mormons. Another example is Inchon (1982) a film about the Battle of Incheon during the Korean War, which was largely funded by members of the Unification Church.

Some movies have a religious thrust in them, though they are not angled towards anything specific: Frankenstein (1931), Inherit The Wind (1960), The Exorcist (1973), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Signs (2002), Witches of Eastwick (1987), and Elizabethtown (2005). War of the Worlds (2005) has a strong God-theme toward the end, though it is not about a specific religion. Although it was not technically a religious movie, The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) contained many religious undertones, humorously thrusting religion on indigenous people as a battle from Heaven. In fact, in reflection, it seems that that movie was about nothing but religion, though the truth is the opposite. Indeed, the movie felt religious but it was only a figment of the screenplay writer's mind twisted upon the audience.

One person joked that Fight Club (1999) and The Passion of the Christ (2004) were essentially the same movie, with a basically-divine figure being beaten up for most of the movie. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) was all about meeting "God," who ultimately revealed himself as an evil alien. Harry Potter 7 (2009) will become more religious, a bending to protests from some Christians. The Scarlet Letter (1995), a movie about strong Christian (and Calvinist) themes, began the fading of Demi Moore's star.

Someone asked why so many modern movies depict Muslims as terrorists. Another guessed that having a movie with a Muslim theme is difficult because a depiction of the Prophet is forbidden. A third person added that being anti-religious has become a religion of its own. Bill Maher's zeal to attack religion in Religulous (2008) by yelling at people for their beliefs bordered on not-funny. It was a coy attempt to replay the profitable Borat (2006) theme, both of which were directed by Larry Charles. It is also note-worthy to read Joe Queenan's insights as a movie critic, as he sometimes skirts into religious topics within film.