Focus

Films have never been more popular or, with the increase in television channels and home rentals, so readily available. But how much of what we watch do we really understand? Focus: The Art and Soul of Cinema explains how films communicate the worldview of the film-maker, helping us to engage more fully with the films we watch - and so to enjoy them more. With a passion for film and a deep concern to develop a robust Christian understanding of our culture, Tony Watkins equips us to recognise and respond to the messages in today's movies. Essential reading for anyone who enjoys films and who wants to get more out of their viewing experience.

Contents

Introduction

First Reel: Worldviews and films

1. Cinema Paradiso – Cinema and culture

2. What Lies Beneath – Understanding the message

3. Modern Times – a history of worldviews and film

Second Reel: How films communicate

4. Making Movies – Film-makers and their art

5. Telling tales – The narrative structure of films

6. Bending the rules – Genres and worldviews

Third Reel: Responding to what films are really saying

7. What’s it all about, Alfie? – Film and our deepest longings

8. The soul of cinema – Responding to films

Appendix 1: Questions to consider when watching a film

Appendix 2: The problem of content – Sex and violence

Bibliography

Index