The Holy Fool in European Cinema

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by Alina G. Birzache

Type

Studies

Subject

Countries

Keywords

Europe, religion

Publishing date

2018

Publisher

Routledge

Collection

Routledge Studies in Religion and Film

1st publishing

2016

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 232 pages
6 ¼ x 9 ½ inches (16 x 24 cm)

ISBN

978-1-138-36858-3

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Book Presentation:
This monograph explores the way that the profile and the critical functions of the holy fool have developed in European cinema, allowing this traditional figure to capture the imagination of new generations in an age of religious pluralism and secularization. Alina Birzache traces the cultural origins of the figure of the holy fool across a variety of European traditions. In so doing, she examines the critical functions of the holy fool as well as how filmmakers have used the figure to respond to and critique aspects of the modern world. Using a comparative approach, this study for the first time offers a comprehensive explanation of the enduring appeal of this protean and fascinating cinematic character. Birzache examines the trope of holy foolishness in Soviet and post-Soviet cinema, French cinema, and Danish cinema, corresponding broadly to and permitting analysis of the three main orientations in European Christianity: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. This study will be of keen interest to scholars of religion and film, European cinema, and comparative religion.

About the Author:
Alina G. Birzache was an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest before she moved to the United Kingdom where she obtained a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. She has interests in religious representations in art, literature and film and has published on these topics.

Press Reviews:
"The tradition of the ‘Holy Fool’ is much neglected in modern study. This book resurrects that tradition and gives it a more contemporary appeal by tracing its provenance in significant aspects of European cinema. Engaging and accessible, this work should appeal to students of religion and of film, as well as to those who see culture as the locus for religious engagement and debate." —Ward Blanton, University of Kent, UK

See the publisher website: Routledge