The Value of Biblical Stories Told Through Theatre and Film

UU

Hello All!

My favourite Biblical story is from the Jewish Bible. It is about Joseph son of Israel / Jacob. I actually found out about the story when I first saw the film of "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, starry Donny Osmond and Maria Freeman. It was so brilliant and I could relate to the story which seems to be just as relevant today as when it was written / occurred over 2000 years ago. Webber and Rice managed to turn a seemingly dull and boring Biblical story into a fabulous musical show for both children and adults.

My fourth year show in school was "Jesus Christ Superstar" again by Webber and Rice. When it was first decided that my year was doing that show, complaints occurred from my class that it would be really religious knowing the way teenagers can be. By the end, we felt great like a million stars and had learnt something about the story of Jesus! I even scored a main role of the Roman Lord, Pontious Pilate and I had to condemn Jesus to the cross! I'm so cruel! I learnt a great deal about my character - the way Pilate didn't want to kill Jesus but was forced to by the Jewish people at the time.

I didn't like "Passion Of The Christ" so much as I found it too repulsive and gory! I really liked the Disney animation "The Prince Of Egypt" telling the story of Moses.

Tomorrow night I'm going to see "Joseph . . ." on stage in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. I can't wait and I even got front row tickets!

Anyone else who has seen films, musicals or dramas telling stories from the Bible, please share with us.

Go, go ,go Joseph . . . . . .:D

BrianCalgary

Enjoy. I loved the music to Joseph. I'm going to see it later this spring at the Rosebud Theatre in the Alberta Badlands.

The story if I remember stuck to the Biblical account quite well.

I didn't really enjoy JC Superstar. I saw the film version and was quite bored.

The Passion made me cry. It was very gory and violent, but that is what Chsrist went through. Why? For you. It was a true depiction of Roman savagery and brutality toward their political prisoners.

Enjoy the show. Is Donny in it?

nubbintom

The Passion was a fantastic piece of work, I was actually pleased to see it done big business in Muslim countries too, soundtrack is also worth checking out.

UU

BrianCalgary wrote:

Enjoy the show. Is Donny in it?

Not any more as he said after ten years in Joseph, he's had enough! Jason Donovan who was in the 1991 version in London is too old looking for Joseph anymore. The one I'm seeing is the Bill Kenwright version from the USA so I don't know who is starring in it. I adore the Jason Donovan version above all. I have the CD at home and he has such a lovely mellow (and Aussie) voice. I'll let you know how the show went when I come back.

There was a lot of controversy when 'JC Superstar' hit the stage due to Mary Magdalene loving him in it but I though it was beautiful! It was such a soppy romance!

I thought 'Passion Of The Christ" was a good film but just too gory! I also disliked having to read subtitles as it was spoken in Armenian like Hebrew. It did make the film more believable but why did they have a White Jesus and other Caucasian actors as it would have been far better if they got more Middle-Eastern looking people to play the parts.

I also like 'Daniel in the Lion's Den' as Daniel is my name! lol! Perhaps I could make a musical about it? Cool or what? :cool:

wolfsbane

UU said:

Anyone else who has seen films, musicals or dramas telling stories from the Bible, please share with us.

I'm glad you got something from them, UU. Maybe it's me, but I am really irritated by films not sticking to the book - any book, not just the Bible. I realize there are constrains regarding how much of the story can be told, but there is no excuse for telling a different story. So many exciting histories are spoiled by producers/directors/screenwriters inserting propaganda. 'Ghandi', for example. Or Mel Gibson's block-busters on Wallace, or the 'Patriot'.

The Bible gets the same treatment. Not even that it can be doctrinely skewed, as 'The Passion' was to a degree by the insertion of the imaginations of a nun, but even just the 'artistic' meddling we see in 'The Ten Commandments', etc. Surely the Biblical text is as full of excitement, love, fear, honour, cowardice, lust, rape and murder as could hope to pass the censor? Why invent new happenings?

John Doe

I wouldn't get too hot under the collar about people not sticking exactly to the Bible. After all, the Bible is a great example of people 'not sticking to the book' for two thousand years. Can anyone seriously tell me that it matters, so long as a message of peace and love is clearly broadcast? On that subject, I don't think The Passion had a peace and love message, or if it did it was a bit jumbled. Refer to relevant episode of South Park for further details.;)

UU

wolfsbane wrote:

UU said:


I'm glad you got something from them, UU. Maybe it's me, but I am really irritated by films not sticking to the book - any book, not just the Bible. I realize there are constrains regarding how much of the story can be told, but there is no excuse for telling a different story. So many exciting histories are spoiled by producers/directors/screenwriters inserting propaganda. 'Ghandi', for example. Or Mel Gibson's block-busters on Wallace, or the 'Patriot'.

The Bible gets the same treatment. Not even that it can be doctrinely skewed, as 'The Passion' was to a degree by the insertion of the imaginations of a nun, but even just the 'artistic' meddling we see in 'The Ten Commandments', etc. Surely the Biblical text is as full of excitement, love, fear, honour, cowardice, lust, rape and murder as could hope to pass the censor? Why invent new happenings?

Don't get too annoyed by producers, especially hollywood. Sometimes when they put a novel on film it can be better or worse. For example, when 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' was filmed, I thought it was very long and boring. Give me the novel any day as it was far better! The same could be said about films and shows based on the Bible - they are either better or worse than the actual story!

robindch

> I don't think The Passion had a peace and love message, or if it did it
> was a bit jumbled.

Yes, the film's central theme certainly wasn't the traditional "christian" one of peace and love towards one's fellow man, but was more of a direct appeal to the basic religious requirements of fundamentalist christians. And it succeeded brilliantly: look at how much emotion it produced, and how much money it made!

The flocks of entire megachurches were instructed to go and see it -- this is the kind of viral marketing that other film production companies can only dream about.

bus77

robindch wrote:

And it succeeded brilliantly: look at how much emotion it produced, and how much money it made!

Robin will you stop turning this into a den of thieves every chance you get.

robindch

> Robin will you stop turning this into a den of thieves every chance you get.

Didn't say they were thieves; I said that Mel Gibson made a film -- brilliantly -- which directly appealed to christian fundamentalist rhetoric and understanding and it made a heap of money as a result. Is this not true?

Excelsior

Skeptics can sometimes be very monotonous.

I see about 2 or 3 films in the cinema every week. I love movies. And in the last few months I have seen films that resonate deeply with my faith, even though they may not have been explictly drawing from the Bible.

The most explicit of the films was released before Christmas. It was called Joyeux Noël and told the true story of Christmas 1914 for some soldiers in World War I. The Scottish, French and German soldiers are celebrating Christmas in their own way in their own trenches when the spirit of the season breaks out. They begin to sing carols in their own languages, for each other. Eventually, one German soldier, an operatic singer in peace time, sings Stille Nacht. Gripped by the thoughts the song illicit he picks up a Christmas tree and steps out into no-man's land.

As he sings about the incarnation of God in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, peace breaks out. It is one of the most astonishing scenes I saw all year.

I also watched a german movie called Sophie Scholl about a German resistance fighter who was put to death for passing political leaflets out on her campus. Again, this is a true story and the scenes where Scholl kneels in fervent prayer, her own Gethsemane, seeking the strength to continue on the narrow path are sensitively done. The filmmakers manage to capture the fact that Scholl's bravery sprung from her relationship with the guy who claimed to be the Well of Life, but they do it without being preachy.

Then there was Narnia, which for me, was a far more convincing evangelistic film than the Passion. Maybe that is because I am immature and the storytelling was at my level.

Regent College in Vancouver, one of the most interesting seminaries in the world, teaches a course on the Gospel in the Movies. This might be the book, I think some might find it fascinating.

Another interesting topic is the Gospel in pop music, but we'll leave that for another day.

BrianCalgary

robindch wrote:

> Robin will you stop turning this into a den of thieves every chance you get.

Didn't say they were thieves; I said that Mel Gibson made a film -- brilliantly -- which directly appealed to christian fundamentalist rhetoric and understanding and it made a heap of money as a result. Is this not true?

The part of making a heap of money is true. The fundamentalist part is not. Fundamentalist's didn't like (imagine fundies not liking something?) the movie because it was too Roman Catholic in it's approach. So it did not appeal to fundamentalist rhetoric.

I remember telling my Grdae 6 class afew years back that we in very comfortable North Americe find it easy to say "Jesus died for me" without understanidng what He really went through. The first Christians did as they witnessed crucifixion and the Roman justice system. I think the Passion captured the circumstances quite well.

My favourite religious movie of all time goes to The Ten Commandments.

John Doe

Hooray for Cecil B. indeed, Brian. He was a master of his craft.

UU

Hey I'm going to see "Joseph" tonight! I can't wait - I so excited! I'll let you all how it went tomorrow.

Son Goku

I loved the Prince of Egypt. Particularly the section with the burning bush. How they managed to make God sound majestic and epic without it spilling over into a Superhero-esque booming voice. He sounded simultaneously load and quite, it was quite well done.

Also the any of the plague scenes were very well handled with either a Hebrew song or low-key orchestral work.

Not to mention the film was very well-animated.

One of the better cartoon films I've seen in recent years.

UU

Hey the show was FAB! The story was very well told with the funky Elvis Pharaoh, the Puerto Rican song, the cowboy song as well as a Joseph who looked very like "Tom Cruise"? Overall I'd give it 9/10 (they replaced the 60s disco number of "Go, go, go Joseph" with an American Gospel version!)

"The Prince Of Egypt" was a great film so too was "Joseph, King Of Dreams" by the same producer with the voice of Ben Affleck as Joseph.