Faith in the Movies

Film Review # 68690

Film > Analysis, Criticism, Etc.
Religion and Theology > Christianity

Faith in the Movies

A discussion on the different aspects of the Kevin Smith's film "Dogma".

1,450 words () | 8 sources | MLA | 2003 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper offers a brief overview of the plot and main theme of the film "Dogma". This paper also examines, through examples from the film, the reasons why "Dogma" is the cause of such controversy. It discusses both the protester's and the critic's opinions and views on the film and its message. In conclusion the author of the paper offers a personal opinion and thoughts on the film.

From the Paper:

"Religion is a topic, which is open to numerous interpretations and a lot of controversy. Whenever a movie comes out that tackles a religious issue, the disagreement that follows is inevitable. Between the clergy, devout conservatives, and free speech-supporting liberals, someone is bound to disagree with the message being delivered by these movies. As a practicing Catholic, Kevin Smith, the New Jersey-born director who has received critical acclaim for such films as Clerks and Chasing Amy, knew just that when he made the film Dogma. Long before Dogma even hit the theaters, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights denounced the film as "offensive, and demanded it be pulled by its production company Miramax" (Jeff Jansen 37). Since Disney owns Miramax, the production company was skeptical about its release, hoping that the controversy wouldn't hurt Disney's family-friendly image. However, as it is always said, controversy helps to sell, and so Miramax decided to cash in on Smith's comedic fantasy, and production went through as scheduled. It was a big decision to make, and as with most big decisions in the entertainment industry, all hell would break loose immediately after. The protests began immediately, and Smith received mixed reviews for the film. The plot, which is considered by most to be a little unorganized and hard to follow, was declared to be an outrage by devout Catholics, and considered a clever, thought provoking story by many movie critics."