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32 - The Bible in film

from Part V - Thematic Overview: Reception and Use of the Bible, 1750–2000

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2015

By
Gaye Ortiz  and
William R. Telford
Edited by
John Riches
John Riches
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow
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Summary

The Bible has been associated with the cinema since its very inception. Early cinema, like the cinema of today, told society's stories, promulgated its myths and reflected its cultural values. With films such as Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings, the 1920s saw the heyday of the biblical epic, witnessing no less than nine movies based on the Old Testament, and about the same number on the New. Some Christ films have attempted to cover the complete story including From the Manger to the Cross and The Gospel According to St. Matthew, while others have offered selective and imaginative treatments such as The Last Temptation of Christ. A popular focus for selective treatments has been the birth of Jesus. The representation of the Bible in cinematic form posed several problems, including those that arise from filmic constraints upon and challenges to biblical material wrested out of its original context.

Keywords

Roman CatholicismFirst Vatican CouncilBible's authorityBible's receptionsacred writersSecond Vatican Council
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Chapter
Information
The New Cambridge History of the Bible , pp. 668 - 680
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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