The intention of the selection is to introduce some examination of the use of religious themes, imagery, and significances in movies. The Bergman films are typically austere in their exploration of the inscrutable silence of God (Winter Light), and the ever-present mysteries of life and the threat of death (Seventh Seal). Into Great Silence documents uniquely and with consummate care the lives of monastics through the seasons in a mountain monastery. Of Gods and Men explores religious commitment in a testing and hostile cultural environment. Babette’s Feast offers a delicious take on the resolution of rigidities within a faith community.

Bryce