Encyclopedia of Religion and Film

摘要

Religion has figured prominently in many movies and films since the first motion pictures made their debut in the late nineteenth century. In this encyclopedia the editor underscores that this resource is not explicitly about religious films but rather focuses on general topics related to religion and film. The editor decided to take this focus because, "there is no fixed definition for religion" and, "how can one confidently identify all of the films related to it?" (p. xiv). The editor also created parameters as to what kinds of films are examined in this resource and the emphasis is on titles that have been released and shown in a movie theatre or cinema. Other forms of film such as documentaries are included where relevant. The writers who contributed entries to this work are mainly scholars of religion but there are also contributions from film and cultural scholars.