Wednesday, August 16, 2017 | 3
713-743-5314
thedailycougar.com/special-section
FAITH
editor@thedailycougar.com
Peter Scamardo, EDITOR
FILMS
Religious symbolism found in modern films DANA C. JONES
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
OPINION EDITOR
@ DANACJONES_
The single most powerful tool film has over any other medium is telling stories through picture. Films intertwine metaphor with the images, placing subliminal messages throughout the film. With this practice, religious imagery has entered Hollywood countless times. Here are seven films that have done so. If you haven’t seen these films, be prepared for spoilers.
The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe This is one of the more obvious ones. Based on the book written by C.S. Lewis, the story is an allegory of the story of Jesus dying and resurrecting. Aslan, the Lion and ruler of Narnia, gives up his life for others and then comes back to life to save the day from the White Witch. Aslan plays the part of Jesus and the witch as the Devil.
Subliminal imagery is often filled in films to create deeper metaphors, and the characters in those films often reflect those of religious tales | Courtesy of MovieWeb.com
War of the Planet of the Apes In a nutshell, the ending scene is Caesar, the main ape, leading his people to the promised land. They escape oppression and slavery from the main antagonist, just as how in the Bible Moses leads the Israelite's to the promised land from the confinement of the Egyptian Pharaoh.
Life of Pi Life of Pi is a film about a boy named Pi who follows three different religions. He follows Hinduism, Catholicism, and Islam. The themes of these religions are sprinkled throughout and you can draw upon them as you may. Within the rest of the film there are Biblical scenes like the whale and the flying fish. The main one
though is his belief in his faith, or faiths, has him survive as he is stranded in the vastness of sea with a hungry tiger. It’s reminiscent of Daniel and the lion’s den story. The only thing that kept him alive was his faith in his God and that was the same for Pi. The tiger in this case was kept at bay and he did eventually reach safety.
This installment of the Harry Potter series put all of the upset evangelicals to rest. This movie is full of religious imagery and metaphors. First is Voldemort’s horcruxes. Since he has seven of them, each one represents one of the seven deadly sins. Second would be the actual deathly hallows. The resurrection stone would be the Holy Ghost because of the resurrection properties being congruent with the ghost spirit. The invisibility cloak would be the son because of it being handed down to an actual son, the son being Harry. Lastly, the elder wand would be the father because it’s all powerful. Of course, there’s Harry being similar to Jesus by being the chosen one and coming back to life. editor@thedailycougar.com