DESCRIPTION: This course will explore the sparse, rigorous transcendental style identified by Paul Schrader and embodied in acclaimed filmmakers like Carl Theodore Dreyer, Yasuhiro Ozu, Robert Bresson, and Andrei Tarkovsky. It will include contemporary global expressions from Korea, Iran, and the American South. Special emphasis will be given to Christian and Buddhist monastic traditions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The transcendental style is slow, languid, and committed to minute details. As such, it demands a more sacramental approach to film viewing. Students will be challenged to recalibrate their approach to life, adopting a more meditative posture towards theology and film.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Given the abundance of electronic images threatening to overwhelming postmodern pilgrims, the transcendental style offers a strong corrective. Perhaps these meditative films can help focus distracted congregations, expanding time in a worship context. The transcendental style can also serve as an accessible introduction to monastic life and spiritual disciplines.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet weekly for three-hour sessions, with each class session devoted to a particular filmmaker. Students will read sources prior to class, then journal following film screenings. Throughout the quarter, students will be encouraged to practice spiritual disciplines in order to enhance their film viewing and personal devotion to God.

REQUIRED READING AND VIEWING:

Bazin, Andre. What is Cinema? Vol. 1. University of California Press, 2004 (207 pages).

Bresson, Robert. Notes on the Cinematographer. Green Integer, 1997 (136 pages).

Chittister, Joan. The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages. Crossroad, 2001 (180 pages).

Schrader, Paul. Transcendental Style in Film. Da Capo Press, 1988 (206 pages).

Tarkovsky, Andrey. Sculpting in Time. University of Texas Press, 1989 (256 pages).

Wijayaratna, Mohan. Buddhist Monastic Life. Cambridge University Press, 1990 (214 pages).

FILMS TO BE VIEWED: The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer), Tokyo Monogatari (Ozu), Pickpocket (Bresson), The Mirror (Tarkovsky), American Gigolo (Schrader), Badlands (Malick), George Washington (Green), Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Guerigo Bom (Kim Ki-duk), The Wind Will Carry Us (Kiarostami), Into Great Silence (Groning).

Balthasar, H. U. von. The Glory of the Lord: Theological Aesthetics--Seeing the Form. Ignatius, 1982.

Bodhi, Bhikkhu. The Noble Eightfold Path. Pariyatti Publishing, 2000.

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. InterVarsity Press, 2005.

Chaudhuri, Shohini. Contemporary World Cinema: Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. Edinburgh University Press, 2006.

Leeuw, Gerardus van der. Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art. American Academy of Religion Texts and Translations Series, 2006.

Moltmann, Jürgen. The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation. Fortress Press, 1992.

Westphal, M. Transcendence and Self-Transcendence: On God and the Soul. Indiana Univ. Press, 2004.