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Topic: "The Apocolypse" starring Richard Harris
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mohawk
Advanced Member
Member # 2898
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posted
That last thought was intensely profound. I agree. It's a look deeper than what we hear decried by those who condemn Hollywood as a devil-influenced entity. Well, Hollywood reflects what it thinks the populace wants (as you stated so well). That's its only hope of staying in business.
If overnight, more people wanted wholesome stuff -- would Hollywood react accordingly. Interesting.
Posts: 223 | From: california | Registered: Feb 2004
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SciptureAndPrayers
Advanced Member
Member # 3633
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posted
I couldn't find anything offensive in your questions. They're very good ones.
I think that if a film is well-done (good acting and plot line) it has a chance of a good reception in the secular world. To some degree, I think the "Left Behind" series had that potential, but in the sense that it did address a niche audience, I don't believe it fulfilled its potential. Like it or not, when you have a movie that preaches at you, replete with scripture, it's going to turn off the secular audience, except perhaps those who are already in a very receptive state of mind. That does not make it a bad movie, necessarily, but it limits its influence.
On the other hand, apocalyptic or end-times movies that are out there only to capitalize on the current trend, don't offer much hope for the Christian who looks for a vehicle by which to witness to or proselytize unbelievers, or those on the fence. And they offer no hope of affecting the hearts of the unbelieving audience in general when they follow the pessimistic end-times themes of modern doomsday prophets, conspiracy theorists, or Nostrodamus buffs.
Can some meaningful compromise be reached wherein a good, quality film with a Christian message be reached? Is Hollywood capable of producing such a movie without nullifying the message of the Gospel? I honestly don't know, but experience causes me to doubt it. I go back to the movie "The Gospel of John" which I loved from beginning to end. It came out the same time as the "Passion of the Christ", but got very little attention, especially in the shadow of Gibson's movie. In video stores it had come and gone before "Passion" was even released. Without passing judgment on Gibson's film, I think this is an example of what the public is looking for. We know that Hollywood is in the business of giving the public what they want. The question is can the church exert an influence on what that is?
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In Christ's love. Amen.
Posts: 345 | From: Rochester NY | Registered: Jul 2004
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mohawk
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Member # 2898
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posted
Let me throw these questions out there--to you and anyone else who wants to chime in:
Do you think the "Left Behind" series, though filling a nitch, has pushed viewers away from traditional Biblical films? (Aside from an obvious impact-maker like "Passion").
And do you think the "Left Behind" films have made a serious inroad to non-Christian viewers, or not?
(No offense intended, I am interested in a thoughtful answer to that question.)
I am wondering, can a Biblical film that tries to depict the Revelation accurately, survive in the current market that is glutted by "modernized and/or fictionalized" prophecy films? Your thoughts?
Posts: 223 | From: california | Registered: Feb 2004
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SciptureAndPrayers
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Member # 3633
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posted
Mohawk,
I rented it a couple of months ago, mainly because I was intrigued that it had Richard Harris in the lead role.
He, as you said, played John the Revelator, who was living anonomously on the Isle of Patmos. The plot of the movie surrounded the Roman emporer's attempt to squash Christianity by locating and killing John, who's writings were seen to be fomenting rebellion against the empire. The way this is carried out is by persecuting the church in Ephesus, which is where his writings have been traced to. When it is learned that he is on Patmos, a spy, a roman legionare, is sent there in guise of a prisoner, in order to ferret John out. Most of the movie evolves around his efforts, as well as the efforts of the Ephesian church to somehow smuggle John off the island. Against this backdrop, John keeps having visions which he writes down, and which are smuggled off the island. The twist is that the principal character trying to get John off the island is a woman who is in love with the soldier that was sent there to find John.
Although the locations and the prison seemed authentic to my uneducated eyes, the accuracy of the film in general seemed to suffer a great deal in order to make it more "Hollywood" compatible, and John's visions were more spectacular than they were Biblical.
I wish I could recommend another movie that I felt was more fitting, and I've seen most of them, but to be truthful I just don't think that the motion picture industry has enough of a grip on spiritual matters to do it right.
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In Christ's love. Amen.
Posts: 345 | From: Rochester NY | Registered: Jul 2004
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mohawk
Advanced Member
Member # 2898
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posted
It's been awhile since I've visited here, but again here I am talking to myself, hearing the echo against the walls of the Movies Forum. ![[Wink]](wink.gif) Oh well.
I have seen another interesting DVD on the retail shelf and am wondering if anyone else has seen it and can give me a quickie-review.
It's called "The Apocolypse" and stars the late Richard Harris as John on the isle of Patmos as he receives his visions of The Revelation. It looks like quite a subject to take on realistically, what with all the modernized "Left Behind" films starting to develop into their own market nitch. Any comments, anyone?
![[youpi]](graemlins/youpi.gif)
Posts: 223 | From: california | Registered: Feb 2004
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