Does Hollywood get religion right? Critics' reactions vary

Published: 2006-04-20

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Does Hollywood get religion right when it makes movies? The answers are almost as diverse as the cinematic fare coming to mall multiplexes. "Some people do their homework and get it right; other people exploit it," said Paulist Father Frank Desiderio, head of Paulist Productions and overseer of the Humanitas Prize. "If you mean the studios, then no they don't," said Barbara Nicolosi, who runs the Act One screenwriting program for Christians who aspire to a Hollywood career. "Studios are not in the habit of hiring people of faith to either write, direct or be in any creative capacity for projects that involve religion." "In the old days, Hollywood would bend over backward not to offend," said Harry Forbes, director of the U.S. bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting; Forbes defined "old days" as "from the dawn of sound through the '60s." While that era may have been inaccurate by portraying "an overly idealized view of religious types," he added, "that is preferable to a disparaging view of religion, as you often get today."

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