Teaching Religion and Film
Oxford University Press 2008

by Gregory J. Watkins

Reviewed by Julien Fielding

Endnotes

1. Watkins, Gregory J., 2008.Teaching Religion and Film, Oxford University Press, p 5.

2. Blizek, William L. and Desmarais, Michele Marie, 2008. "What Are We Teaching When We Teach 'Religion and Film'?" in Watkins, Gregory J., 2008.Teaching Religion and Film, Oxford University Press, p. 18.

3. Blizek and Desmarais, 2008. p. 27.

4. Blizek and Desmarais, 2008. p. 28.

5. Blizek and Desmarais, 2008. p. 29.

6. The article, which was published in Vol. VIII Fall 2004, of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, can be found on-line at http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art8-cinematicchrist.html.

7. Deacy, Christopher, 2008. "The Pedagogical Challenges of Finding Christ Figures in Film" in Watkins, Gregory J. Teaching Religion and Film, Oxford University Press, p. 129.

8. Fielding, Julien, 2008. Discovering Religion at 24 Frames per Second. Scarecrow Press.

9. Deacy, 2008, p. 130.

10. Salisbury, Mark,ed. 2000. Burton on Burton, London: Faber and Faber Ltd., p. 87.

11. Salisbury, p. 99.

12. Deacy, 2008. p. 134.

13. Deacy, 2008. p. 136.

14. Deacy, 2008. p. 139.

15. Hussain, Amir, 2008. "Film and the Introduction to Islam Course" in Watkins, Gregory J. Teaching Religion and Film, Oxford University Press, p. 142.

16. Within the last three years, I have noticed that films in Arabic and Farsi are becoming more readily available through Netflix.

17. It’s interesting to note that within the last decade, filmmakers have made a number of films that feature Mormon characters, situations and issues. Just a few examples include Latter Days (2003), Brigham City (2001), and God’s Army (2000).

18. Watkins, 2008. p. 235.

19. Watkins, 2008. p. 236.

20. Watkins, 2008. p. 243.

21. The footnotes of Gayatri Chatterjee’s chapter on "Designing a Course on Religion and Cinema in India" are full of interesting and important information, and she says whether or not the films she mentions are on DVD. However, this does not mean that they are easy to obtain. I did a search on Netflix, for instance, for 11 of the films mentioned on two pages of the book and only five were available. None of the ones made before the 1930s were available through Netflix, which means it is highly doubtful you will find them at Hollywood Video or Blockbuster. Furthermore, just because you can rent these, does not mean they are readily available for purchase. For instance, I had a very difficult time finding Mr. and Mrs. Iyer for purchase. She also claims that her students were “thrilled” to watch a film from the 1950s. My experience has been just the opposite. Students typically do not like to watch subtitled films, especially ones that do not represent a world “familiar” to them. They dislike even more films that are in black and white. As they watch the film, they may indeed “come around” to it, and even end up loving it; however, you still have to contend with that initial, negative reaction. I would rather begin the screening in a more neutral place and I do this by showing newer films.