Biblical movies

[The Burgomaster]

I do not go to church regularly (in fact, I have probably gone only 3 or 4 times in the past 20 years), but I really enjoy watching Biblical movies for some reason.

Two of my favorites are:

* THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
* THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

I also enjoy KING OF KINGS (even though it wasn't a big box-office or critical success), and GODSPELL (which put an interesting "hippie" spin on the life of Jesus).

I also enjoyed THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, despite what all the protestors said about it.

Do any of you enjoy these types of movies?

I also find it interesting to look for religious symbolism/references in other movies. For example:

* THE OMEGA MAN - At the end, Charlton Heston assumes the pose of Christ being crucified.

* COOL HAND LUKE - After he eats 50 eggs, Paul Newman assumes the pose of Christ being crucified.

* MEAN STREETS - Harvey Keitel mimics a communion ceremony in a bar, using hard liquor instead of wine.

You can probably find at least one religious symbol or reference in almost every movie, if you look hard enough.

What are some others?

[Ellie]

Jesus of Nazareth is pretty good. Make sure that you have a box of kleenix close by.

[The Burgomaster]

Coincidentally, I ordered JESUS OF NAZARETH on DVD yesterday. It runs over 6 hours, so I suspect I will have to watch it in 2 or 3 sittings.

[chrisb]

Jesus Christ Superstar. It should have been a comedy

[chrisb]

No, I take that back, it was poignent and depressing even with its 'modern' makeover. The king Herod song was funny though.

[The Burgomaster]

Does JESUS CHRIST, VAMPIRE HUNTER count as a religious movie?

[Jim H]

You're probably looking forward to the Passion then?

Most of the people who protested The Last Temptation were idiots.

[Neville]

Funny thought: One of the "Seven" unused drafts (you can get them at any good scripts page) featured a scene were Brad Pitt sung the "Jesuschrist Superstar" song to Kevin Spacey, just to annoy them.

I like religious elements in regular movies (Paul Schrader is great at it, check out "Light Sleeper" if you haven't), but I have little patience with biblical movies. I found the self-imposed seriousness, the cartoon settings and the long running times completely  unbearable. Maybe spanish TV is to blame, because every Easter you got all this movies on again. Or maybe it is that I saw "The Robe" when I was a kid. "The Robe" was one of the first widescreen movies evr, and it shows, it is really annoying. All you get is small figures in a big, horrid setting, with no close-ups. I loved "Monthy Python's life of Brian", but I don't know if that one counts. Oh, and "The Passion" might actually turn out a good movie. I'm waiting with expectation.

[dean]

come on people! what about kevin smith's dogma?

if we actually had a buddy christ i might be more into religion.  i love that movie.

[Fearless Freep]

Like most movie adaptations, the book is better  :)

[Bernie]

One of the great Biblical moments in film is in Bride of Frankenstein, when the villagers catch the monster and string him up on a pole so that he resembles Jesus on the cross.

And does Life of Brian count as a Biblical movie??

[lester1/2jr]

Sodom and Gomoroahh was cool.

[Susan]

If you wanna watch one of the worst movies of all time it just happens to have a religions theme!

The Judas Project

I loved "the ten commandments", still catch it every year around easter.
So let it be written..so let it be done! Great characters. Other than what's been mentioned the only other two that pop to mind are "The seventh sign" and  "the Rapture"..both apocolyptic, however.



Post Edited (10-03-03 19:32)

[B-grade]

The Prophecy series has a nice biblical feel and twist to it as well as a strong B movie vibe. Even my wife liked these films.

[Mofo Rising]

Well, if you are going to talk about movies that have biblical allusions, you will never stop talking.

If you are talking movies that are based directly on the Christian gospel, then you have a topic.

I really liked LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.  I think it was a sincere adaption of a book by Scorcese, like he really cared about the movie he was making.  The blasphemy (and there was blasphemy against orthodox Christianity) was not in the place most people think it was.  I wish I could have seen it in the theater (impossible as I was 12 at the time) so I could have seen the final "going off the reel" scene, which I think is one of the better cinematic tricks in recent history.  Also, Peter Gabriel's score is something to be admired.

I haven't seen too many more cinematic bible movies.  They seem to be movie death nowadays.  (PRINCE OF EGYPT didn't seem to bad.)

My problem is with those crappy movies you see on TBN or other stations.  They tell the gospel's but don't ever include quality.  It's a problem if you ever subject yourself to fundamentalist Christian criticism.  Any movie that has to do with Jesus and his doings in automatically good.  Like the weird subgroup that has grown around Christian rock.  It doesn't matter if the music is good, as long as they namecheck Jesus.

Still, an even weirder subtopic.  Have you ever watched TBN late at night (so I have no life) and seen them pitching their OMEGA CODE or the like movies?  They actually suggest that churches get groups together and rent out theater so their whole congregation can watch the movie.

Right.  I'll stop now, anyway.  I think that the passion play of Jesus is one of the most powerful stories going.  That's why I object so strongly to the lukewarm versions.  Okay, time for me to stop again.