Description
Book SynopsisThe American cinema is one of the great myth-making machines of the last century and has been used to craft defining narratives of race. Films like Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind have promoted racist stereotypes and films like Get Out and BlacKkKlansman have worked to tear those same stereotypes down. Greg Garrett's new book suggests that looking to religious traditions can help us discern and correct our nationalnarratives of race and ultimately lead to reconciliation in a meaningful and lasting way.
Trade ReviewThis book's dust jacket describes the author's method: "Greg Garrett brings [to bear] his signature brand of theologically motivated cultural criticism." ... The present volume looks at the representation of African Americans in six films: The Birth of a Nation (1915), Casablanca (1943), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Do the Right Thing (1989), Crash (2004), and Get Out (2017). Garrett's "theologically motivated cultural criticism" amounts to a well-written, sensible description of each film, followed by an extended theological reflection. ... Garrett is not that interested in conversing with film scholars who write about race. Instead his framework is theological: "Love is the most important force in the universe, the power that animates it, and the power that animates us" (p. 104) * S. C. Dillon, CHOICE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Long, Long Way The Birth of a Nation: Seeing the Other as Subhuman Best Supporting Actors: Casablanca, Friendship, and the Beloved Community "That's the Glory of Love": Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and the Power of Love Do the Right Thing: Together Are We Going to Live? Crashing into Each Other: Crash as Multicultural Post-9/11 Fable Get Out: Black Bodies Matter Conclusion: Remembrance, Contrition, and Hope
