The portrayal of clergy, saints, missionaries, monks, and other spiritual leaders dates back to the very beginnings of motion pictures and television. Over the years, filmmakers have portrayed religious figures as heroes and villains, sinners and saints, and nearly everything in between. Through their works, filmmakers have influenced how society viewed these religious figures and, by extension, religion itself.
This work details over 900 films and television series made from the 1890s through 2003 in which a religious figure plays a prominent or recurring role, or in which a character poses as a religious figure. For each motion picture, full filmographic data are provided—including title, studio, running time, year of release, director, producer, writer, and cast—along with a synopsis focusing on the role of the religious figure. Television series are covered in a separate section. For each show, the entry includes the title under which the show was commonly known; the original broadcast network; the years the show ran, running time, and cast; and a brief discussion of the religious character’s role in the overall series. Extensively indexed.

The late Ann C. Paietta was the director of the Essex Free Library in Essex, Vermont and the author of several books and library-related articles.

Ann C. Paietta
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 200
Bibliographic Info: photos, bibliography, indexes
Copyright Date: 2005
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2186-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1016-0
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1
Abbreviations      4

I. Theatrical and Made for Television Films      5
II. Television Series      169

Annotated Bibliography      181
Name Index      185
Subject Index      190

• “Very enjoyable”—Booklist
• “Unique… recommended”—ARBA
• “Valuable”—Film & History
• “Useful”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly