Ralph Winter is the producer of both X-Men films and the upcoming Fantastic Four. He is also a Christian.
Christianity Today has a great interview where you can get to know him.
Something that really impressed me is how well Winter sizes up the film American Beauty and the oft-wrongheaded Christian opposition to that movie.
As the original super blogger Instapundit likes to say, "Read the whole thing."
I can see why Winter would think that "American Beauty" gives us a deeper insight into the Bible. The Ricky Fitts character in particular well illustrates that the beauty of the transcendent is revealed in the ordinary (or tragic) things of life and can be experienced. I can also see why many Christians rejected the film. Although experientially sensitive to the transcendent, Fitts has no real knowledge of who it is or the implications thereof. "American Beauty" can give insights into the Bible, but it takes the Bible to properly assess what "American Beauty" touches upon.
ReplyDeleteMy overwhelming feeling about the film was that it showed a man indulging himself with utter disregard for his family or any moral compass who then experiences a complete transformation literally just in time. It felt like Christian conversion to me. I had a strong intuition the scriptwriter was engaging in "pre-evangelism" by tilling the soil to receive the seed of the gospel.
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What do you make of his sudden fatherly care for the girl? What about his loving look at the picture of his family (from the bad old days of restriction)? He's passed through the "me" phase and is on his way back before he's destroyed.
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