Religious Communication Association's Book of the Year Hollywood and Christianity often seem to be at war. Indeed, there is a long list of movies that have attracted religious condemnation, from Gone with the Wind with its notorious "damn," to The Life of Brian and The Last Temptation of Christ. But the reality, writes William Romanowski, has been far more complicated--and remarkable. In Reforming Hollywood, Romanowski, a leading historian of popular culture, explores the long and varied efforts of Protestants to influence the film industry. He shows how a broad spectrum of religious forces have played a role in Hollywood, from Presbyterians and Episcopalians to fundamentalists and evangelicals. Drawing on personal interviews and previously untouched sources, he describes how mainline church leaders lobbied filmmakers to promote the nation's moral health and, perhaps surprisingly, how they have by and large opposed government censorship, preferring instead self-regulation by both the industry and individual conscience. "It is this human choice," noted one Protestant leader, "that is the basis of our religion." Tensions with Catholics, too, have loomed large--many Protestant clergy feared the influence of the Legion of Decency more than Hollywood's corrupting power. Romanowski shows that the rise of the evangelical movement in the 1970s radically altered the picture, in contradictory ways. Even as born-again clergy denounced "Hollywood elites," major studios noted the emergence of a lucrative evangelical market. 20th Century-Fox formed FoxFaith to go after the "Passion dollar," and Disney took on evangelical Philip Anschutz as a partner to bring The Chronicles of Narnia to the big screen. William Romanowski is an award-winning commentator on the intersection of religion and popular culture. Reforming Hollywood is his most revealing, provocative, and groundbreaking work on this vital area of American society.

Reforming Hollywood: How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

Romanowski, William D.

Religion & Spirituality

Oxford University Press

Entertainment has long been a source of controversy in American life. On the one hand, American popular culture is enormously desired, captivating audiences around the world. On the other hand, more and more critics blame it for the breakdown of morals and even civilization itself. In this groundbreaking book, William Romanowski brings something desperately needed to the discussion: an informed, systematic and challenging Christian perspective. Comprehensive and historically revealing, Pop Culture Wars bids to accomplish nothing less than to reframe and render more constructive a crucial but angry cultural debate.

Pop Culture Wars: Religion & the Role of Entertainment in American Life

History

Intervarsity Pr

Risky Business: Rock in Film

The role of motion pictures in the popularity of rock music became increasingly significant in the latter twentieth century. Rock music and its interaction with film is the subject of this significant book that re-examines and extends Serge Denisoff’s pioneering observations of this relationship. Prior to Saturday Night Fever rock music had a limited role in the motion picture business. That movie’s success, and the success of its soundtrack, began to change the silver screen. In 1983, with Flashdance, the situation drastically evolved and by 1984, ten soundtracks, many in the pop/rock genre, were certified platinum. Choosing which rock scores to discuss in this book was a challenging task. The authors made selections from seminal films such as The Graduate, Easy Rider, American Grafitti, Saturday Night Fever, Help!, and Dirty Dancing. However, many productions of the period are significant not because of their success, but because of their box office and record store failures. Risky Business chronicles the interaction of two major mediums of mass culture in the latter twentieth century. This book is essential for those interested in communications, popular culture, and social change.

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Routledge

The role of motion pictures in the popularity of rock music became increasingly significant in the latter twentieth century. Rock music and its interaction with film is the subject of this significant book that re-examines and extends Serge Denisoff’s pioneering observations of this relationship. Prior to Saturday Night Fever rock music had a limited role in the motion picture business. That movie’s success, and the success of its soundtrack, began to change the silver screen. In 1983, with Flashdance, the situation drastically evolved and by 1984, ten soundtracks, many in the pop/rock genre, were certified platinum. Choosing which rock scores to discuss in this book was a challenging task. The authors made selections from seminal films such as The Graduate, Easy Rider, American Grafitti, Saturday Night Fever, Help!, and Dirty Dancing. However, many productions of the period are significant not because of their success, but because of their box office and record store failures. Risky Business chronicles the interaction of two major mediums of mass culture in the latter twentieth century. This book is essential for those interested in communications, popular culture, and social change.

In Eyes Wide Open, William Romanowski offers a fascinating, easy-to-read guide for interpreting and evaluating popular culture as a Christian. His practical, analytical approaches to movies, music, and television programs provide tools for imaginatively and faithfully engaging the media that now saturate our lives. His illuminating examples range from Titanic to Casablanca, from ER to The Simpsons, and from Bruce Springsteen to Amy Grant. Eyes Wide Open is the road map to popular culture for parents, teenagers, teachers, and pastors.

Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture

Brazos Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Romanowski, William D.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Romanowski, William D.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Romanowski, William D.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Reforming Hollywood: How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

Pop Culture Wars: Religion & the Role of Entertainment in American Life

Risky Business: Rock in Film

Risky Business: Rock in Film

Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture