Historical interactions between religion and film

This chapter focuses on the ways in which Christianity has interacted with the film industry as it developed in the United States and Europe from the late nineteenth century to the present day, especially in Hollywood productions. Christianity is just one religion, and the Hollywood film industry is only part of the history of film, but their interactions have shaped the relationship between religion and film in ways that have been especially impactful. After tracing the origins of motion pictures, the chapter focuses on early representations of religious subjects throughout the silent era and the subsequent development of sound cinema. The efforts of religious groups, especially Roman Catholics, to police film content led to the creation of the Production Code Administration, which attempted to control what could be shown in films. This era of censorship came to an end in Hollywood in 1966 when the Motion Picture Association of America introduced a ratings system based on the age of audience members. Meanwhile, after the World War II, American Protestants started to produce 16 mm religious films exclusively for viewings in churches. This market died in the 1980s, when Hollywood feature films became available on videocassette. Independent, European, and Hollywood filmmakers have continued to make films with religious content, and some have achieved successful distribution or acclaim. With the availability of streaming movies directly into the home, an expanding market for religious films has become a real possibility worldwide.