Swing and a Miss…

Last updated on: February 12, 2010 at 1:45 pm by J. Ryan Parker

Swing and a Miss… 2010-02-12T13:45:45-08:00 J. Ryan Parker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

After watching Creation, the film supposedly about Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, one is left wondering what all the American fuss was all about over the film and why it had such trouble securing an American distributor. As one viewer who was looking forward to seeing this film, I almost with it hadn’t.Creation tells the story…or a very limited part of it…of Darwin’s (Paul Bettany) writing of On the Origin of Species. Filmmaker Jon Amiel and screenwriter John Collee take his popularity and controversy among some religious figures for granted and set up an early, clear division between Darwin and the church before ever really explaining…or allowing Darwin to explain…what he was all about. Throughout the film, Darwin is haunted by two things, his emerging text and his deceased daughter, that wreak emotional, mental, and physical havoc on him. Unfortunately, visions of and conversations with his deceased daughter predominate, and the film focuses far too much on his grief and alienation from the rest of his family instead of the creation of his groundbreaking work and the discussions and arguments that no doubt flooded its creation and immediate release. Of course, a film of that nature might appeal to a much smaller audience, but the track that Amiel and Collee finally take should be disappointingly boring to the larger audience to which he hoped to appeal.

Creation has Darwin say a couple of throw-away lines about the ability to retain faith in a higher power while engaging in the practice of science (“There’s still mystery in this…”), but they are far too vacuous in the scheme of things, especially when the only explicitly religious characters vehemently oppose the author and his work or reject their faith in support of it, as the film suggests Darwin’s wife, Emma (Jennifer Connelly), does at the end. Yet another seemingly throw-away line might be an entry point for discussion when Darwin sets out to begin his work. He comments, “I shall leave God out of it….” In what ways could we take this line? Does leaving God out of a scientific work imply that one has to deny the very existence of that higher power? Another plus for the film is the inclusion (even though it is far too lengthy) of his dying and dead daughter and the, what now seem to us primitive, means by which doctors try to cure her. One could interpret the distance from those scientific attempts to the advanced technology and cures at our disposal today as signs of evolution. In what other ways could we “theologically” embrace notions of evolution?

Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll see another Darwin film for a very, very long time. Hopefully, any remake will be an evolutionary leap from this one.

Creation (108 mins) is rated PG-13 for thematic material and is in limited release.

Film

Previous Post

February 9, 2010

Moments of Grace...

Next Post

February 15, 2010 The Hound of Heaven

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did the Israelites grumble about after crossing the Red Sea?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lack of water Boredom Wild animals Too much sun