Page - 105 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/01

Review: The Bible in Motion | 105www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/1, 103–105 ciety and stimulates a different approach to the relationship between the Bible and culture, which is always more entangled and complex. Film does not simply receive the biblical tradition but in a certain way it actively produces this tradi- tion; cinematic imagination is not simply a reaction to the influence of religious traditions but itself contributes to the development and interpretation of reli- gion, theology and exegetic reflexion. As a last point in my response to this enjoyable and important work, I would like to mention the interaction between religion, film and technical possibilities that emerges from the various articles: from the silent production at the begin- ning to the introduction of sound and colour to the technical revolution by digi- talisation, both film and religion have been transformed and changed, always providing new possibilities for the re-reading and re-enacting of biblical material. In her introduction, editor Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch offers useful categories for understanding the multi-layered relationship between film and the Bible, pro- viding a general orientation in dealing with the large number of films discussed in the individual chapters. Burnette-Bletsch proposes ten categories that – as she writes – may overlap but nevertheless highlight different strategies in dealing with biblical references within the history of film: (a) celebratory, (b) transposed, (c) genre-determined, (d) hagiographic, (e) secondary (tertiary, quaternary …) adaptations, (f) the Bible as a book or cultural icon, (g) citations, quotations, paraphrases, (h) paradigms, (i) allusions and echoes, and, finally, (j) analogues. With these categories, Burnette-Bletsch pre-empts a possible point of criticism by raising the question of the boundaries of the field. It is easy to recognise an ex- plicit quotation of a biblical character or narrative, but what about ironic hints and subtle traces? A further element of the dilemma of whether the field of research is kept very narrow or, conversely, framed so broadly that it loses its profile is rooted in methodology. Burnette-Bletsch argues – in fact following the cultural studies paradigm – that the meaning of a film is not statically embedded in the work it- self, but is generated in the dynamic interaction of between production, work and reception. Therefore, the relation of a film to the Bible can be established only in light of context, since it is always transformed by the religious and cultural setting. A second concern expressed in the introduction deals with the selection of films and topics: are they representative? I think any criticism on this point would be moot considering the extensive film index and the impressive table of con- tents! The Handbook definitively offers a convincing overview of crucial aspects of film history, genres, and cinematic traditions in their dialogue with the Bible. The Bible in Motion. A Handbook of the Bible and its Reception in Film provides innovative, refreshing and enriching input to a complex cultural field, bringing together influential authors from all over the world, highlighting relevant facets, and raising and addressing questions about the relationship between film and religion in biblical tradition that can be developed further in future research.