City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2010 Skin and Redemption: Theology in Silent Films, 1902 to 1927 Susan Craig Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1794 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact:
[email protected] Skin and Redemption: Theology in Silent Films, 1902 to 1927 by Susan Craig A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2010 ii © 2010 Susan Jean Craig All Rights Reserved iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Martin J. Burke Date Chair of Examining Committee Prof. Helena Rosenblatt Date Executive Officer Prof. Donald Scott Prof. Jonathan Sassi Prof. Marc Dolan THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Prof. Richard Koszarski RUTGERS UNIVERSITY Supervisory Committee iv Abstract Theology in Silent Films by Susan Craig Adviser: Prof. Martin J. Burke This dissertation analyzes theological concepts in silent moving pictures made for commercial distribution from 1902 to 1927, and examines how directors and scenarists sorted through competing belief systems to select what they anticipated would be palatable theological references for their films. A fundamental assumption of this study is that, the artistic and aesthetic pretensions of many silent-era filmmakers notwithstanding, directors generally made decisions in the conception, production and marketing of films primarily to maximize profits in a ruthlessly competitive environment.