Hollywood has been producing movies based on Bible stories since 1897. Starting with grainy, silent, mini-Passion stories and moving on to
The Passion of the Christ and beyond, bestselling author J. Stephen Lang takes you through the blockbusters and the busts.
More than just a catalog listing, The Bible on the Big Screen gives movie buffs film credits, running times, and release dates. It answers intriguing questions about motives for making the movies, offers critics' reactions, and provides much more insider information. The book is also richly illustrated with film stills from favorite movies.
J. Stephen Lang has churned out dozens of books about faith and media. That may be why his book, "The Bible on the Big Screen," reads as though it was written by a man who knows his stuff about Hollywood history, but writes in a breezy manner as he speeds along to his next project.
I'm not slamming this book. I'm recommending it. It's a fun tour through decades of religious tales on the silver screen.
It's sprinkled with cool photos, too.
A discussion group could have a lot of fun with this one, including some spirited arguments with Lang's strong opinions.
One example: I know a number of film buffs who argue in defense of Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" as an intriguing alternative "take" on the story of Jesus' life. Lang has no patience for it, though. He dismisses Scorsese's depiction of Jesus as "typical of a 1970s hippie" and "hardly the sort of person that people in any age would elevate into a superstar."
There are good discussion starters between these covers.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
1 of 1 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by R. J. Columbo (Royal Oak, Michigan), August 22, 2007
According to this engaging book, biblical movies have been generating controversy, and profits, since the 1890s, when three very brief films all titled Passion of the Christ premiered. The book takes us from that period up to the present, devoting a chapter to each film and looking at just how biblical the film was, what motivated its producers and writers, how the public and the critics received it, and whether it is still worth watching. There are some expected pleasures here--Charlton Heston and Cecil B. Demille's memories of filming the Ten Commandments--and some surprises, such as Joan Collins in Esther and the King and Richard Gere in the almost-awful King David. As the book shows, biblical films and their success or failure are a kind of measure of the level of religion in the culture at large. The book also reminds us that, for better or worse, people often get their ideas about the Bible not from The Book itself but from movies, including garbage like The Last Temptation of Christ. I give the author credit for reviewing Last Temptation, Jesus Christ Superstar, and such and managing to find some good in them, even while admitting they are failures in terms of being faithful to the Bible. I liked this a lot, hope it stays in print and gets updated from time to time.
Write a review of The Bible on the Big Screen: A Guide from Silent Films to The Passion of the Christ
Author: J. Stephen Lang
Located in: Seminole, FL
Submitted: August 27, 2007
Tell us a little about yourself. I'm a full-time author, have published 40 books (2 more on the way!), have an MA in communications, BA in religion, former book editor for Tyndale House, write the Bible IQ column for Today's Christian magazine.
What was your motivation behind this project? I found, to my amazement, that there was no comprehensive history of films based on the Bible, so I researched the subject thoroughly and watched every film that was available on video, and found out what I could about the films that were not. I manage to cover all films from the brief Passion films of the 1890s through the 2004 smash Passion of the Christ, and including The Nativity Story from 2006. I wrote with two separate, but overlapping, audiences in mind: Christians who wonder how accurately the Bible's stories have been presented in commercial films, and the larger group of people interested in movies and pop culture in general.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? First, it will familiarize them with some quality biblical films they may not know about. Second, in my reviews of each film they will get a fairly clear idea of whether, and to what extent, each film was true to the Bible. Third, they will get a feel for how the culture at large reacts to, and learns from, biblical films. Fourth, I take the reader on a rather enjoyable walk through the history of film, from its origins in the late 1800s through the high-tech, big-budget films of today. Along the way, the reader will get a rather entertaining look at the 20th century, at an increasingly secular society that still has some deep religious yearnings.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? I was rather amazed at how so many biblical films departed so radically from the Bible, on the assumption that the Bible's stories had to be 'tweaked' for the general audience. Watching each film more than once, I became aware of the flaws--but also aware of some good things in films that, on the whole, were not satisfying. The 1973 film of Jesus Christ Superstar, for example, offends many Christians, and with good reason, yet I find that its scene of Jesus driving the money-changers out of the temple to be closer to the 'feel' of the Gospels than in any other film.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? In my years as a book editor, I learned a valuable lesson: think like a scholar, but write like a man on the street. I research my books with great care, trying to get all the facts right, but I also try to make what I write entertaining, a pleasure and not a burden.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: In this book I managed to combine two of my favorite interests: film and the Bible. I like to think that my own pleasure in both subjects comes through in this book. I have a genuine affection for both, and I invite the reader to share in my affection and enthusiasm.
Catalog Shopping
Membership
