See Jesus from a disciple's point of view in this first-ever, word-for-word film adaptation of the Gospel of Mark, lauded for its historical accuracy.That sums it up fairly well. I watched this last night. It is a fine show. Recommended.
Mark moves at a clip straight through the familiar stories and parables. His gospel is mostly simple sentences. Mark's story is abbreviated. There is no description of Jesus' birth. At the end Jesus dies and rises three days later, comes back, makes a stop to show his disciples he survived the death experience and rises to heaven. Just as he told them he would. The prose is simple. Mark often opens a paragraph with the word "then" and so does the film. The story picks up at John's baptism of Jesus. Get how quickly this goes.
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2) As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3) The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5) And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6) And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
7) And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
t8) I indeed have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9) And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10) And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11) And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
12) And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.And we're off. The greatest story ever told. Just so quickly as that. And the entire story goes at this speed.
There is an urgency in the telling; a straightforward telling with zero elaboration. No time to stop and think. No lallygagging. No pussyfooting or dillydallying. It's all boom boom boom one thing to the next.
Mark's gospel omits the sermon on the mount and several of the better known parables. One of the synoptic gospels Mark's story is told in simpler terms than the others. Because it is less eloquent, Mark's story was not so popular as the other gospels until scholars discovered that Mark's gospel was most likely the basis for the other gospels, then they began giving it due respect. It is the closest to Jesus' life. It is considered the most reliable for its propinquity to the teaching of Jesus.
The show is excellent with setting, the locations and the props, the houses, the boats, the lakes, clothing and implements, baskets and tools and weapons, tables, and bowls and such. The vegetation is authentic, the rocky hills, the wheat fields are all convincing, as the jewelry and pottery. The pig herd is convincing. The priestly dress is authentic. The crudeness of everyday garb is authentic. The characterization of men's faces, their beards and grooming are convincing. The face of Jesus is convincing. Jesus is depicted as a genuine man, not the effete hippy depicted in Christian art. He exudes strength such as manly fisherman types would drop what they're doing and follow.
I especially liked the part at the end when Jesus carries his cross. He carries the cross beam, not the entire cross. This is accurate. The upright beams are permanently fixed into the hill, they would be too heavy to carry. As it was, the crossbeams are also incredibly heavy. A man deprived of sleep, and beaten nearly to death cannot drag the cross beam, far less the entire cross.
The most dramatic heartbreaking parts are skipped through as if skimming. There is no loitering for dramatic effect. There is no time to breathe. No time to cry.
I enjoyed this show very much and I appreciate how the subject is handled. It is a fine movie.
2 comments:
I appreciate your review and will watch it some other time, when my heart is not as full.
I went through the CSPAN footage of the Bush funeral late this afternoon, using the convenient feature that allowed me to click ahead in 10 second increments to move through the really slow parts and watch what mattered to me. Doing so was enough to fill my heart and mind with thoughts on life, death and the power of light, love and leadership that I am still processing.
What was expressed by those who knew and loved George Bush came through as sincere, real and well delivered, reflecting some of the same grace and truth Jesus was said to have carried and shared. And all of that went out to a sea of humanity that included 5 very different presidents (and several wannabes) sitting in the front row hearing the same words through their own filters, with enough time on their hands to think their own thoughts and perhaps reflect on their own value, legacy, character and integrity.
While that would be a lot to hope for, the opportunity was there. At the very least, it made me stop and consider again what matters to me, with these words from the rector noted on a piece of paper: When death comes as it does to us all, life is changed not ended. And the way we live our lives, the decisions we make, the service we render, matter.
You want to see a flick that puts Christ in an interesting perspective, try Risen.
The Roman officer who crucifies Christ is called to investigate some disturbance at his tomb. Seems the body is missing. Pilate summons him and orders him to find it before all Hell (remember, this is Palestine) breaks loose. He sets out to do his duty in true Roman fashion.
I won't go any farther, but the closing line of the movie comes when he's wandering in the desert and stops at an old man's house, looking for a meal.
"Tell me, sir, have you come far?".
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