Movie and theater

[Fr Aaron Warwick]

Dear Friends:

I am not an active participant on this site in terms of posting, however I read essentially every post and respect your opinions.

I have heard (and read some) that the Fathers were not big fans of the theater. I am wondering why they were not, and am also wondering if these reasons differ any from our current situation with theater and movies. If anyone could discuss this issue from the teachings of the Fathers and from their own take on the current situation, it would be much appreciated.

Your prayers.

Aaron

[Charalambos Andrew Geo]

if you have a spiritual Father, if you know what that means, ask him and he will tell you accordingly for you. I myself have been advised a certain thing, I know St John of Kronstadt speaks of it negatively, pray about it also and ask God with anyone pleasing to Guide you, I suppose to learn i.e documentaries are not so bad, as long as the content is not of a passionate nature i.e the topic could imply a unchristian influence, I do not know enough but I can say that your prayer to God and his saints and angels and your guardian angel and saint will help you. also see a spiritual fr if you can.
with love in Christ
Charalambos

[Irene]

The theatre, cinema, television and other forms of entertainment by their nature distract us from what is going on around us. These forms of entertainment are used to unwind at the end of day because we often stop thinking for ourselves and just allow the entertainment to fill our heads. It is very rare for entertainment of any sort to be focusing on God and this is not just in these modern times - it has always been so. There have always been people that have had little or no interest in faith.

If you have ever had a period of time of quiet and complete prayer - such as staying at a monastery for a little while - you start to understand slightly what the Holy Fathers are trying to tell us, you get a wash of peace and joy that is not known by worldly people.

If you are filling your head with wordly entertaining thoughts you are not really likely to be filling it with prayer and spiritual contemplation.

[Olga]

Acting was seen as a most dishonourable occupation in earlier times, almost as disreputable as prostitution, which would have certainly been the case during the times of the early Fathers, possibly because of its pagan overtones. Similarly, a woman who was a singer or who wrote music was regarded as of similar reputation. It is all the more remarkable that, in this light, St Kassiane the Hymnographer, an abbess who lived in the 9thC, and who was gifted in poetry and music (sacred and secular), is the only woman whose compositions have found their way into the liturgical canon. A fair proportion of her works are extant, as is some of her correspondence to her lifelong friend and icon-venerating ally, St Theodore of the Studion.

[Byron Jack Gaist]

I am Orthodox, and a fan of serious films, wholesome entertainment and good acting. I seem to remember my R.I. teacher at school instructing us not to watch cinematic depictions of Jesus because it is wrong to represent the Lord in ways other than iconic (that's why we don't have statues in our churches, only icons, mosaics and some relief carvings). There seems to me to be good reason, psychologically speaking, to be cautious about acting as a profession, since it encourages the conscious adoption of personae other than our own true self. Perhaps this is why the Byzantines disapproved of it, as well as its pagan overtones. But what about mystery plays in the Western Church?

One thing for sure, the overload of sexual and violent themes, and the dearth of metaphysical or spiritual content in most popular films. Aren't the lives of saints interesting? Are the narratives of history, mythology and world religions boring, not to mention the stories that have potential cinematic value in the Christian tradition? Why so many movies about serial killers and romantic encounters (not that there is anything wrong with romance as such), but so few depictions of the human search for meaning and spirituality?

[Jeffrey]

What a great and important topic. My father worked for Walt Disney World for more than 40 years producing live shows and entertainment. So there was quite an emphasis and presence of entertainment in my family. I grew up making radio plays, acting out scenes, and filming little movies with my friends. In high school and college I was very involved with theatre - both on and off-stage. All this to say that there is a place in my heart for this profession and it's not going away. I do not believe that the performing arts are unholy in the eyes of God. Any profession can be abused and misused. And I will be the first to admit that modern entertainment has been dealing out a lot of garbage for decades. Unfortunately, the response from the Christian subculture has been to produce "Christian" entertainment that is, quite frankly, terrible. Low production values, bad scripts, horrible acting, etc. We DO need films that deal with the search for meaning. And I agree there are MANY people and stories (saints, etc.) that would make FANTASTIC films! I'm currently studying film / video production. And I hope and pray to one day make those kinds of films. Because that is the language and world our culture is listening to. Nihilism, self-will, pop psychology find their way into our minds through an invasion of the imagination through the arts. There is no way (short of totalitarian censorship) we can stop people from making excellent films with destructive worldviews. But we will not help matters by making mediocre films no matter how excellent the worldview. WE must strive for excellence in arts. WE must be willing to confront the tough questions thoughtfully and truthfully. This CAN be done. It MUST be done. Because our culture is already 'slouching towards Gomorrah'. I am convinced that Christ is the only saving hope for our culture and the world. And there is no reason filmmakers who are Christians cannot use their skills and gifts toward that end.

Sorry for the manifesto, but when you're passionate about something....

Humbly in Christ,
James

[Felipe Augusto Ortiz]

Dear Aaron,


I have just read this excellent lecture (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/infoage.aspx) that deals with this subject in its appropriate context.

I am very fond of movies, theater and worldly literature, I have many passions associated to them and it was difficult to me to understand why did St John of Kronstadt write so harsh words against the theater. This issue was made much clearer when I read the lecture foresaid.

It is not a short piece, but it is really worthy reading -- specially now in the Christmas Lent.

Hope it helps.


Felipe

[Charalambos Andrew Geo]

Nice, Thanks, Happy Christmas,
God Bless

[Amartolos]

Hi Aaron,

i know its been a long time since you posted but i thought i'd have a go anyway at answering your query. i have had a lot of contact with monks whom have spoken to me about the topic as i too enjoy movies and theatre (although my interesting if fading, and i am becoming more selective). they told me the father's advise against it because most times if not always what is being staged is just another representation of man's fallen state and darkened mind. for someone who is making gains in their spiritual life, they would struggle to find this entertaining. for other's not so spiritual the only thing they can take from it is sensitisation of their emotions and their imagination, both of which the devil is all to fond of exploiting and leading people astray. The fathers claim that imagination and even emotionalism are fallen states that we inherited after our fall from grace.

and that is why our minds are so subject to change when they are bombarded by pictures and soungs from the outside world. anybody with an ounce of discretion can easily determine the false portrayls of human nature, and pathological stereotypes of many hollywood movies. the fathers spoke of theatre as many of us today do about some of the ridiculous hollywood flics that come out.

futhermore somebody who is a soldier looking for Christ to enter their heart, they would be better of praying(especially Jesus Prayer) reading spiritual literature and performing other ascetic practises. everything else coming from movies, music etc not approved by the fathers is just storing mental junk, which means the have to sort through more rubbish when they look to find Christ.

forgive me for my pitiful reply. i just wanted to post as i enjoy interaction with brother and sisters in Christ all over the world.

God bless