Movies and Midrash

Popular Film and Jewish Religious Conversation

AvWendy I. Zierler

Inbunden, Engelska, 2017

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Beskrivning

Brings popular cinema and Jewish religious texts into a meaningful dialogue.Finalist for the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in Modern Jewish Thought and Experience presented by the Jewish Book Council Movies and Midrash uses cinema as a springboard to discuss central Jewish texts and matters of belief. A number of books have drawn on films to explicate Christian theology and belief, but Wendy I. Zierler is the first to do so from a Jewish perspective, exploring what Jewish tradition, text, and theology have to say about the lessons and themes arising from influential and compelling films. The book uses the method of "inverted midrash": while classical rabbinical midrash begins with exegesis of a verse and then introduces a mashal (parable) as a means of further explication, Zierler turns that process around, beginning with the culturally familiar cinematic parable and then analyzing related Jewish texts. Each chapter connects a secular film to a different central theme in classical Jewish sources or modern Jewish thought. Films covered include The Truman Show (truth), Memento (memory), Crimes and Misdemeanors (sin), Magnolia (confession and redemption), The Descendants (birthright), Forrest Gump (cleverness and simplicity), and The Hunger Games (creation of humanity in God's image), among others.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2017-09-01
Mått:152 x 229 x 25 mm
Vikt:562 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:328
Förlag:State University of New York Press
Medarbetare:EugeneB. Borowitz
ISBN:9781438466156

Utforska kategorier

Judendom inom Filosofi och religion
Film inom Kultur

Mer om författaren

Wendy I. Zierler is Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and the author of And Rachel Stole the Idols: The Emergence of Modern Hebrew Women's Writing.

Recensioner i media

"…Wendy I. Zierler makes a very welcome and important contribution to the field of film and theology by adding a Jewish voice to a (so far) mostly Christian conversation." — Journal for Religion, Film and Media"The book is highly recommended for libraries that have large movie collections or that sponsor movie series, as it will give viewers insight into watching popular and/or current cinema with an eye for Jewish themes." — AJL Reviews"…Zierler writes winningly and convincingly—and very, very smartly—about her films and about Jewish text and scriptures … There is significant strength in this work and it is a very worthwhile and serious review of Jewish doctrinal and spiritual thinking. But there is also still much here for colleagues teaching on religion and film (and a welcome, serious Jewish augment to those who are writing/thinking/teaching more generally about spirituality in/and modern American secular culture)." — Reading Religion"This is a groundbreaking work of originality, insight, and high quality. It will be of great importance not only for Jewish readers but also for non-Jewish readers who long for a non-Christian perspective on popular film. I loved this book!" — Eric Michael Mazur, editor, Encyclopedia of Religion and Film

Innehållsförteckning

List of IllustrationsForeword by Rabbi Eugene B. BorowitzAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Truman Show: Truth2. Magnolia: Confession and Redemption3. The Descendants: Birthright: Consent versus Descent4. On Memento: Remaking Memory from the Outside In5. Crimes, Misdemeanors, and Sin6. Forrest Gump: Cleverness and Simplicity7. The King’s Speech: Speaking God’s Word8. Stranger than Fiction: God as Author9. A Serious Man: Parables of Jewishness10. Exam: Tests, Trials, and Attachments11. The Hunger Games: In God’s ImageConclusion Moonrise Kingdom: And the Youth Shall See VisionsAppendix I On the Design of "Reel Theology," from e-mail archivesAppendix II More Movies and Midrash: Additional Film ResourcesNotesBibliographyIndex