Sea of Faith Network
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Film
God on the Silver Screen
God on the silver screen ...Well... actually... in a small, blurred, postage-stamp sized box on your PC!
You may not be aware of it but if you have a broadband connection to the Internet you can watch movies on your PC. The visual quality is not great. It's a bit like going back to those tiny little TV screens of the 1950s - if you are old enough to remember. And sometimes the films are broken up into small 10-minute segments to make uploading them easier. However, you do get to see obscure films that would not otherwise be obtainable - and they are free!
In this section of the site we will regularly publish links to, and comment on, religious films and films about religion so...
Get yourself a bag of popcorn, click the link, dim the lights, lean back in your chair and enjoy a night at the movies in the comfort of your computer workstation!
Christopher Hitchens vs Al Sharpton on Atheism and God
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| Title: | Christopher Hitchens vs Al Sharpton on Atheism and God |
| Running: | 1 hr 29 min 10 sec |
| Clips: | 1 |
| Released: | 7 May 2007 |
| Made by: | FORA.tv |
Christopher Hitchens, who is the author of "God Is Not Great", debates Al Sharpton at the New York Public Library (NYPL) on May 7 2007. ... all » Debate topics include God, religion, and atheism. Debate moderated by Jacob Weisberg of Slate magazine.
"Taking on possibly the greatest issue of our time - the malignant force of religion in the world - Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion through a close and learned reading of the major religious texts, citing numerous historical instances in which sexual repression and outrageous acts of violence have been committed in the name of God. He argues for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix." -- from Hitchens' new book "God Is Not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything".
The Jesus Film
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| Title: | The Jesus Film |
| Running: | 117 mins |
| Clips: | 1 |
| Released: | Oct 1979 |
| Made by: | Inspirational Films |
| Articles: | IMDB entry; Wikipedia - Jesus |
According to the New York Times this film is the most-watched motion picture of all time. The Jesus Film Project, a US-based evangelical Christian organisation set up to translate and promote the film, states that it has been viewed almost 5.6 billion times (including repeat viewings). Based on Luke's Gospel and praised for its accurate rendering of the text (its narration and dialogue are almost entirely from the gospel) it has been panned for its monotony!
The film is a fairly literal representation of the story as one might expect from American evangelicals. Jesus has long hair and a beard (just like in your Sunday School illustrations!) and delivers the Sermon on the Mount straight from the hip. However, there is a slight balking at a too literal rendering of the supernatural. Angels wear white dresses but have no wings and talk in King James' Version English. The the tempter in the desert is represented by a snake. You can see their dilemma. Supernatural events are quite common in films nowadays and if they rendered them as described in the gospels it would look a bit too much like 'Buffey the Vampire Slayer'!
Review from Culture Cartell -- "If textual accuracy without a great deal of artistic interference is what you want in a film about Christ, then this is your vehicle... On the other hand, others expect more interesting fare in film. And in this respect, this banal Jesus lacks emotional content and fails to spark intellectual curiosity and involvement.... Many scenes fall flat because the Biblical characters silently trudge through their scenes as the dubbed narration drones on. And if we've already read the book, there's not much to spark interest in those scenes."
The Message (The story of ISLAM)
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| Title: | The Message |
| Running: | 177 mins |
| Clips: | 1 |
| Released: | 31 Oct 1977 |
| Producer: | Moustapha Akkad |
| Articles: | Wikipedia - The Message; IMDB |
| Reviews: | Review in New York Times |
Starring Anthony Quinn - but not as Muhammed (p.b.u.h)! - He plays, Hamza, the prophet's uncle. Although the film is all about the Prophet, Muhammed does not appear in it as a character. Such a representation would contravene the Koranic injunction against depiction of the human form (and especially that of the Prophet) which is construed as idolatrous. Sometimes the camera takes the point of view of the Prophet - so that you are looking out of his eyes, as it were - seeing his sword flash in front of the lens during a battle. I found this a rather cumbersome and artificial and as far as I am aware it's only been used elsewhere by Hitchcock. However, although this is not a great film, and I include it mainly as a curiosity, it is an entertaining way of learning about Islam - at least the official version. Like the Jesus film above, this film positively reeks of piety and bends over backwards not to offend.
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