The current edition of Brigham Young University’s BYU Studies journal is a special issue devoted to Mormons and film, offering readers an intriguing view of the history and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the lens of a camera.
At the center of the issue is a 150-page history of Mormon involvement with film over the past 100 years and a glimpse into the future of Mormon cinema by guest editors Randy Astle and Gideon Burton.
“Mormon film, in much the same way as the other arts, has come into its own to a large degree as a consequence of its serious engagement with the paradoxes and contradictions in Mormon culture,” says Terryl L. Givens in his article, “Mormon Cinema and the Paradoxes of Mormon Culture.”
In addition to these articles, the issue includes “Competing Business Models in Mormon Cinema” by Eric Samuelsen; “The Mormon as Vampire” by James V. D’Arc; “Seeking After the Good in Art, Drama, Film and Literature” by Travis T. Anderson and other articles by Thomas J. Lefler, Gideon O. Burton, Sharon Swenson and Dean Duncan. The recent PBS special “The Mormons” is among the films reviewed.
This edition of BYU Studies, Vol. 46, no. 2 can be purchased at the BYU Bookstore or online at byustudies.byu.edu.
Writer: Marissa Ballantyne
