SENTINEL WATCH January 5, 2004 Issue

More positive movies?

By Channing Walker

Softly As a Footfall on new snow, an encouraging tendency is beginning to emerge. In Hollywood, different images are appearing on the screen—images that picture decency, even faithfulness.

This new shift is happening particularly in the making of feature films, where stories are stressing personal triumphs over adversity, the value of steadfastness, and the pursuit of things more spiritual, while leaving violence and graphic imagery in the dust.

A recent newspaper editorial spoke of this phenomenon: "[A] number of prominent—even successful—recent movies begin slipping positive social messages into story lines. Audiences respond. More upbeat messages of virtue, loyalty, friendship, and personal quests for identity are ordered [by studio executives]. This niche is developing (some say returning) not universally or in obvious onscreen lectures but in editing, subtle script changes, and expensive re-shoots to boost a message of hope or empowerment in a post-9/11 world" (Los Angeles Times, December 6, 2003).