T&T Clark Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination: Introducing Jesus Movies, Christ Films, and the Messiah in Motion

The life and legacy of Jesus has dominated film\-making since the dawn of cinema, and Richard Walsh and Jeffrey L. Staley now introduce students to the history and phenomenon of Jesus movies. Beginning with a summary of prevalent themes and motifs in cinematic depictions of Jesus and messiah figures, Walsh and Staley assess and analyse 21 of the most influential and distinctive individual films that span over a century of tradition, creation and innovation. In addition to American cinema, the authors feature international films such as a Guy\x27s 1906 La Vie du Christ<\/i> and Dornford\-May\x27s 2006 Jezile. <\/i>The authors also examine the recent phenomenon of biblical films, looking at 2014s Son of God<\/i> and at the female perspective offered by Spencer\x27s 2018 movie Mary Magdalene<\/i>. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of the films plot, comments on its most memorable characters and visuals and gives at\-a\-glance cast information and notes on filming locations. They then outline which interpretation(s) and specific scriptural aspects dominate the film and consider this alongside the films own cultural and historical settings. The chapters close with a section on the gospel contents of each film section by section, enabling students to easily map the films to the biblical text. The book is completed by a \x22\x22gospel harmony\x22\x22, showing how Jesus films can be read alongside the gospels, and how different gospel traditions are integrated and intertwined to make a unified story of Jesus. Review This fully updated and revised version of Jesus, the Gospels and Cinematic Imagination showcases twenty-two Jesus films, spanning silent cinema through to present day. Each chapter's erudite analysis immerses readers in relevant scholarship as it situates the films within cinematic and cultural history. The attention to techniques such as cinematography, location, and casting is particularly elucidating, and sections highlighting problematic issues (e.g. orientalism, violence, androcentrism) facilitate important discussions about these films as cultural products. Written in a lively and engaging style and imbued with the field-leading expertise of Staley and Walsh, this is set to become an essential volume for anyone teaching, researching, or just plain interested in Cinematic Jesuses.Michelle Fletcher, King's College London, UKWalsh and Staley's Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imaginationis the most accessible, informative, and insightful book on Jesus films. Reflecting their decades of expertise, each of the twenty-two chapters is a dense tapestry of insight and illumination. In addition to expected classics (The Last Temptation of Christ, The Passion of the Christ), the authors also examine lesser known (La vie du Christ, Il messia, The Miracle Maker, Son of Man) and more recent films (Mary Magdalene). Walsh and Staley respect cinema enough to take it seriously on its own terms, rather than subsuming films within biblical narratives. Especially helpful is the material on each film's cultural location/genre, director, and problematic issue. The valuable material in the endnotes of each chapter is alone worth the price of the book. Walsh and Staley's book is ideal for undergraduates and anyone interested in Jesus films.Matthew S. Rindge, Gonzaga University, USAWith this revision of their excellent 2007 handbook to Jesus on DVD, Richard Walsh and Jeffrey Staley have added an indispensable reference work to the groaning shelf of books on movies about Jesus. Not only have they added several films - old and new - but they have extensively revised the entire book, addressed the move from DVD to streaming platforms, and added a new introduction that makes sense of the diverse films they treat without homogenizing them. A must-read for both seasoned Jesus-movie-watchers and those who are newcomers to this corpus of films, this book will also work well as a textbook for college and adul