Screenplays and the Gospel

It was interesting to think about the gospel principles that were addressed/part of the screenplays that we read this week. I think I will discuss each of them separately and talk about what I felt they were trying to say and how they accomplished that goal.

Mr. Bellpond's Masterpiece focuses on the principle of hope and how hope affects and is a large part of our lives. In Mr. Bellpond's case we are given a negative example about what happens to our lives when we live without hope. This screenplay suggests that hope is an important part of what helps people do what is right. This is especially important to our faith as hope is mentioned frequently in the scriptures. In Ether 12:6 we are taught that hope is an anchor to the soul and that idea is reflected in Mr. Bellpond's life. A. Todd Smith did some interesting things with this screenplay to argue for the need for hope and how that applies to each of its readers/viewers.

Mostly I want to talk about how Mr. Bellpond is narrated. Thus, although Bellpond is given a personality, he seems to be less of a character and more of a character type. We don't really get to hear what he says and we aren't given the chance to try and interpret him...we are given access to his thoughts and emotions directly. This method helps the viewers, in a didactic sense, understand what the "moral of the story" is.

For Chloe Huber's story, I believe a gospel principle she tackles is the danger of refusing to prune ourselves. In other words, just like we are taught in the scriptures, especially in Jacob's allegory of the Lord's vineyard, we must be pruned to be shaped correctly. This pruning takes the shape of discipline and righteousness in our lives and is always difficult to deal with. Grace's hair might represent her desires and her refusal to cut that hair represents her inability to discipline herself. Likewise, if we refuse to undergo the pruning we require, we can never become who the Lord wants us to be. Yet, as soon as she prunes her hair, she is carried up. It is an interesting allegory. I liked that artistic method of presenting the story allegorically to real life and I think that helped the story teach about this gospel principle.