Angels in Films: A University Classroom Perspective
Ray Killebrew
Questions on Angels
For the past five years, I have taught the general education course “Appreciation of Electronic Visual Media” at Missouri Baptist University. In this class of thirty-plus students, we study the history of film from the late 1890s to the most recent Hollywood and independent film productions. In an effort to integrate faith and learning, I include movies about angels as part of course materials.
The controversy over the existence of angels often arises during our viewing of well-known and commercially successful movies such as I Married an Angel (1942) and Angels in the Outfield (1951; remade 1994). When surveyed, nearly 90% of my students over the years have declared a belief in angels. The same percentage of students have stated that their family or friends share their belief in angels. However, only 10% of the students reply that either they or their family/friends have actually seen or encountered an angel.
After the survey, we strive to gain a theological understanding of the angel. I often introduce my students to the online article by theologian Paul Eymann (“What Does the Bible Teach Us about Angels?” at http://www.letsdiscussjesus. org/angels.html#1). According to Eymann, the word angel actually comes from the Greek word angelos, which means “messenger.” The matching Hebrew word mal’ak has the same meaning. Eymann further writes that the Bible uses these words for human beings: ordinary people who carry messages (Job 1:14; Luke 7:24; 9:52), prophets (Isaiah 42:19; Malachi 3:1), priests (Malachi 2:7), and church leaders (Revelation 1:20). Sometimes, the Bible speaks figuratively of things or events as messengers.
The Bible describes the whole range of spirits, including good angels, evil angels, and other types of heavenly beings (the cherubim, the seraphim, and the “living creatures”). According to Eymann, angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament. In these scriptures there is much information available that allows us to build an adequate foundation of understanding and increase our knowledge of angelic beings. Eymann states that angels are stronger than man but not omnipotent (Psalm 103:20; 2 Peter 2:11); are greater than man in knowledge but not omniscient (Matthew 24:36); and are more noble than man but not omnipresent (Daniel 9:21-23).
Often my students raise the question “Do angels have bodies as depicted in motion pictures?” In his classical systematic theology book Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (ed. Jeff Purswell. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), Wayne Grudem explains that angels are “spirits” (Hebrew 1:14), or spiritual creatures, who do not ordinarily have physical bodies. Jesus said in Luke 24:39, “A spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Accordingly, angels are invisible to us unless God gives us the special ability to see them (see Numbers 22:31; 2 Kings 6:17; Luke 2:13). Scripture also shows us that angels occasionally take on a bodily form to appear to various people (see Matthew 28:5; Hebrew 13:2) (168).
Relating Theology to Commercial Films
For years the commercial film industry has capitalized on the film-going public’s increasing interest in angels. During the past sixty years, in particular, the industry has responded by producing a long list of movies with angels, during the past sixty years. They include I Married an Angel (1942), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), Heaven Only Knows (1947), Angels in the Outfield (1951; 1994), The Heavenly Kid (1985), Date with an Angel (1987), Wings of Desire (1987), Almost an Angel (1990), Faraway, So Close! (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), The Prophecy (1995), Michael (1996), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), A Life Less Ordinary (1997), City of Angels (1998), The Prophecy II (1998), and Dogma (1999).
Perhaps the best-known film involving an angel in the lives of humans is It’s a Wonderful Life (directed by Frank Capra, one of Hollywood’s foremost film directors, in 1946). Having just returned from World War II, Capra was reportedly alarmed by the increasingly apathetic attitudes toward God, freedom, and democracy that he witnessed in films and books. Coming to Hollywood to open his own production studio, Liberty Pictures, Capra decided to use the art of cinema to remind audiences of the real purpose of life. It’s a Wonderful Life concerns a good man who finds himself painted into a corner by a greedy and bitter banker. This movie fell short of outstanding at the box office for Frank Capra. Yet, somehow, it found a place in even the most jaded hearts of our society. It became the Christmas movie classic in the 1970s due to repeated television showings at Christmas-time. Frank Capra thought of It’s a Wonderful Life as his own personal favorite; also, it was James Stewart's favorite of all his feature films (“Great Films” at http://www.filmsite.org/itsa.html).
The value of living fully in the present, recognizing both the blessings and the suffering in the world, is a theme of Wim Wender’s remarkable German film Wings of Desire (1987). Damiel and Cassiel are two angels who have spent an eternity watching over the affairs of men and women. Their job is to observe, collect, preserve, and testify. No one can see them except children as they move through the apartments, streets, and subways of modern-day Berlin. Damiel and Cassiel eavesdrop on the thoughts, dreams, fears, and fantasies of a wide assortment of Berlin’s citizens: parents who are baffled by their children’s behavior, a pregnant woman, an injured man, and a fellow contemplating suicide. Althhough Cassiel is content to just observe as an angel, Damiel is different. The more he comes into close contact with the human adventure, the more he yearns to savor the palpable pleasures of a worldly existence. Sometimes, the thought of even having a warm cup of coffee to hold appeals to him! Wender’s film is considered a classic by most film critics.
Director Brad Silberling remade Wender’s German film in 1998 with actor Nicholas Cage. The film was entitled City of Angels, and actor Nicholas Cage dressed head to toe in somber shades of black. Set in Los Angeles, the new film found its angels hanging out at the beach at sunrise and sunset so they can hear the celestial choirs and at the library the rest of the day. The American remake was panned by most film critics.
One of the most controversial recent angel movies was Dogma (1999). It featured Ben Affleck as a fallen angel. (A fallen angel is an angel who did wrong and is put back on earth to be punished.) Critics often wrote about the potentially great cast being “wasted” in a clumsily written and awkwardly directed film. African-American comedian Chris Rock was cast as a thirteenth apostle, and Matt Damon was cast as one of God’s fallen angels. Director Kevin Smith was accused by some critics of producing a “blasphemous horror.” Other reviewers found this “angel” film an agreeable and warm-hearted story. Most filmgoers, however, found Dogma to be a taut, well-constructed comedy that toppled “angel” preconceptions with gusto. The film even made movie goers think about the existence of angels in their lives.
Concluding Thoughts
As one of my recent students stated, “Angels can be a sign of hope and faith. Many people may use the thought of the reality of an angel to help them through a hard time. Angels have been used in many positive ways in movies and on television.” I intend to continue to include movies about angels in future “Appreciation of Electronic Visual Media” classes. Like the commercial film industry, I will capitalize on my students’ interest in angels. Hopefully, the controversy of the existence of angels will always occur and arise in an after-viewing discussion session. Talking about angels in films has proven to be an effective method of integrating Christian faith with my passion for the electronic visual media.
Instructor of Communications
Missouri Baptist University
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