Film Makers, Film Viewers: Their Challenges and Opportunities is a pastoral letter written by Cardinal Roger Mahony, the archbishop of Los Angeles. The letter was addressed to those who work in the television and film industry and the viewers of the programs. It discussed storytelling in television and cinema, Mahony also provided a set of criteria to examine themes in television programs and films, these criteria reflect values that he thinks should be articulated in entertainment programs. The letter was issued on September 15, 1992, the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Los Angeles, where he addressed the leaders of the entertainment industry and emphasized their importance as communicators. [1]
Overview
Television News
Cardinal Mahony examines aspects concerning the entertainment industry. He begins by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of televisions news. Television news is important to people’s social and political life because it provides a platform for dialogue. However, he worries the barriers to access the medium. He also recognizes the nature of television news, which favours short segments, an insufficient length to illustrate the issues at hand. Mahony also believes that television news have the ability to unite the peoples of the world because it allows people to recognize and experience their common humanity through globally broadcasted events like moon walks, Olympic games, or a Presidential Inauguration. In addition, television news increase the global awareness of issues pertain to society because “it can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves – the young, the poor, the marginalized – and it can demand justice for them.” [2]
Entertainment
Mahony “speaks as the leader of a religious community which comprises a significant portion of the viewing public and which believes it has a special responsibility to foster the moral health and spiritual growth of all God’s children” [3] to the creators and viewers of television programs and cinema. He acknowledges the moral power of these media, and the impact it has on society in terms of communicating values, forming consciences, providing role models and motivating human behaviour.
Art and Religion
The Catholic Church is interested in addressing the entertainment industry because of their global impact, what filmmakers create “not only reflect human society but also helps shape it.” [4] In addition, the Church is also interested because Catholicism is a story-telling religion, and that there has been a “mutually beneficial relationship between the religious and artistic communities” because religion and art have much in common: “both arise from the deepest reaches of the human personality and deal with the transcendent meaning of human life” and “both impact every level of the human personality and aim to elicit an experience.” [5]
Enrichment and Entertainment
Mahony believes filmmakers have an obligation to enrich and entertain the audiences. He finds “entertainment without enrichment is superficial and escapist.” [6]
Freedom and Responsibility
Mahony remarks the significance of artistic freedom in order to successfully combine entertainment and enrichment. However, filmmakers ought to be responsible and not exploit artistic freedom, which cannot be separated from “the moral order, the demands of truth, a concern for the common good, or the well being of other people.” [7] In addition, Mahony recognizes the emotional difference in viewers and urge the filmmakers to work with the golden rule — “responsible film makers will not do to their audience what they would not want done to themselves – or to their own teenage sons and daughters.” [8]
The System
Mahony acknowledges the advantages and disadvantages of the commercial nature of television and film industry, which are driven by box office numbers. An implication of commercialization is the effect of those in charge of programming “telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear” [9] to accommodate to the wishes of the viewing public. An advantage is that it links the creators with the audience, giving them a voice on the content being produced.
The Responsibility of the Viewer
Mahony claims that both viewers have responsibilities to decide what they watch, what they recommend their friends, and what a parent show their child, he recognizes that it is a difficult decision to make, one that could only be resolved with one’s well-informed conscience. However, he does not support censorship, thus, he provides criteria in order to guide filmmakers and viewers in making decisions. [10]
General Criteria
In this section, Cardinal Mahony outlines some criteria and corresponding questions to evaluate aspects of narrative television programs and films, including the characters, the conflict and the development of the story. [11]
General Criteria
Since every human being is both a replica and a residence of God, the conflicts that affect the characters represent the human experience, Mahony urges viewers to evaluate of characters from a human values perspective, by asking the following questions:
- Are they believable? Can I relate to them? Can I find echoes of myself in them?
- Am I taken inside the characters in the story? Do I get to know what they think, feel and choose? Am I given some idea of how they got to be the way they are, why they do the things they do?
- Do I like them? Do I feel compassion when they suffer? Do I see glimmerings of the divine in the despicable characters? Inklings of the demonic in the admirable ones?
- What do these characters tell me about myself, about the people around me? [12]
Stories are generally driven by the conflict between good and evil. Mahony describes the “good” as “that which frees the Divine to work in and through us” and “evil” as its opposite, which “suppress the Divine within us.” [13] Mahoney suggests the following questions regarding the representation of good and evil, to evaluate the conflicts in a movie:
- How deeply and honestly is the evil treated? Do we see how it fails to live up to what it promises to deliver? Do we see its life-destroying effects?
- How honestly is goodness depicted? Do we see that it is no easy task to achieve goodness? [14]
Mahony subscribes to the classic story structure, in which the protagonist must be tested and experience change in the process.
- Is the resolution of the story realistic? Is the change in the characters credible? Do the characters grow or regress?
- Does the film present a balanced view of life, not characterized by extreme romanticism or fatalism?
- Does the film present a realistic view that points to the inevitable in life but could contribute to personal growth? [15]
Specific Criteria for Areas of Concern
Mahony specifically explores the depiction of relationships, sexuality, women, family, religion, work, possessions, authority, and violence in film.
Relationships
For interpersonal relationships, Mahony determines the closeness of a relationship by the quality of the communications of the parties, the more honest, the closer the relationship and the better it is. Conversely, dishonesty is detrimental to a relationship. Therefore, when examining relationships in films, Mahony looks at the how the characters communicate with each other and if there is honesty in the relationship. [16]
Sexuality
With respect to sexuality on screen, Mahony emphasizes the Christian tradition, which holds that only husband and wife are permitted to be sexually intimate, outside of that “permanent and exclusive commitment which marriage entails, the sexual act loses its significance and becomes dishonest.” [17] Thus, Mahony urges to examine the context in which the characters are portrayed engaging sexual relations, whether the sexual scenes are essential to the narrative, and whether the sexual scenes are portrayed with sensitivity and respect.
Women
Mahony recognizes women’s desire for equality in political, economic, professional, and personal life. Thus, Mahony thinks women should be portrayed “possessing the same intrinsic dignity as their male counterparts.” In addition, he considers whether the challenges of motherhood are accurately depicted. [18]
Family
Similarly, family life should be portrayed with open communication, trust, forgiveness, and love. [19]
Religion
Mahony points out that the majority of American believe in God and look to God to give meaning to their lives, which is important for stories to have a religious dimension. To examine aspects of religion in film, Mahony looks at if the characters have faith and turn to God for help in times of stress and adversity. [20]
Work
Work is an essential part of the human life because it provides a mean to earn livelihood and an outlet for self-expression, therefore, Mahony examines whether the necessity of work is depicted. [21]
Possessions
While Mahony acknowledges the measure of freedom and security possessions provide, he is also concerned with the effects of the pursuit of money and wealth. [22]
Authority
Mahony defines the role of authority and leadership as a means of service for the people, instead of an instrument of domination. Therefore to evaluate the film’s portrayal of authority, Mahony calls attention to how the authorities in film behave, if they fulfil their responsibilities. [23]
Violence
Since violence exists in real life as a way to resolve problems, Mahony acknowledges the existence of violence in film, he urges us to consider its implications, such as the context of violence, whether violence is demanded by the story, and if it is depicted with honesty that shows the “cowardice at the heart of it.” [24]
Conclusion
Mahony points out that these criteria are human values and do not only pertain to any communities because it is applicable to most Americans. He believes that “these are the values most Americans want to see reflected in their popular entertainment, values they want to communicate to their children.” [25] In terms of actions from the Catholic Church, Mahony requests Catholic educational institutions to prioritize media literacy across all ages. The two Archdiocesan papers The Tidings and Vida Nueva, and the Catholic News Service should concentrate on covering television programs and films that reflect these values. He also asks the Archdiocesan Communications Office to be assistance to the creative community in any way possible. [26]
Lastly, Mahony addresses filmmakers to “make films that reflect these kinds of values and you will actualize what is deepest, richest and most creative within you. By doing so you will also give something very special to your audiences.” [27] To the American audience, Mahony stresses that they should look for these values in the stories they watch.
In his closing remark, Mahony prays that the religious and creative communities could work together to its potential “to help our people grow and develop and become the kind of human beings God made them to be, that by collaborating together, we may move the human family a little closer to the peace and justice, freedom and human dignity for which God created it.” [28]
Notes
- ^ Cardinal Roger Mahony, "Film Makers, Film Viewers: Their Challenges and Opportunities," Archdiocese of Los Angeles, September 15, 1992, accessed September 25, 2013. http://www.la-archdiocese.org/cardinal/Pages/1992-0915_film.aspx
- ^ Ibid., "I. Television News"
- ^ Ibid., "II. Entertainment"
- ^ Ibid., "III. Art and Religion"
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid., "IV. Enrichment and Entertainment"
- ^ Ibid., "V. Freedom and Responsibility"
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid., "VI. The System"
- ^ Ibid., "VII. The Responsibility of the Viewer"
- ^ Ibid., "VIII. General Criteria"
- ^ Ibid., "Evaluating the Characters"
- ^ Ibid., "Evaluating the Conflict"
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid. "Evaluating the Development of the Story"
- ^ Ibid., "A. Relationships"
- ^ Ibid., "B. Sexuality"
- ^ Ibid., "C. Women"
- ^ Ibid., "D. Family"
- ^ Ibid., "E. Religion"
- ^ Ibid., "F. Work"
- ^ Ibid., "G. Posessions"
- ^ Ibid., "H. Authority"
- ^ Ibid., "I. Violence"
- ^ Ibid,. "IX. Conclusion"
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
Reference
Mahony, Cardinal Roger. "Film Makers, Film Viewers: Their Challenges and Opportunities". Archdiocese of Los Angeles". September 15, 1992, accessed September 25, 2013.