Reforming Hollywood:How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, State & Local, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity
Cover of the book Reforming Hollywood:How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies by William D. Romanowski, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William D. Romanowski ISBN: 9780199942589
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: May 28, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: William D. Romanowski
ISBN: 9780199942589
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: May 28, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Hollywood and Christianity often seem to be at war. Indeed, there is a long list of movies that have attracted religious condemnation, from Gone with the Wind with its notorious "damn," to The Life of Brian and The Last Temptation of Christ. But the reality, writes William Romanowski, has been far more complicated--and remarkable. In Reforming Hollywood, Romanowski, a leading historian of popular culture, explores the long and varied efforts of Protestants to influence the film industry. He shows how a broad spectrum of religious forces have played a role in Hollywood, from Presbyterians and Episcopalians to fundamentalists and evangelicals. Drawing on personal interviews and previously untouched sources, he describes how mainline church leaders lobbied filmmakers to promote the nation's moral health and, perhaps surprisingly, how they have by and large opposed government censorship, preferring instead self-regulation by both the industry and individual conscience. "It is this human choice," noted one Protestant leader, "that is the basis of our religion." Tensions with Catholics, too, have loomed large--many Protestant clergy feared the influence of the Legion of Decency more than Hollywood's corrupting power. Romanowski shows that the rise of the evangelical movement in the 1970s radically altered the picture, in contradictory ways. Even as born-again clergy denounced "Hollywood elites," major studios noted the emergence of a lucrative evangelical market. 20th Century-Fox formed FoxFaith to go after the "Passion dollar," and Disney took on evangelical Philip Anschutz as a partner to bring The Chronicles of Narnia to the big screen. William Romanowski is an award-winning commentator on the intersection of religion and popular culture. Reforming Hollywood is his most revealing, provocative, and groundbreaking work on this vital area of American society.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Hollywood and Christianity often seem to be at war. Indeed, there is a long list of movies that have attracted religious condemnation, from Gone with the Wind with its notorious "damn," to The Life of Brian and The Last Temptation of Christ. But the reality, writes William Romanowski, has been far more complicated--and remarkable. In Reforming Hollywood, Romanowski, a leading historian of popular culture, explores the long and varied efforts of Protestants to influence the film industry. He shows how a broad spectrum of religious forces have played a role in Hollywood, from Presbyterians and Episcopalians to fundamentalists and evangelicals. Drawing on personal interviews and previously untouched sources, he describes how mainline church leaders lobbied filmmakers to promote the nation's moral health and, perhaps surprisingly, how they have by and large opposed government censorship, preferring instead self-regulation by both the industry and individual conscience. "It is this human choice," noted one Protestant leader, "that is the basis of our religion." Tensions with Catholics, too, have loomed large--many Protestant clergy feared the influence of the Legion of Decency more than Hollywood's corrupting power. Romanowski shows that the rise of the evangelical movement in the 1970s radically altered the picture, in contradictory ways. Even as born-again clergy denounced "Hollywood elites," major studios noted the emergence of a lucrative evangelical market. 20th Century-Fox formed FoxFaith to go after the "Passion dollar," and Disney took on evangelical Philip Anschutz as a partner to bring The Chronicles of Narnia to the big screen. William Romanowski is an award-winning commentator on the intersection of religion and popular culture. Reforming Hollywood is his most revealing, provocative, and groundbreaking work on this vital area of American society.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book The Naked Voice:A Wholistic Approach to Singing by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Into The Silent Land : A Guide To The Christian Practice Of Contemplation by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Fundamentalism And American Culture by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Myth : A Biography Of Belief by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women's Health by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions : Standards and Cases by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book The Old World's New World by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book The Cultural Nature of Human Development by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Growing in Love and Wisdom:Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Out of the Mountains: The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Losing The News : The Future Of The News That Feeds Democracy by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Epidemiology: An Introduction by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book The Performance of Politics:Obama's Victory and the Democratic Struggle for Power by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book Almost Christian:What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church by William D. Romanowski
Cover of the book A Sand County Almanac:With Other Essays on Conservation from Round River by William D. Romanowski
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy