Religion In Great Britain As Reflected In The Cinema

This is a thesis submitted to the College of English Language & Literature of Shanghai International Studies University in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Art. The author of the thesis agrees with the argument that besides supplying the spectator with visual pleasure cinema also functions as a device to mirror the pervading ideology in the society. Therefore she begins the paper with a theoretical presentation on the aesthetical and sociological significance of film, as well as a brief review of the British film industry and its features. The next three chapters are devoted to summarize the belief situation chronically in Great Britain through three British films: Elizabeth. A Clockwork Oranee, and Naked.Elizabeth pictures a Middle Age British society in which religion used to be a crucial element in almost all social revolutions. Nevertheless religion and its importance began to decline afterwards, and this was reflected in the cinema as well. A Clockwork Orange and Naked either indicates or foretells the plight in which religion has been trapped.1 The author quotes theories defining religion as a functioning element in the society to testify that the situation does not feature cinema occasionally; instead, as is reflected in the cinema, the belief situation in today's society is a very much marginalized and secularized one. To conclude the thesis the author points out that secularization of religion is inevitable, and that besides creating thorough atheist, secularization also produces religious enthusiasts who are more devoted than ever.