From the beginning, American cinema has been both a powerful mythmaker and a social critic. D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation, arguably the first feature film, shows us just how early in its history cinema had established its influence. In 1915 it was the first movie to be screened at the White House. After the screening, President Woodrow Wilson is rumored to have said, "It's like history writ with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all terribly true." Birth of a Nation famously portrayed the Klu Klux Klan in a favorable light, a portrayal that contributed to the modern resurgence of the group and brought racist depictions of African Americans imported from the minstrel show to the silver screen. Such white fantasies of black American life have played out on our movie screens for the last century. In response, filmmakers of color have created nuanced and indelible portraits of race, as in Ava DuVernay's Selma or Barry Jenkin's Moonlight. Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman shows
us just how far into our culture Birth of a Nation has reached.
In this powerful new book, Greg Garrett brings his signature brand of theologically motivated cultural criticism to bear on this history. After more than a century of cinema, he argues, movies have altered our cultural perspectives in the same way that religious narratives have. And in fact, religious traditions offer powerful correctives to our cultural narratives. A Long, Long Way incorporates both cinematic and religious truth-telling to the subject of race and reconciliation. In acknowledging the racist history of America's national art form, Garrett offers the possibility of hope for the future.
Industry Reviews
"This book's dust jacket describes the author's method: "Greg Garrett brings [to bear] his signature brand of theologically motivated cultural criticism." ... The present volume looks at the representation of African Americans in six films: The Birth of a Nation (1915), Casablanca (1943), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Do the Right Thing (1989), Crash (2004), and Get Out (2017). Garrett's
"theologically motivated cultural criticism" amounts to a well-written, sensible description of each film, followed by an extended theological reflection. ... Garrett is not that interested in conversing with film scholars who write about race. Instead his framework
is theological: "Love is the most important force in the universe, the power that animates it, and the power that animates us" (p. 104)" -- S. C. Dillon, CHOICE
"In this remarkably poignant, deeply relevant book, Garrett handles his subject-the century-long tortured history of race in American motion pictures, from Birth of a Nation to Get Out --with an unusual degree of grace and sensitivity, yet also with probing scholarly rigor. He shies away from the easy answers, offering in their place an account that is at once refreshingly honest, multi-dimensional, and full of nuance." --Noah Isenberg, author
of We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie
"[T]aking a closer look at the impact films have on society, [A Long, Long Way] criticizes decades of favorable portrayals of white supremacist groups and racist depictions of African-Americans in films. Garrett... argues that movies have altered cultural perspectives in the same way that religious narratives have."--Publishers Weekly
