April Podcast (Godspell) Postponed

Just a quick post to let listeners of my podcast know that there's not going to be an entry this month. I had planned to do Godspell (1973), but I've just been too busy this week, and it doesn't look like I'll get the chance next week (or the week after come to that). Hopefully though, I'll get around to it sometime before the end of May. Apologies to anyone that was looking forward to it.

Jesus der Film (1986)

Thanks to Joel Wilson for bringing this one to my attention. It appears that a director called Michael Brynntrup filmed Jesus der Film on Super8 back in 1986. Brynntrup has a website detailing his various films, and so there's a special section given over to this one. Amongst the information that's provided is the fact that the film's full title is actually Life and Death and Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It's less clear about the format of the film. One the one hand it talks about it being "125 (84) Min.", but on the other it seems to talk about various episodes. I suspect that it is a single film, but that the word episode is being used for what would normally be called scenes. There are a few photos as well.

Perhaps the best thing about the site, however, is that it gives you the (full?) script in both English and German. I'm not sure how widely known this film is, and will probably drop Thomas Langkau a line to find out if he knows about it. I'll try and find out more on this one and report back later if I discover anything more.

The New Statesman on Tom Wright

Photo by Jordan Cooper, used under a Creative Commons Licence

I'm a bit pushed for time this morning, but I just have a moment to post a link to this interview with Tom Wright which is from the New Statesman. The interviewer is a little too taken aback by the fact that Wright didn't arrive in all his regalia to offer a great deal of substance, but there are one or two interesting points.

I must admit though that I'm a little flummoxed by just how much hatred there appears to be against Christians at the moment, particularly when given the chance to comment on web articles as they are here. I agree that Wright is too hyperbolic with his phrase "militant atheists", and I'm certainly not denying that the church has done some horrendous things in the past, nor that it still has it's faults at present. But there seems to be an increasing amount of vitriol against Christians on the web at the moment, and it does genuinely make me wonder why so many people want to spend so much of their time knocking us in such a full-on manner. Have we really hurt so many people?

Bits and Pieces on The PassionDVD Mystery, More Q&A, The Reader

Ever since the final broadcast of The Passion, I've been keeping a keen eye on Amazon for news of its release to DVD. There's been a page up there for the DVD for sometime, but, in spite of the 28th April release date, the spartan looking cover shot hasn't really inspired much confidence that it's being released any time soon. Nor is there anything about it on the distributors site, Fremantle Home Entertainment. I seem to remember that a few weeks back there was something about the film, but that could just be my imagination!

Moreover, there's the BBC Shop which currently just returns the message "This product is not available to view" on an otherwise blank page. Yet, according to Google cache, there was a whole page on the DVD at one point. So I've no idea what's going on, but it doesn't look like this DVD will be coming out tomorrow, (although you never can tell).

In other news, Mark Goodacre has linked to another set of Q&A which this time deal with issues raised by the show's portrayal of the death and resurrection scenes. There are some interesting answers there, not least getting some clarification over the portrayal of various parts of the story.

Finally, the latest issue of the C of E's Reader Magazine has just been published including a brief piece I wrote about The Passion. I think I tagged this on to a previous post after its initial publication, so some of you may have missed it.

Verhoeven's 'Jezus van Nazareth' Due for Publication in September

Back in December 2006 I reported that director Paul Verhoeven had decided to write a book about Jesus as a step towards fulfilling his dream of one day making a film about him. Empire had interviewed Verhoeven in the run up to the release of Black Book and he'd mentioned the project saying he feared getting attacked by fundamentalists.

15 months later and it seems the book is almost ready for publication, although initially it's only going to be available in the director's native Dutch. Hollywood Reporter are saying that Verhoeven's 'Jezus van Nazareth: Een realistisch portret' (Jesus of Nazareth: A Realistic Portrait) will be published by Meulenhoff in September, and a quick search on their website uncovered the above cover art and a brief description (still unintelligible even after using Google Translation). Fortunately, Fox News have picked out the main headlines.

In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will make the shocking claim that Christ probably was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee.
[snip]
The book... also states that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

Fox has wheeled in Catholic League President Bill Donohue to fulfill the role of outraged Christian, but, really, Verhoeven is saying nothing that hasn't been said a hundred times before. In fact similar claims are even made in another Jesus film - Jesus of Montreal - so it's hard to believe that Donohue is really that shocked. That said, his suggestion that the Basic Instinct director "should go back to Sharon Stone's legs" seems very odd indeed. Is Donohue really suggesting Verhoeven make more soft porn?

More 2 Kings Films

Back in February, I made two posts discussing films that are based on material from 2 Kings. Shortly afterwards I decided to go ahead and order Sins of Jezebel to see what exactly it covered. I figured it might make an interesting post if nothing else. In the meantime, WitlessD found out some details about some, more obscure, films that are on parts of Kings, and emailed me the details, and Peter Chattaway also discovered a film due for release that might also touch on this material.

Unfortunately I decided to delay posting more until Sins of Jezebel, and, sadly, it didn't arrive until yesterday. Furthermore, having had a quick scan it appears it's very much based on Elijah and 1 Kings rather than the second part of the book. So I probably should have posted this a month or two ago, but better late than never I suppose.

The first film is a five part mini-series from Brazil called O Desafio de Elias (The Challenge of Elijah) by Rede Record and VMT Produções. It was directed by Luiz Antônio Piá based on Yves Dumont's screenplay. It aired on 5 consecutive nights on Brazilian TV back in 1997 (22-26 December). Guilherme Linhares played Elijah, Adriana Lessa (pictured above) as Ninra, Othon Bastos as Ahab and Sônia Lima as Jezebel (pictured below). WitlessD also sent me a description which I've had translated.

The struggle of the prophet Elijah for the word of the God of Israel. It's around the year 850 BC and Elijah antagonizes King Ahab. Ahab is married to the flirtatious Jezabel, and influenced by the queen's construction of a temple to the false god Baal

A year later Lima and the same producers, director and writer created a 10 part Esther mini-series A História de Ester.

Then there have been two versions of Racine's 1691 play 'Athalie' (based on the story of the idolatrous Athaliah from 2 Kings 8&11 / 2 Chronicles 22&23). The first version, Athaliah, Queen of Judah, was filmed by Pathé Frères in 1910 and a couple of reviews of it remain to this day. Firstly an issue of The Bioscope dated 25 August 1910 (p.29):

Athaliah, Queen of Judah, has gained the throne by the destruction of all the royal princes. Unknown to her, a tiny babe has been saved by Jehoiada, the priest, and brought up by him in the Temple of Jerusalem. Seven years pass and the people, weary of the tyranny of their cruel Queen, plead to God for a miracle in the form of the coming of a son of David.

Athahiah has become a worshipper of Baal, and two of the priests of Baal are seen endeavoring to persuade her to destroy the Sacred Temple. But Athaliah dismisses her advisers and falls a prey to remorse and visions in which Joash, the new child king, appears to her. Athaliah resolves to satisfy herself as to the truth of the rumors of the existence of a royal prince. She goes to the Temple and finds herself within its sacred walls at the moment a sacrifice is to be made. Jehoiada drives her out, and the Queen decides to question Joash. Joash is unable to answer her questions, but his features convince Athaliah, and she decides that she must regain her power by arms.

In the next scene we see he leading her warriors to the assault of the great Temple. She demands admittance, and the High Priest, allows her to enter alone. He has a curtain drawn aside and Athaliah sees before her the new King, seated on a throne, and surrounded by his adherents. She springs forward, but at the cry of the priest, hidden soldiers rush forward and force her backwards out of the Temple. Outside the people have gathered to acclaim the new ruler promised them, and Athaliah cries out for their allegiance. Their only reply is silence, which changes into cries of joy as Joash appears before the Temple, and as the queen rushes forward a thrust from a spear ends her life.

The film is well staged, and carefully treated, and the numerous sub-titles clearly explain the story.

The other review was written by Georges Fagot for the 8th October 1910 edition of Ciné-Joumal, (No 111). Again this is a translation:

We have just seen the most perfect film that has, so far, been presented by cinematography, Athalie, directed and adapted by Mr. Michel Carré one of the most famous authors of the SCAGL ... An ingenious adapter and clever director Mr. Michel Carré was well qualified to be the chef-d’ceuvre-Racine, as illustrated by this film version from La Série d’Art Pathé Frères (original name for Pathé Frères

Shooting began on 11 May 1910 and the film was released in Paris on 7th October 1910. The film was 410m/1352ft [361color].

The second, Atalia, was an Italian TV version transmitted on RAI 2 in 1964. The cast included Lilla Brignone (Athaliah) and Roberto Chevalier (Jehoash). It was directed by Mario Ferrero, and aired on RAI2 on the 13th May 1964 (my birthday). Whilst it looks lie a few copies of the 1910 film remain the 1964 version was apparently wiped just a year after its release.Finally, Will Smith is due to star in The Last Pharaoh - which is actually going to be about Taharqa the last Pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty rather than Cleopatra (because that would be really strange). And, as Peter Chattaway points out, that might feature an appearance from Hezekiah and the events of 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37

There is an interesting connection between Taharqa and the biblical history of this period. Scholars, it seems, have said that Taharqa may be the same person who is referred to in II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 as "Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt" -- a figure who is mentioned simply because he was "marching out to fight" against the Assyrian king Sennacherib while Sennacherib was laying siege to Jerusalem in 701 BC.

Peter also lists some problems with that theory and wonders how the film may treat the different accounts in the Greek / biblical history (if it includes the incident at all).

This post has taken me so long I've now not got enough time to sit and watch Sins of Jezebel. Oh well...

Interrupted and Ray's King of Kings

Director Nicholas Ray is best remembered for Rebel Without a Cause (1955), even though the masterful In a Lonely Place (1950) is, in my opinion, his best work. But he was also the director of the 1961 Jesus film King of Kings. Whilst King of Kings is clearly not in the same league as those other films, it does continue to explore some of the thematic elements from those earlier pictures. It was apparently a bad experience for Ray though, indeed Bernard Eisenschitz catalogues the production team fall out regarding the film¹ and his wife Betty Ray regarded it as "the start of his self betrayal".².

So it will be interesting to see if King of Kings features in next year's Ray biopic Interrupted. There's precious little information about it at the moment. It's based on Ray's posthumously published auto-biography 'I was Interrupted', and is being produced by City Lights Pictures (The Ten). Philip Kaufman (Quills, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) is lined up as director and City Lights claim that there's "A-list talent slated to star". Variety has a brief piece on this, as do a few other outlets, but there's not much to go on so far (and the Variety piece is from Jan. 2006).

In any case, I suspect King of Kings won't figure too highly: it is mentioned on only 5 pages in the index for 'I Was Interrupted', as opposed to 24 in Eisenschitz's index (although Eisenschitz's is book is more than twice as many pages) . But it would be interesting if it were included. No doubt it could make an interesting double bill with the sort of DeMille biopic Sands of Oblivion.

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1 - Bernard Eisenschitz, "Nicholas Ray: An American Journey", Faber and Faber (London), ch.34, but especially p.371-375
2 - Bernard Eisenschitz, "Nicholas Ray: An American Journey", Faber and Faber (London), p.379