Faith in Imagination: The Fantasy Makers (2017) | Full Movie | Rowan Williams| Malcolm Guite

J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald were the pioneers of the fantasy genre and their impact is unmistakable. Their works— exploring Middle-earth, Narnia, and other tales of redemption, sacrifice, and the battle of good and evil—have become best-selling books and blockbuster movies. Contemporary fantasy writers such as J.K. Rowling grew up inspired by their works.

All three were deeply committed Christians, and their spiritual convictions permeate their writing. They engaged and challenged from the pulpit of imagination, speaking truth through fantasy.

Faith in Imagination: The Fantasy Makers examines the spiritual influences of these fantasy pioneers and the lasting impact their works have on our present-day culture.

Director: Andrew Wall
Starring: Rowan Williams, Kristin Jefferey Johnson, Malcolm Guite, Allister McGrath, and Michael Ward

[gracepolak]

george macdonald’s the light princess defined my childhood, i still have the entire story memorized so it makes me so happy to see the love he gets being placed with lewis and tolkien

[KL]

I'm under the impression there are several misinterpretations about MacDonald's life trajectory. The documentary says "Phantastes" was the "Harry Potter of its time" and that it was so successful MacDonald started supporting his family with his writing.

Actually "Phantastes" was written for adults (hence the subtitle "A Faerie Romance for Men and Women") and it was precisely its commercial failure that led MacDonald to give up writing fantasy for adults and try instead the childrens' books market; his next novels, The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind, The Princess and Curdie, are children's books: they even feature children as protagonists.

It was only much later that MacDonald took another stab a a darker fantasy for adults: Lilith. It's also worth pointing out that children's fantasy books didn't become popular until Lewis Carroll published his own "Alice" books. For some time MacDonald actually wrote realist fiction because that's where the money was. I think this is important to point out because otherwise viewers will come away with the distorted impression that in the 1800s fantasy was as popular as it is now, a view that downplays the difficulties MacDonald had to overcome and which make him that much more remarkable.

[kingkahoonah]

My teacher showed us this in class, it was amazing.

[tinges]

This is really inspiring ♡ I hope more christians will rise up to use their imagination to glorify the Lord in every way ♡

[DanielERodriguezMusic]

Outstanding! Thank you from Texas. I had an opportunity to go to Oxford, and I bought a copy of Smith of Wooten Major at Blackwells. It was so special and meaningful.

[RadiusDrama]

We love this video, and have included it in our 'Sacred Storytelling Season' playlist exploring the link between fantastical fiction and the experience of the sacred.

[brianberthold]

I was so impressed by this. Kudos to all involved!

[Jabberstax]

Thank you for this. It's a brilliant documentary. 👏

[brucehanify]

Yes, thank you. Very informative and well-done.

[EdwardTheMedievalist]

1:23:47 to 1:23:55 did not age well. That Lord of the Rings series was objectivity bad (I called since 2017) and the Narnia movies are sadly canceled and being put aside for a Netflix series (which is naive for anyone at this point to hold any hope for a good and faithful adaption).

[chelseabaker]

I’m glade Lewis Carroll was mentioned in this, because I’m not sure if many people know this but he was a devote Christian as well.

[farcemask]

That was outstanding and inspirational.

[Unutterball]

this is a compelling account of these 3 writers! how did the actors resemble lewis and tolkein so closely?

[KL]

It's weird how this documentary gives the impression that between MacDonald and Lewis and Tolkien there was no fantasy fiction in England.

[ReallyJustAnotherDay]

The Silmarillion reads like a biblical text

[abrahampernia]

In short, these men left a great mark on fantasy, and because God himself wanted it that way and they knew it.

These 3 managed to present God in a very creative way, they just presented him in another way:

George Macdonald: In a very poetic way.

Tolkien: He represented it, but not according to Catholicism or Christianity, no, he just put everything in general, what mainly and generally God had left to humanity, in a detailed and somewhat complex way. (I'm looking to get a little bit of trust from Tolkien honestly, but I'm about to be okay with Tolkien now.)

Cs Lewis: Like Tolkien, he played God in his fantastic universe (Narnia) but being a little more direct and concrete.

And that would be my conclusion as to everything these 3 men left behind.

[Pucksandman]

Qué maravilloso trabajo documental y de análisis de las obras y vidas de estos grandes fantasistas.

[zoharshorer]

I would love the imaginary hypothetical of C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, and perhaps some of the other original Inklings, examining the theological substrata of Terry Pratchett's inventions. Despite Small Gods and Wizards, Witches and Dwarves, Trolls and Vampires, Pratchett's messages are much more Human

[Hermes]

Imagination is the great unifier of humanity.
~George Santayana, Interpretations of Poetry and Religion
(New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1900).

[Augdawg]

John Bunyan - The Pilgrim’s Progress

Hannah Hurnard - Hinds’ Feet on High Places