WRIT2011
The Christ Figure in Film and Television
Richard Fox
Historically, the Western world is prone to portraying the Christ figure in many different forms, both in film and television. Although, it is more prominent in the last thirty years and gaining momentum as the years go by. Even if you haven’t been paying attention lately, it’s unlikely to not have noticed the increase of religion and science being featured in popular films (Moritz, 2009:207). The Christ figure has found its way into many different forms of film and television; including dramas, cartoons, anime, and even science fiction films. Christ has been portrayed both directly and indirectly, comically and seriously, and has become a heavily debated topic amongst both film critics and theologians. Religion can play an important role in the themes of a film without the need for a film to have any religious intent, as it can layer the films to give them that much more meaning. Some of the Christ figures in film have become some of the most iconic characters to date, including Neo (The Matrix, 1999), John Coffey (The Green Mile, 1999), and Gandalf the Grey (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 2001-2003).
Religion, in many ways, has found a way to play a didactic role in films and television, such as a television show depicting an event from a religious text, and especially in Mel Gibson’s controversial film The Passion of the Christ (2004). Conrad Ostwalt (Ostwalt, 2008:35) confirms the learning experience of film, stating that the visual and auditory character of film is capable of affecting the audience in many ways and provides “a more participatory experience” that is more likely to mimic the religious experience. Though many of these films are directly linked to the relation of the story of religion in the form of entertainment, many programs and films are prone to portraying a Christ figure for the purpose of the film, and not to generate a wholly religious meaning. Christopher Deacy (2008:129) states it most provocatively when he asks when theology is part of a film, and when it is brough to a film. The decision of this should be on the filmmaker, although it is hurting nobody if one is to find a religious meaning in a film if it means something good comes from it. Films are stories, and stories are open to interpretation. Normally, the viewer is going to interpret a story according to the author’s intentions (Blizek and Desmarais, 2008:17). Furthermore, Gail Hamner (Hamner,2012:15) states that religion lies in the movement between how the object is composed and presented and how the audience will receive said presentation and composition. Hence, it is the choice of the audience as to whether they will accept this presentation as religious or not, and the director’s abilities are judged accordingly on whether they will see what the auteur envisions.
A Christian reading of a character or plot requires a justification through an analysis somewhere other than one’s own religious upbringing (Hamner, 2012:15). Due to the increasing role that religion is playing in the medium of films in the recent decades, these films are then examined in order to determine whether they have the necessary definitional properties, to determine whether they are “Christ products” (Deacy, 2008:129). As previously mentioned, it is now detrimental for scholars to be studying the context of Christ in films to understand if said film is a religious text, or a secular film with religious themes that are used to carry the narrative. Anton Kozlvic (2004:5) states that through the arrangement of narrative, secular films can engage in religious storytelling about biblical characters, themes and ideas without appearing religious.
Neil P. Hurley (1980:427) argues a descript case for the Christ figure in film in the form of German Philosophy. In German philosophy, there is a distinction between two ideas known as das Existenziel and das Existenzial. “Das Existenzial refers to the external determination of our lives through the cumulative decisions of others (Hurley, 1980:427). Therefore, das Existenziel contrasts this, embracing the concrete personal choices which shape our existence and, secondarily, that of others (1980:427). In this case, Christ figures in film are separated by these two philiosophies. Whether the individual affirms a faith in the Christ figure, even at the least of it being implicit, is an existential. Alternatively, the existentiel is when one draws on the universal cultural symbolic figure of the Jesus persona (1980:428). This distinction is important since the image of the Christ figure heightens the appeal of charismatic personalities.
Most often, films require narrative signals to indicate that a film has religious subtext. These include symbols of crosses and crucifixes, the presence of a Judas, a Peter or a Magdalene, and a descent from the cross or a Pieta scene (Hurley, 1980:428). One of the most iconic Christ figures is Neo in the science fiction film The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999). In this film, there is an abundance of Christian iconogrpahy, even the spaceships are given Christian names, and their location, being Zion, is a location in Jerusalem which was to be known as a fortress and as the setting and symbol of salvation in an idealised ‘end of days’ (Kessler and Wenborn, 2005:450) back in the days of Jerusalem. Neo is most obviously a Christ figure in the film as he is called the messiah on multiple occasions, he suffers and dies for the good of others, rises from the dead, and eventually ascends to the sky/heavens to become the new God/Architect.There is an obvious Judas character, known as Cypher, who betrays Morpheus and Neo in order to return to the safe familiarity of the Matrix’s safe canopy (Wellman and Richter, 2009:147). This is a prime example of a secular film with religious content, following Christopher Deacy’s argument of religion being brought to a film, as opposed to a being an integral part of the film, since it is still primarily an action movie.
Another secular film that has gathered much attention for its portrayal of religious themes is Ridley Scott’s Noir-Science Fiction film Blade Runner (1982). The film has a variety of religious elements, although for the sake of this discussion, it will be primarily in the context of the Christ figure. The film is set in a dystopian future where androids, known as replicants, have been outlawed and are hunted by hired inidividuals known as Blade Runners. Near the end of the film, the character, Batty, a replicant, breaks the protagonist’s fingers as a punishment for the death of the other replicants caused by the protagonist (Deckard). Batty then delivers a nail through his own hand to keep it functioning. This driving of the nail through his hand parallels the crucifixion of Christ and, by doing this, causes the salvation of Deckard (Gravett, 1998:39). He then releases a dove at his death. Both of these are symbolic of Christ’s actions within the Bible.
Neil Hurley (2000:428) argues that the leading example of Christ in the cinema was Paul Newman’s character in the film Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Roseberg, 1967). Paul Newman plays a the role of a sacrificial martyr in a prison compound, with allegorical parallels to Jesus, also known as a “Convict Christ” (Malone, 2010:221). Neil Hurley (Hurley, 2000:428) categorises Paul Newman’s iconic character within the five modes of fiction described by Northrop Frye (Frye, 1957). The first mode is that he is immortalised as in the tale of the gods, making him a legend. The second is the romantic mode, where the portagonist is portrayed as superior to the rest of humanity and the environment. The third mode is the “high mimetic” where the protagonist is seen as a leader, though he has real limitations. The fourth mode is the “low mimetic”, where the protagonist is seen as an equal to the rest of humanity. The fifth and final mode is irony, where the hero is inferior to ourselves and he is then looked down at by us for his absurd plight. Neil Hurley (Hurley, 2000:428) describes this as Luke’s actions curving exactly as Christ did in the Scripture.
Unfortunately, in the Western world, the word “religion” in the context of film has become synonymous with “Christianity”, primarily due to these films being marketed to a Western audience who will know the sight and implications when they see these typical images of their chosen faith. Although The Matrix has many Christian themes, there is also an abundance of Buddhist themes within the film aswell. The most memorable part of the film is where Neo wakes from the Matrix, as if he had been asleep for his whole life. In Buddhism, there is a being known as the Bodhisattva, whom is an individual that wishes to achieve full Buddhahood for the benefit of others, although hes delays his journey to help lesser beings (Samuels, 1997:399). In order for this individual to achieve this desired state, they must go down the path of Spiritual Awakening, which requires ten stages to achieve (Kawamura, 2004:59) . The eighth stage is known in Sanskrit as Acala, or the “Immovable” stage. Within this stage, the Bodhisattva gains Infinite Knowledge and is able to remove the obstructions that block the way to omniscience (Williams, 2008:206). If not for this, he would enter into Nirvana instead of attaining enlightenment for the good of others (Dayal, 1970:290). . It has been said that this stage is like a person has awoken from a dream (Williams, 2008:206), which is exactly what happens to Neo.
However, in television series such as South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone, 1997) and Family Guy (Seth McFarlane, 1999), the Jesus character is used solely for entertainment purposes. This figure, visually representing Christ, has little to do with the Christ depicted in Scripture, although his morals are the same for the most part. He is primarily in the shows in order to push boundaries and offend the few people left that would find the content offensive in today’s world. Jesus is often portrayed as an action hero, starring in a sequel to The Passion of the Christ, and a rescue mission to save Santa Claus from terrorists. There is no underlying subtext to be read from the portrayal of Christ in these shows, only that they are controlled this way in the scene for entertainment purposes.
Therefore, the Christ figure, as a tool in both film and television, has played the role of a didactic tool and a source of entertainment to carry the narrative; giving the text a deeper story and creating iconic characters. Christ figures have been some of the most iconic characters in films of the most recent decades, giving religion an important role in film that is not necessarily one to teach or guide, but rather to entertain. German philosophy has played an important role in understanding this divorce between learning about christ through film, and having christ-related content play a role in film, opening up a discussion of the two distinctions between the Christ figure’s use. More often than not, it appears that if a filmmaker wishes to project a religious subtext to a film, narrative signals are required in order for the audience to understand that there is a minor religious presuasion; items such as crucifixes or crosses, or any other object or visual tool to aid the audiences understanding. Although the Christ character has primarily been put in place as either a tool for teaching, or to add depth to the narrative, he is also in place for the sole purpose of entertaining and offending. South Park and Family Guy both pushed boundaries when it came to the representation of Christ, instead of having him as a passive individual, they made him an action hero. The creators of both shows are not of the Christian religion, and so they put their own spin on one of the most iconic people ever known in the Western world. For better or worse, Christ and religion have found a place in cinema and television, and it is important to study and understand the reason behind this.
Works Cited
Blade Runner. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford. 1982.
Blizek, William L. and Michele Desmarais. “What Are We Teaching When We Teach “Religion and Film”?” Watkins, Gregory J. Teaching Religion and Film. Oxford University Press, 2008. 17-34.
Cool Hand Luke. Dir. Stuart Rosenberg. Perf. Paul Newman. 1967.
Dayal, Har. Bodhisattva Doctrine In Buddhist Sanskrit Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishing, 1970.
Deacy, Christopher. “The Pedagogical Challenges of Finding Christ Figures in Film.” Watkins, Gregory J. Teaching Religion and Film. Oxford University Press, 2008. 129-140.
Family Guy. Dir. Seth McFarlane. Perf. Seth McFarlane. 1999.
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism. Princeton University Press, 1957.
Gravett, Sharon L. “The sacred and the profane: Examining the religious subtext of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.” Literature/Film Quarterly 26.1 (1998): 38-45.
Hamner, Gail M. Imaging Religion in Film. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
Hurley, Neil P. “Christ-Transfigurations in Film: Notes on a Meta-Genre.” Journal of Popular Culture 13.3 (1980): 427-433.
Kawamura, Leslie L. “Bodhisattva(s).” Buswell Jr., Robert E. Encyclopedia of Buddhism. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 58-60.
Kessler, Edward and Neil Wenborn. A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Kozlovic, Anton Karl. “The Structural Characteristics of the Cinematic Christ-figure.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture (2004).
Malone, Aubrey. Sacred Profanity: Spirituality at the Movies. ABC-CLIO, 2010.
Moritz, Joshua M. “Doubt, Perception, and Dogma: Science and Religion in Film.” Theology and Science 7.3 (2009): 207-212.
Ostwalt, Conrad. “Teaching Religion and Film.” Watkins, Gregory J. Teaching Religion and Film. Oxford University Press, 2008. 35-54.
Samuels, Jeffrey. “The Bodhisattva Ideal In Theravada Buddhist Theory and Practice: A Reevaluation of the Bodhisattva-Śrāvaka Opposition.” Philosophy East and West 47.3 (1997): 399-415.
South Park. Dirs. Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Perf. Trey Parker. 1997.
The Green Mile. Dir. Frank Darabont. Perf. Tom Hanks. 1999.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Dir. Peter Jackson. Perf. Ian Mckellen. 2001-2003.
The Matrix. Dirs. Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves. 1999.
The Passion of the Christ. Dir. Mel Gibson. Perf. Jim Caviezel. 2004.
Wellman, James K. and Charles Richter. “The Matrix as Sacred Canopy: Teaching Theory in Religion.” Teaching Theology & Religion 12.2 (2009): 141-150.
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. Taylor & Francis, 2008.
richard writes religion and spirituality 
