Deep Focus - Paperback

by Robert K. Craig Detweiler Johnston (Preface by)

Three media experts guide the Christian moviegoer into a theological conversation with movies in this up-to-date, readable introduction to Christian theology and film. Building on the success of Robert Johnston's Reel Spirituality, the leading textbook in the field for the past 17 years, Deep Focus helps film lovers not only watch movies critically and theologically but also see beneath the surface of their moving images. The book discusses a wide variety of classic and contemporary films and is illustrated with film stills from favorite movies.

Back Jacket

"Engaging, fluent, and timely"

"Three ophthalmologists of the cinema explore how we see and understand the visual parables of our age. Film professors Johnston, Detweiler, and Callaway provide lenses that enable us not only to see the fleeting images on the screen but to see into our own myopic souls. This stellar work invites readers to join an ongoing conversation among some of the most cinematically literate companions one can find."
--Terry Lindvall, Virginia Wesleyan University

"Deep Focus is a brilliant contribution to the growing canon of books on the intersection of theology and film. The authors know and love their territory and plumb the depths of cinema's historical and cultural landscape to break open films to find what is divine and authentically human. They explore a wide range of films from the silent era to the most current box-office hits and flow through diverse genres. The text is accessible and a pleasure to read."
--Rose Pacatte, FSP, Pauline Center for Media Studies; film critic, National Catholic Reporter

"Deep Focus is an engaging, fluent, and timely book that goes beneath the surface of many recent and classic films. Three leading scholar-teachers offer readers different kinds of lenses through which to look at movies in fresh and imaginative ways. A must-read for anyone interested in the relation between theology and film."
--Jolyon Mitchell, Centre for Theology and Public Issues, University of Edinburgh

"Great movie choices, insightful analysis, wonderful prose, rich knowledge about film and theology--this book has it all. It's a great read for all who are interested in the field of film and theology and offers the necessary tools to engage in this conversation in a knowledgeable, substantial way. Highly recommended!"
--Stefanie Knauss, Villanova University; author of More Than a Provocation: Sexuality, Media, and Theology

"Johnston, Detweiler, and Callaway provide an overview of Hollywood history, cinema aesthetics, production elements, and types of criticism, culminating with deep dives into the relationship between faith and film. Americans' media consumption continues to rise while church attendance declines; people engaged in ministry must be media literate in order to communicate effectively to their congregants."
--Thomas Parham, Azusa Pacific University

Author Biography

Robert K. Johnston (PhD, Duke University) is professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and codirects Fuller's Reel Spirituality Institute.

Craig Detweiler (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) formerly served as president of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.

Kutter Callaway (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary.