Monday, March 19, 2007

Are We Getting Art With A Purpose?

Two movies make the cut

It is tremendously refreshing to watch movies which persist with a life-affirming spirit.

"Apocalypto", as I discussed previously, is what I believe to be Mel Gibson's impassioned attempt to bring back some sort of Christian theme into art.

We have another, "300", which depicts the ingenious courage of a group of soldiers, who in the face of certain death, give up their lives to ensure the eventual defeat of their enemy.

And both have been canned as being too simplistic, and branching off from the historical accounts and verging onto fantasy.

I won't dispute the historical criticisms these movies have received, but some sources do say that they're not far from the truth at all.

But, more than the 100% factual accuracy, what is encouraging about these movies is that Art seems to have won the day.

They are lushly, even exquisitely, made with all the paraphernalia of modern film making. And art, together with bullish optimism is a powerful combination.

I should also add, there were some clear Christian imagery in "300". I'm not sure of the director's background, but it certainly was deliberate. I'll elaborate on this later.