Philosophy with a Hammer NTSC Video

Philosophy with a Hammer was filmed on super 8 and edited and transferred to vhs. The film was written and directed by Mark St.John Ellis and filmed by the photographer Daniel Faro.  It is a collage of images and scenes set to a piece of music by Elijah's Mantle, exploring through a marriage of music and image, Christian symbolism. After two thousand years of Christian imagery it is difficult to approach such symbols with an uninformed eye. The implications contained within the image are too strong, reinforced through history, experience and indoctrination. Christian symbolism and morality are ingrained in two thousand years of Western cultural conditioning.  The film video explores the status of woman and the nature of sexuality within these influences. Through the use of imagery and juxtaposition it questions cultural values that have been brought to our thinking by a patriarchal christianity, that had previously forced historically the position of women in society. This and the Christian symbols of suffering and martyrdom from the Baroque paintings create a fertile source for film imagery.