The Passion of the Christ Meets Fahrenheit 9/11

Abstract

Why are The Passion of the Christand Fahrenheit 9/11mentioned in the same breath when referring to the political campaigns of 2004? What role did these films play in the election debate? How did television code reception, at once expanding and disciplining, tantalizing and moralizing the public? The article examines the entwinement of entertainment, media, and politics in national debate, as the most talked about films of 2004 transmute wartime suffering into political purpose, each serving a similar function for respective Republican and Democratic campaigns and each generating controversy stirred and strangled by televisual critics. The article concludes by advocating a role for critical inquiry into celebrity advocacy—as artistic enactment, stylistic vision, and mass media promotion. Studies of the multiple dimensions of celebrity advocacy should augment significantly our contemporary discussions of deliberative democracy.