There has been (see link) quite a "rhubarb" over the lifestyle chosen by one star of a new movie, "End of the Spear." While I am not much of one for video entertainment of any kind, I am continually struck by how "Christian" entertainment is diverted to serve Hollywood's interests.
Here's what I mean; even the "best" Christian movie lately, "The Passion," was dogged by comments about the lifestyles and other movies of the stars. "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" changed quite a bit of the story for "theatrical presentability"--I counted half a dozen changes in a few promotional posters, it seemed. "End of the Spear" counts the director from "Charlie's Angels" and a prominent homosexual activist among its contributors.
Music and TV aren't much better. Big Idea's (VeggieTales) difficulties began as they "improved" their technology and theatrical effects. Due to this, their product became too scary for many children, including mine. The troubles of Amy Grant, Sandi Patti, and others are well known as well.
It almost makes me wonder if these cases are an example to us--artists or no--about what happens when we try to use the world's ways and the world's resources to try and do God's work. It seems that when we try to use the world, the world just as inevitably uses us.
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6 comments:
I watched "The End of The Spear" and found it to be well done and moving (see my 'blog for just such a comment).
What's scary about the recent VeggieTales? I'm a bit behind in my collection at the moment. :^/
Mark--mostly the increased realism, accompanied by standard "appeals to emotion." In other words, Big Idea started to use the Hollywood emotional tricks to "enhance" their product, but the simple fact is that those are too much for my family.
You didn't think that "FrankenCelery" was scary?!? ;^)
Don't have that one, Mark. But that said, is "Frankencelery" realistic, and does he manipulate the emotions with dramatic music?
What I'm getting at here is what goes on to accompany the script for the most part. When something real happens, we don't have a confluence of lighting, music, and such to "prepare" us for the shock. In movies today (and later Veggie Tales), these themes are extensively used.
And not surprisingly, scare my kids, who aren't used to being so manipulated. A good example of an extreme case of this is "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," which came out around 1994 or so. The music was scripted incredibly, to the point where it seemed that if I was supposed to break wind in the theater, it was in the score.
*blinkblink* what's wrong with using lighting, music, and such to assist in making a point? in any story, you're telling a story, you're not re-creating "life". If your criterion for acceptable is that it's 'just like life', then nothing fits, because you can't say everythign when you say anything.....
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