Bonhoeffer on Film

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s spectacular life has long made him a prominent figure in the popular imagination and culture of contemporary Christianity. Recent years have seen a rise in both media and controversy surrounding Bonhoeffer, including several provocative biographies that have galvanized ongoing debates regarding the theologian’s life and legacy. An interesting category of Bonhoeffer media that has largely been overlooked are films made about him—which include several documentaries and biopics. These films present distinct sides, ideas, and even beliefs about Bonhoeffer to popular audiences in the way they tell his story on screen. This book closely examines four documentaries, four fiction films, and a curious biography of Bonhoeffer written for the express purpose of being made into a film. Looking to how Bonhoeffer is portrayed and understood in the artifacts of popular Christian culture helps understand the stories media-makers tell about Bonhoeffer, what these films have to say about his life, and what they seem to want us to learn and see about him. In doing so, Bonhoeffer on Film takes seriously the power that Christian art and film have in instructing the faithful and modeling attitudes towards life, culture, politics, and more.