The thread about "The Wicker Man" got me to thinking about how many movies I own that have religion as a theme, an underlying sub-text, or an intelligent plot device. I'm not including movies like "The Passion of the Christ" where religion is the movie, or run-of the-mill vampire or "devil" movies where religion is used as a hoary, cliche'd plot device. Off the top of my head:

The Wicker Man
Black Robe
2001: A Space Odyssey
Quatermass and The Pit
Q The Winged Serpent
God Told Me To
Superman: The Movie
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Rosemary's Baby
The Rapture
Cool Hand Luke
Unforgiven
Being There
Eraserhead
Night of The Hunter


.... any more to add to the list?

Not to be negative but...
I got a bad feeling about this thread.

THX-1138.

" My time...is yours..."

http://www.wikinfo.org/upload/4/4d/THX_1138-masses.jpg

" Yes? "

" Very good... Yes..."

" Be productive. "

Yes? Good."

Some of those may be slim religeous analogies only (Superman), but 2001? As ardent a humanist as Clarke is, he may bristle at the thought.

Signs
Contact
Omen trilogy
Exorcist quadrilogy
Star Trek 5 (ducks and runs)

And I must say Quatermass and the Pit remains one of my all-time favorite films. The effects are weak, and it doesn't really detract from the film for me. I wouldn't mind seeing a remake of this film if it was able to keep the mystique of the original and cast someone appropriate for Quatermass and Roney. But they would probably make it an FX-fest and concentrate mostly on the mass-chaos scenes toward the end.

On the Waterfront
Bride of Frankenstein
Original War of the Worlds

The Matrix has all kinds of religious/creationism overtones to it when you really look close.

The Matrix for sure...it is loaded with religious symbolism...I ran across a site a few years ago that goes deep into all of that...I'll try to find it again if anyone is interested...

^ Well, Matrix Revolutions has a definite religious overtone at the end with Neo sacrificing himself to save the machines and the humans (not to mention his cross-like pose after he dies).

Other movies:

Angel
Hellraiser
"Oh God" movies

Not to be negative but...
I got a bad feeling about this thread.We're not talking about religion per se — we're simply discussing movies with religious or quasi-religious thematic elements. I don't think we need to walk on eggshells here.

There's The Omega Man, with Charlton Heston's crucifixion-like death pose as his immunity-carrying blood "cleanses" the earth of the vampire plague.

I suppose dozens of "apocalyptic" or "post-apocalyptic" movies, including the original Mad Max trilogy, could be taken as allegories of biblical prophecy. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in particular has strong religious/allegorical overtones: The hero is banished to the desert, discovers a tribe of lost children, and leads them to a Promised Land — the bombed-out ruins of Sydney? Well, I guess it's better than living in the desert.

Tommy
The Day the Earth Stood Still
E.T.

Jim

There's The Omega Man, with Charlton Heston's crucifixion-like death pose as his immunity-carrying blood "cleanses" the earth of the vampire plague.



Ah, classic Heston. I love how he actually raises his arms postmortem (after receiving a spear to the torso) just to make it into the JC pose...

but 2001? As ardent a humanist as Clarke is, he may bristle at the thought. No, I think in 2001 Clarke very slyly offers an alternative to traditional supernatural creation of the human body and spirit ..and IMHO smartly pins murder as the primary survival skill we lacked before the monolith folks stepped in. Thereby 2001 is an inherently "religious" tale in how it contrasts with Genesis and every other religion's origin story, and obliquely answers the question about who God is - it's every living thing in the Universe playing God on each other, as the Monoliths did with us, as we did with Hal.

I think this is the real reason 2001 still resonates, not 'cuz of the cool effects, because it's a spiritual journey. That's my take anyway.

I'd add to the list
The Road To Perdition
"There are only murderers in this room! ...And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven."
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

John O.

How can y'all forget War of the Worlds?

"It was the little creatures that God in his infinite wisdom placed upon the Earth....."

"It was the little creatures that God in his infinite wisdom placed upon the Earth....."To be a bit anal-retentive, I believe it's "the littlest things." Other religious references in WOTW: The first human the Martians kill is a minister; there's a line about the Martians conquering the Earth in six days — "the same time it took to create it"; and of course the climax with everyone seeking refuge in a church. The famously humanist-agnostic H.G. Wells, who had a low opinion of organized religion, must turn over in his grave every time that movie is shown on TV!

Some of those may be slim religeous analogies only (Superman), but 2001? As ardent a humanist as Clarke is, he may bristle at the thought.

Clarke does. The religious undertones/themes were Kubrick's. The differing approach to the story taken by the novel and movie have been quite well documented.

The under-rated Kingdom of Heaven.
Altered States
Dogma

Y'All forgot STAR WARS......cmon

Y'All forgot STAR WARS......cmon

Didn't forget it ... don't own it. "Lord of The Rings" neither.

"Night of the Demon"- a lottle hokey, but Roky Erickson base his religion on it. It's a neat 1950's British horror movie, and then some. And "Wise Blood" is a dynamite movie with overtly religious themes- after all Flannery O'Connor wrote the book. But with Harry Dean Stanton in it, it has to be good!
Andrew

Clarke does. The religious undertones/themes were Kubrick's. The differing approach to the story taken by the novel and movie have been quite well documented.Ya ...and we're talking about the movie, right? I think considering the book was written concurrent to and a bit after the movie's production, I think of the movie as the original source material for the book, even considering The Sentinal.

John O.

How can y'all forget War of the Worlds?

"It was the little creatures that God in his infinite wisdom placed upon the Earth....."

JP - check out my first post - it was my third selection. I forgive ya tho, it was probably that bum eye of yours...;)

"Night of the Demon"- a lottle hokey, but Roky Erickson base his religion on it. It's a neat 1950's British horror movie, and then some. And "Wise Blood" is a dynamite movie with overtly religious themes- after all Flannery O'Connor wrote the book. But with Harry Dean Stanton in it, it has to be good!
Andrew

Love "Wise Blood"! Sad to say it's never been released on DVD.

Ya ...and we're talking about the movie, right? I think considering the book was written concurrent to and a bit after the movie's production, I think of the movie as the original source material for the book, even considering The Sentinal.

John O.

I brought up the book because Arthur C. Clarke's personal philosophy was mentioned, and the novel and film versions of 2001 have an intertwined history. The book and movie were concurrent productions, Clarke and Kubrick worked on the story and screenplay together. The book was actually ready to release shortly before the movie, but Kubrick (being Kubrick) wanted the movie to come out first...so he just kept not signing off on the book release until a point where it would be guaranteed to be released after the film premiere.

JP - check out my first post - it was my third selection. I forgive ya tho, it was probably that bum eye of yours...;)

That'll teach me to skim.

Watched a pristine High Definition print of "2001: A Space Odyssey" on HDNet last night. It was at least a religious experience. Then I tried to watch "2010" and sort of lost my religion.

Dune.

Full of quasi-Catholic and Muslim references.

Tron...

"Do you believe in the users?"

Dune.

Full of quasi-Catholic and Muslim references.

With some Zen thrown in, too.

With some Zen thrown in, too.

Now and Zen...:D

That HD version is magnificent! Really stunning to watch, maybe even better than cinerama!
I agree aboutThe Rapture, a pretty underated, yet very good movie about religion. I also highly recommend "What dreams may come". The saddest film ever made. Don't watch it if you are depressed....

Watched a pristine High Definition print of "2001: A Space Odyssey" on HDNet last night. It was at least a religious experience. Then I tried to watch "2010" and sort of lost my religion.

Unforgiven was mentioned, I'd add Pale Rider (also High Plains Drifter-but I don't own that one). The protagonist is a preacher, who it seems has returned from the dead to avenge his murder.

Zardoz, some very religious overtones, an unfortunate film with a great premise, some really novel ideas, lots of promise, but becomes so incoherent you lose interest in the last half of the film.

Zardoz, some very religious overtones, an unfortunate film with a great premise, some really novel ideas, lots of promise, but becomes so incoherent you lose interest in the last half of the film.

You'd think it would be hard to wrong with Sean Connery and a big flying head.

You'd think it would be hard to wrong with Sean Connery and a big flying head.


Not to mention John Boorman and a nekkid Charlotte Rampling. Such a bad movie! And the Wizard of Oz pay-off is just icing on the cake.

Now and Zen...:D

:drunk: :freak: :drunk:

I'd like to think and HOPE that the religious overtones are there in 2001... I am a Catholic convert and I always get people saying, "how can you be Catholic and be a firm believer in dinosaurs and caveman etc." I was so science driven as a kid and it carried into my teen years... I wanted to be a paleontologist or archeologist but I didn't want to do all that schooling. People knew I had those interests... As a Catholic since 21 yrs old I was old enough to understand things better then most brought up being told what to believe. Anyway I always struggled with the creationism vs. evolution arguement then I saw 2001 and thought this will never be solved as an arguement because maybe they are both right... The NEED each other to give a full explaination. Evolution happens and is still happening in the animal world but for humans it stopped when HE chose to create us from apes... After seeing 2001 I felt the missing link is the touch of God and the Monolith that the ape touches represents that... They were apes, being apes then the ape touches the Monolith an he starts using tools, starts to eat MEAT, starts to use weapons and commits hius first murder using that weapon... It made total sense and that movie helped me discover that it might not have to be a debate just an understanding.

Contact did the same thing, it's purpose was to say science and God can co exist and the ability to understand science helps us get closer to HIM but using science we can understand the unexplainable alot better.

The Terminator has religious undertones as well...

Spiderman 2 has a great scene that screamed religion to me... The scene where Peter stops the train... A total sacrifice of himself and it ends with his arms outstretched, he slumps in exhaustion and the PEOPLE enbrace him and hold him up... He also had the slice on his right rib cage representing one of the five wounds of Christ.

Travis

People can react to film any way they want. I do not see any religious overtones in 2001 because I see the entity behind the monolith as alien life, not THE Supreme being.

Arthur C. Clarke (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002009/) once said, "If you understand 2001 completely, we failed. We wanted to raise far more questions than we answered."

People can react to film any way they want. I do not see any religious overtones in 2001 because I see the entity behind the monolith as alien life, not THE Supreme being.

I think that's where I see it as being religious, because it is saying "there is no God" ...or rather "what you think was God's doing really went like this". To me, any discussion or depiction about man's relationship to his creator is a religious one.

John O.

A total sacrifice of himself and it ends with his arms outstretched, he slumps in exhaustion and the PEOPLE enbrace him and hold him up... He also had the slice on his right rib cage representing one of the five wounds of Christ.Travis
Way too deep man, way too deep. ;)

High plains Drifter
Frankenstein

I see your point John. It's just a really hard to define the concept. I wonder if Buddhists see 2001 as religious. We Americans tend to view everything in an Anglo-Christian sense.

I think that's where I see it as being religious, because it is saying "there is no God" ...or rather "what you think was God's doing really went like this". To me, any discussion or depiction about man's relationship to his creator is a religious one.

John O.

Caddyshack.

" Oh...RATFARTS! "

Judge Smaels: " Bishop Pickering! You're a man of the Cloth, for God's sake! Get ahold of yourself! "

Pickering: " The name's Fred. And I'm just a man...same as you. There IS no 'God'. "

:D

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h91/Freddo6/my%20animations1/gunga.gif

And then there's the discussion of Carl Spackler's regarding the 12th son of the Lama. The Dalai Lama. Bald. Flowing robes. Striking! :D

There was a movie released in 1950 called "The Next Voice You Hear" in which the voice of God was heard for a week on radios all over the world (tv's were still rare at that time). God's voice was never actually depicted, but what He said was repeated by news announcers and other characters. James Whitmore and Nancy Davis (later Reagan) played Joseph and Mary Smith. I remember seeing this movie on tv in the early 60's but haven't seen it since.

Being a big fan and owner of Bergman films and Robert Bresson films - should I even get started with the naming of the titles? In fact, there are so many in my 1000+ collection that border on spirituality issues that the list would be too big.

Let's just start with "Ghandi" and end with 'Eyes Wide Shut", shall we?

Many comedies (do they count?) have dealt with various interpretations of heaven or the afterlife: Here Comes Mr. Jordan and its remake Heaven Can Wait, an obscure but funny Jack Benny vehicle called The Horn Blows at Midnight, Albert Brooks’ Defending Your Life. And there was that interesting 1950s flick A Matter of Life and Death with David Niven, in which the earthbound sequences were in Technicolor, while the "paradise" scenes were in black-and-white!

And there was that interesting 1950s flick A Matter of Life and Death with David Niven, in which the earthbound sequences were in Technicolor, while the "paradise" scenes were in black-and-white!
Actually, A Matter of Life and Death (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038733/maindetails) was released in 1946. The war and English-American relations are important parts of the story.

This is a very interesting thread. I'm coming to it late, as I often do with various threads in these forums. :-) I also find it interesting that we actually haven't yet defined "religion". I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just noting it. But it is important, since what you think religion is will determine which movies you think are religious. Paul Tillich (whom no one would ever label as conservative) defined religion as "the area of ultimate concern.” On this defintion, practically everyone can be said to be concerned with "religion," from the atheist to Pat Robertson (no offence to anyone intended). And 2001 can definitely be considered to be a religious movie. And of course, when you consider all the obvious and not so obvious references to Nietsche in the movie, I think it's pretty hard to say it's not relgious on some levels.

Problem is, there are so many approaches to the study of relgion and so many definitions. Another academic says that "Religion is [humanity's] whole and developing reaction within and upon life, 'the expression of his summed-up meaning and the purport of his consciousness of things,' such reaction, meaning, and consciousness implying the recognition of things spiritual and superhuman."

This definition would seem to rule out more movies as having religious themes or elements, I suppose.

Anyhow, I've blathered on long enough. Maybe I miss teaching on a regular basis more than I thought. :-)

That's the problem isn't it? Many people do not see religion as "the area of ultimate concern", as ambiguous as that is, including myself. Too broad. I also think, given a persons mindset, it could be said that Teletubbies have certain religious overtones.