Overview

This is the only book of its kind to explore biblical epics from an LGBT perspective, studying films from the silent era, to the postwar major studio era, to the present day. In spite of restrictive Hollywood censorship regulations, filmmakers throughout history have pushed the boundaries of sex and violence when making religious films. In this unrivaled text, author and educator Richard Lindsay analyzes the relationship between bible-based epics and ""camp""—films with overwrought acting, casts of thousands, and exotic sexuality. Lindsay presents the ways in which camp style identifies films as ""biblical"" in the mainstream imagination, while undermining their traditional religious messages through the inclusion of sexually diverse subtexts. Viewed through this lens, this provocative book explores topics like the Jazz Age excesses of The King of Kings, the pre-code decadence of The Sign of the Cross, the horror movie tropes of The Passion of the Christ, and comparisons between Ben-Hur and the gay male fantasies of 1960s beefcake magazines. Additional content features the history of biblical epics and a comparison of the pious expectations of filmgoers against the real content of the films.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard Lindsay
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Praeger Publishers Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.567kg
ISBN:  

9781440837524

ISBN 10:   144083752
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   19 June 2015
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: ""It Is as It Was"" Part I Parallel Passion Plays: The King of Kings and The Passion of the Christ Chapter 1 The Scripturalization of The King of Kings and The Passion of the Christ Chapter 2 The Camp King of Kings and the Monstrous Passion Part II Cold War Camp in Midcentury Biblical Films Chapter 3 The Orgies of God: Anti-Communist Gospel, the Gospel of the Production Code, and the Gospel of Spectacle in Postwar Biblical Films Chapter 4 ""You're Not a Well Woman, Honey"": Effeminate Villains in Biblical Films Chapter 5 Ben-Hur and the Beefcake Bible Afterword Notes Resource Guide Index"

Reviews

Hollywood Biblical Epics brings together strains of gay and cinematic history that make for a very entertaining tour of American culture. * Andrew Holleran, The Gay and Lesbian Review *

"""Hollywood Biblical Epics brings together strains of gay and cinematic history that make for a very entertaining tour of American culture."" - Andrew Holleran, The Gay and Lesbian Review"

Hollywood Biblical Epics brings together strains of gay and cinematic history that make for a very entertaining tour of American culture. - The Gay and Lesbian Review

Hollywood Biblical Epics brings together strains of gay and cinematic history that make for a very entertaining tour of American culture. - Andrew Holleran, The Gay and Lesbian Review

Author Information

Richard Lindsay, PhD, teaches communication at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

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