Jordan, Jesus, and Ritual

        Different religions have inspired faith in fanatics and have used rituals to express devotion for hundreds of years; we've found that sports' institutions have offered individuals the same.
Laderman discusses the immortality that arises from a hero. In Christianity, fanatics are often inspired and motivated by Jesus to do and be good. Laderman points out the "immortality...and iconic status" (61) of Michael Jordan even when his basketball career has come to a close. Critics might argue against the immortality of Jesus' spirit, but no could deny the power of his being that lives on in countless Christians. In this same way, Jordan doesn't "fade from the public eye," he "remains an irresistible figure in American and global cultures," where "millions consume, and are consumed by, his unique spirit." (61)
          Another similarity between sports and religion are the rituals involved. There are many rituals performed by both the players and the spectators. For instance, in Bull Durham, Annie Savoy says “there's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career.” Sleeping with Annie is a ritual performed by many baseball players because they believed that it influenced their playing skills. In reality, the two seem uncorrelated, but that is the beauty of a ritual. Rituals in religion are often irrational, but people believe that they will have an impact, just like the baseball players in the movie. 

            

         

The fanatics that religion and sports attract invoke similar idolizing of heroes in different religions, and rituals offer players meaningful practices in the same way rituals function in common religions.

Film: Where Light Pierces Darkness

"And so they are linked, cinema and religion, two grand designs conjuring light out of darkness"

- John Updike

Gandalf fights Balrog

Religions are meant to give people out of body experiences that connect with the soul and give new light and life to every day experiences. In a similar way, films take people from their daily schedules and transform the world around them into a fantasy of color, sounds, and movements. Many films even take the next step and find ways to subtly, or blatantly, alter myths that people know to fit their own purposes.

Whether it be the slow downwards pan from the cosmos to the real in Star Wars, echoing the beginning of the world according to Genesis, or the death of Gandalf after fighting the Balrog, quite literally a demon of fire, and his resurrection shortly after, mirroring Jesus' death and resurrection, films find ways to give moviegoers a new take on religion. Like religions, they take people out of the physical realm and put them into the metaphysical, where light conquers darkness and the most unlikely of characters save the day.

Anakin Skywalker and Jesus

        Films often rely on biblical stories to help tell their plot. Many times films adapt commonly known myths into their stories. A great example of this is with Star Wars and their use of the story of Jesus. In the prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker (future Darth Vader) has many similarities to Jesus. First off is their births, as both were born without a father and have a mother who is central to their development. Both have foreign men arrive and anoint them as special (three wise men and Qui-Gon Jinn). Anakin is also known as the “Chosen One” and he is supposed to bring “balance to the Force.” Of course, Anakin gets corrupted and falls to the Dark Side until the end of Episode 6 where he sacrifices himself to kill the Emperor and bring down evil (bringing peace to the cosmos/galaxy). Anakin is a major example of how movies adapt religious stories. He also is a good example of the continuous fight between the cosmos and chaos, and how myth must tread the line between good and evil. The analogy of Anakin to Jesus has helped Star Wars have such a religious following with Darth Vader being one of the most popular characters that fans dress up as. A major question for filmmakers is about how close can they make their stories resemble biblical stories, or do they always have to slightly change the story before they can put it into the film? Also, is it a necessity for filmmakers to have some type of religious connotations in their films?