'The Virgin Spring': The Power of Moral Filmmaking

Even though I live in a largely Christian country, I was taken aback by the Christianity and moral questioning of a Swedish movie made more than 40 years ago - Ingmar Bergman's "The Virgin Spring." This says a lot about Hollywood and our film culture. For decades, Hollywood has distanced itself from religious and moral filmmaking, and audiences have paid Hollywood well for its efforts. This observation is not a mean indictment; the movie tickets I've purchased do not provide me with any moral high ground. Nonetheless, "The Virgin Spring" is the kind of movie that should be made in the United States. Even something like Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," a genuine attempt to address spiritual concerns, is descriptive and mundane rather than provocative and transcendent.

We must look beyond the obvious. Yes, "The Virgin Spring" is an influential film. Every rape-and-revenge movie ("The Last House on the Left," "Straw Dogs," etc.) might owe it something. But if all we can say about "The Virgin Spring" is that it started the rape-and-revenge movie trend, and if we can say that with enthusiasm, we must question not only the film's worth but also our own culture's worth.

"Oh, but it's just a movie!"

The above mindset is the opposite of what Bergman wanted one to think after watching "The Virgin Spring." The film is like an untold story from the Bible - it's an emotional parable. We might root for the father in the story to take revenge for what happens to his daughter, but Bergman goes further than this: we are made to empathize with the father's guilt and his conviction to atone for his violence. I won't reveal how the film gets its title, but it's what miracles are made of.

"The Virgin Spring" didn't inspire blunt moral questions from its imitators. Sure, "Straw Dogs" and the remake of "The Last House on the Left" might bring up a moral discussion (much more than idiotic fare like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), but "The Virgin Spring" insists on moral examination. Whether you ultimately share the protagonist's spiritual concerns (illustrated beautifully by actor Max von Sydow) is immaterial. All of us, Christian or not, must justify and question our responses to the events of "The Virgin Spring." Such is the power of moral filmmaking.

'The Amazing Spider-Man': Without a Mask, Without a Point

Spider-Man hardly wears his mask in Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man," a ploy that manufactures the most mundane drama. Remember when Michael Keaton rips off his mask in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns"? That scene offered a poignant character moment, a hero willing to give up his madness for love. In contrast, "The Amazing Spider-Man" makes one wonder, "So what is the fucking point of wearing a mask?" The funny thing is that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy already made me ask that question.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" begins with Peter Parker's parents leaving him behind, but this opening only sets up a flimsy link between Peter's father and Dr. Connors, the villain of the film, and the suggestion that Peter and Dr. Connors can owe their transformations to Peter's father (Peter's mother is forgotten). Peter's love interest, Gwen Stacy, just so happens to work for Dr. Connors. In the middle of the film, Spider-Man saves a man's son, and this man later plays deus ex machina - in the right spot at the right time to save Spidey's ass. With great power comes great coincidence.

Like its hero, this film doesn't have a secret identity. It is clearly a riff on Sam Raimi's trilogy and David Cronenberg's "The Fly," with the villain's master plan resembling what Magneto did way back in Bryan Singer's "X-Men" - and this isn't the first time a superhero movie has copied that scheme. The only interesting idea in "The Amazing Spider-Man" is the conflict between Spider-Man and Gwen Stacey's cop father, played by Dennis Leary. But their relationship is deemed pointless by the end of the film, as Peter Parker vows to break a promise he made to the man, despite the fact that Spider-Man owed his life to him.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is a dark and silly movie. The witty lines in the trailer are reserved for one scene, which suggests their placement in the trailer was used to attract people like me who thought the Sam Raimi films needed a more lighthearted Spider-Man. However, what we end up with is an inept and horny Spider-Man. Quite frankly, the guys in "American Pie" were more heroic.