August 12, 2022
In a recent video
Drinking beer with Aquinas
On the channel, Father Gregory Pyne expressed concern that popular entertainment, particularly music and movies, often distracts us from our heavenly meditation. Notably, unlike typical Catholic commentary on pop culture, Father Pyne focuses less on the moral content of music and movies and more on how the forms themselves affect us physically, psychologically and spiritually.
Inspired by Father Pyne, moderator Thomas Milas and film director Nathan Douglas identify some of the elements of music and film that get in the way of a contemplative life, and also suggest ways to engage with greater art in deeper ways that serve the human contemplative purpose rather than simply avoiding them.
Time Stamp:
0:00 Intro
6:31 Fr. Pine Video Summary
11:08 The dangers of treating media as “junk food” instead of seeking better media
14:44 Cultivating an openness to more artistic cinema
17:31 Logical reasoning is not the best way to think
20:26 Music is the simplest meditative art form
22:58 The relationship between film and reality
25:13 Advertising and Gloss in Contemporary Film
29:38 The problem with adapting Catholic content to a Hollywood format
31:28 The rhythm of film editing can hinder contemplation
38:24 Learn to intuitively distinguish good work from bad work
42:15 Interesting rhythm is not the same as mediocrity
46:23 Movie discussion conclusion
48:02 Applying Augustine’s theory that “evil is want” to art
49:34 The need for both low and high quality music
55:46 In what sense should Catholics “engage with pop culture”?
59:33 Pop music is dominated by computers, lyric-heavy, and devoid of melody
1:07:53 The personal element in art
1:12:08 Music, sensations, and thoughts beyond words
1:18:22 Physical stimulation through music
1:22:45 Using music to satisfy emotions
1:27:09 Can music be “immoral”?
1:32:06 Mistaking slowness for good or bad in movies
1:34:11 Teaching followers the depth of art
1:43:50 Can sensory imagery help our mental life?
1:49:18 Reality conveyed through music
1:56:20 There is no formula for beauty
2:01:08 Simple Acceptance of God’s Beauty
2:03:54 Recommended Resources
resource:
Father Gregory Pyne: “I stopped listening to music.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVh4rHubNOc
Elizabeth Paul Labatt,
My Song: The Mysteries of Music
https://litpress.org/Products/MW040P/The-Song-That-I-Am
Etienne Gilson
The Art of Beauty
https://www.amazon.com/Arts-Beautiful-Scholarly-Etienne-Gilson/dp/1564782506
Criteria: Catholic Movie Podcast
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/criteria
CCP #126: How Charlie Parker’s Music Changed My Life
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/126-how-charlie-parker-changed-my-life
CCP #28: Introduction to Maritain’s Poetic Philosophy (with Samuel Hazo)
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-28-introduction-to-maritains-poetic-philosophy-samuel-hazo
Nathan Douglas
The Mission of Film https://vocationofcinema.substack.com
Father Pyne’s lectures on literature quoted by Nathan https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/literature-as-philosophy-fr-gregory-pine-op
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