Entry #7: Film Review

Videos Chosen: Buddhism & Christianity

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Christianity: I learned that in Romanesque churches they had rounded arches, which is a huge part of their architecture. The Durham Cathedral also had some pretty cool geometric architecture going on. Lastly, the Chartres Cathedral was known for its beautiful stained glass windows that tell a story.

Buddhism: I learned that elephants are the most important symbol in this religion and elephant symbols are seen all over Buddhist architecture. People made statues because they believed that it would bring them great fortune since they made them for their faith. The body was a limiting factor for Buddha which was quite interesting. Lastly, the idea of zen and peace stems from Buddhism.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate to the readings in the text because in the "Age of Faith" reading we see how religion and religious stories have been honored by various artworks created. In the videos, we see the architectures of different religions' sacred places of worship. In the text, it shows that art is used to honored these religions, spiritual figures, and stories.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to your understanding?

My opinion on the films is that they were full of great information. They are lengthy but worth the watch. I'm more of a visual person so I'd rather watch the films and listen than read long readings and potentially not understand what I read in the end. These videos helped expand my knowledge of certain religions and gave me information that I did not know prior to watching. I liked how the Christianity video jumped around and talked about many different churches except for one.

4. Why did you choose the films that you watched?

I chose the films that I watched because I am Christian and I wanted to see the video on it because I was curious about what was going to be presented. I chose Buddhism because I am currently learning about this religion in my philosophy class and it seems to have a great template on how to live so I was curious about what would be in the video art-wise.