Comments (0)

By Jeff Gang, February 2, 2010 12:12 am

I love movies, especially looking at them from a theological perspective. One genre of film are the Jesus movies. I’m not only fascinated how Jesus is portrayed in these films, but also the way the story is told. Lately I keep stumbling on these films, here’s a couple that have stuck with me recently:

Barabbas (1961)

My friend Rob Simmons, a huge film aficionado and movie critic, gifted me the 1961 film Barabbas, starring Anthony Quinn.  While not a typical Jesus film, the opening scenes begin on Good Friday, when Barabbas is freed by Pontius Pilate. We witness the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and an encounter with the disciples, even a conversation with a ghostly Lazarus, all through the eyes of Barabbas. The rest of the film traces his life from being a slave to a gladiator in Rome. Barabbas is “haunted” by the reality that Jesus of Nazareth gave him his freedom. A film years ahead of its time, Barabbas, is a hidden gem of the Jesus films.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

I have the The Greatest Story Ever Told on DVD, but it was on television this Sunday morning, so my daughter and I watched the last forty-five minutes together. This time around I was struck by literally license of the film, particularly Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin.  The film’s director/writer George Stevens, takes the man who was healed of blindness in John 9, and brings him into the trial as a witness against Jesus. The witness is questioned, similar to the questions by the religious leaders, in John 9, but the final response of the witness is phenomenal:

Sanhedrin: “Let the first witness enter.”

[Old man enters court, stands by Jesus]

Sanhedrin: “Do you know this man, Jesus of Nazareth?” Continue reading 'Jesus in Film'»

Comments (2)

By Jeff Gang, January 6, 2010 2:29 am

I finally found some time to see James Cameron’s Avatar this week—an amazing film!  Go and see it in 3D while you have the chance. I disagree with most of the critics, the story is good too.

I later heard that political conservatives are criticizing the film for being anti-American, e.g. see “Avatar Arouses Conservative’s Ire” from the L.A. Times. Are you serious?

Also came across this op-ed piece on Religion Dispatches about conservative Christians bashing the film. Supposedly it’s a threat to Christian beliefs. However, I wonder if that’s really the issue? Seems to me whenever the American way of life is questioned—as Avatar seems to do at times, many Christian conservatives think its attacking their faith as well.  That’s why the last paragraph in “Conservative Christians v. Avatar” gets to the heart of the issue for me:

The artistry of Avatar is not a threat to Christian belief, but it is a threat to arrogant assumptions about our own exclusive claims to truth, power, and wealth. Dig deeply enough and it becomes clear that it is in fact these desires which many people actually worship (after layering a veneer of Christianity over them). Unlike our fragile, human egos, the God of all creation is not threatened when we explore all of the possible permutations of that creation. Nor is God minimized when we seek to understand those who honor that creation in different ways.

Amen!