See Bella
by Ted Slater on 11/05/2007 at 9:19 AM
I'm not going to encourage you to see Bella in order to "send a message to Hollywood." I'm not going to tell you to see it so as to reward those who brought us a good movie.
What I am going to do is say that you should see Bella because it is good for your soul. You'll enjoy it and it will spark some meaningful conversations. Bella will make you a better person.
You can read a review of it on Plugged In Online, watch a trailer of it and find a theater that's showing the film on the movie's Web site, or read Focus on the Family's take on it.
1. Jeff said the following at 11:46 AM on Nov 5:
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Amen.
2. Kate said the following at 12:21 PM on Nov 5:
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It is a wonderful movie, and well worth seeing! Even though I haven't seen the final version (just an early promo one) I'd recommend it to anyone.
3. Ashleigh Slater said the following at 1:30 PM on Nov 5:
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I have to second Ted. :-)
Even though I didn't know what the movie was about when we went (normally I research that first by reading reviews), I had high expectations since I'd heard so much praise for it. The great thing was, I wasn't disappointed. It really is an amazing film!
4. Anna said the following at 1:55 PM on Nov 5:
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I too had high expectations, and they were fully met. This is a beautiful movie.
5. Rachel said the following at 1:58 PM on Nov 5:
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*minor spoiler ahead*
The scene I enjoyed best was their conversation with the blind man. How often in a Hollywood movie do you see the main character's problems played down by an encounter with someone who is obviously less fortunate yet more joyful?
6. Hannah C said the following at 3:01 PM on Nov 5:
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I would add, that if you go see it it will help it be released in more theatres....Which is good because this movie should be in every theatre. It's a GOOD movie.
7. Paul said the following at 5:36 PM on Nov 5:
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what a beautiful film!
8. DannieA said the following at 5:47 PM on Nov 5:
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my parents went on a date and saw that movie. They liked it
9. Mandi said the following at 5:01 PM on Nov 6:
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Anyone know when it's playing in Canada??? I've checked the website and can't find it...it's gonna drive me crazy! Thx!!! :)
10. Leah said the following at 7:38 PM on Nov 6:
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Please don't say "see such and such movie, it will make you a better person."
That's simply not true.
I'm not saying it's a bad movie or whatever- I haven't seen it, but it sounds great- but it will not necessarily make you a better person.
11. Chris Krycho said the following at 10:00 PM on Nov 6:
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Leah - good art doesn't make you a better person? And bad art doesn't make you a worse person? Hmm. I don't know that I entirely agree with that. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to guard our hearts, for they are the wellspring of life. I believe good art does better us, and bad art worsen us. I believe it passionately, as an artist. I believe first and foremost that the point of art is to glorify God - but its second purpose is to edify others, and if it cannot do so, then there is a serious problem in the philosophy of art that has governed Christian thought for quite some time - and indeed, I would posit, with Scripture's view on art.
Or is it for no reason that we must practice discernment in our media consumption?
12. Leah said the following at 5:46 PM on Nov 7:
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Chris, I'm not talking about discernment in regards to media consumption. I'm simply saying that viewing a nice movie will not necessarily make you a better person. I'm not talking about the effect of 'bad' art. I'm not talking about guarding your heart. All that is a whole different kettle of fish. Is Narnia "good art"? I'm no different a person now than I was before I read (and watched) Narnia. I see nothing that substantiates the idea that viewing a nice story will inherently change me as a person. And don't think that's because I'm some insensitive non-artsy person, because I'm not.
13. Chris Krycho said the following at 8:57 PM on Nov 7:
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I'm not attacking you. :-) However, I do believe that good art does make us better people, just as bad art makes us worse off. I do believe that The Chronicles of Narnia makes us better. Does it sanctify us? Not directly, not. However, it does work on our imagination, directing it towards things that are good, pure, and holy. It helps us greatly in the process of sanctifying our imaginations - something I think we sometimes miss, but something that's incredibly necessary. Good art is good for you. It does make you better.
Secondary example: does a well-constructed praise song lead you into worship better than a poorly constructed one? And if so, is it thus helping make you a better person? Is it doing so by dint of being better art? And, if so, why do we treat the praise song differently than other forms of art - simply because it has words that are explicitly praise oriented? Well, so likewise is Handel's The Messiah. (As a side note, that is perhaps the best example of good art making someone a "better person:" Handel converted while composing the work because he was forced to grapple with the truth of what he was presenting as he prepared the material.) And how far a step is it from The Messiah to Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov?
We are made better by good art.
Good art ≠ nice movie, and vice versa. A nice movie may be good art, and a movie that is not nice may be good art. But if Bella is good art (which was the argument Ted put forward), then it will make you a better person, at the very least insofar as your imagination will be filled with things that are good and glorify God - and quite possibly by forcing you to think about things in ways you haven't before: by leading you towards the sanctification of your imagination.
14. Anna Marshall said the following at 1:10 PM on Nov 9:
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How often do we get to sit in a theatre these days to watch a movie like Bella? One cannot help but have their heart touched in a special way by the message this movie conveys. So much more than a Pro-Life movie. The selflessness and kindness shown towards others in the movie certainly speaks volumes to every person on this planet.