Abstract
In the second half of the 20th century, a fascinating revival of ancient Gnostic ideas in American popular culture could be observed. One of the major streams through which Gnostic ideas are transmitted is Hollywood cinema. Many works that emerged at the end of 1990s can be viewed through the ideas of ancient Gnostic systems: The Truman Show (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Others (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001) or The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003).
In this article, the author analyses Dark City (1998) and demonstrates that the story depicted in the film is heavily indebted to the Gnostic myth of Sophia. He bases his inquiry on the newest research results in Gnostic Studies in order to highlight the importance of definitional problems within the field and how carefully the concept of “Gnosticism” should be applied to popular culture studies.
Recommended Citation
Kwiatkowski, Fryderyk
(2017)
"How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998),"
Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 21:
Iss.
1, Article 34.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol21/iss1/34
Included in
American Film Studies Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Ancient Philosophy Commons, Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, New Religious Movements Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons