This is something I was going to use for my church newsletter column, but I decided to go with the 49 Up piece instead.
I'm glad I didn't use it, because I'm sure I'll write about the great film treasure of the year, No Country for Old Men, come Oscar time, and National Treasure II was as dumb as a bag of tacks.
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) Byron Haskin
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Top Ten Christmas Films and TV Specials
Over at Liberty Film Festival, the columnist Dirty Harry, http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/ had an okay list of best Christmas films, but he included that awful MGM Christmas Carol and put A Christmas Story at #2, so I vent with my list. These are films and specials I like to capture every year.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
1) It's a Wonderful Life - This is one of my favorite films of all time. It is called sentimental, but it is also at turns tough and cynical. Jimmy Stewart give his best performance, one of the best performances in film as he shows the grief and frustration of living with broken dreams. But he also shows the genuine love of a father for children and a husband for his wife.
In ways, this film could take place anytime of year. But since it takes place at Christmas, it makes the list.
Also is a bit about the power of prayer.
2) A Charlie Brown Christmas - Because it is one of the few good pieces of popular Christmas entertainments that gets the true meaning of Christmas right. It is also very funny. Just watch the dance moves of those Christmas program cast members.
3) Scrooge - You may ask if I mean the Alister Sim version of A Christmas Carol with the best performance of Ebenezer ever or the Albert Finney musical version? And the answer is yes.
4) Die Hard - Like IAWL, this could happen any time of year. But it does take place at Christmas and because it is one of the best action films ever, it's on the list.
5) How The Grinch That Stole Christmas - Because, as much as I love the presents and food, this makes it clear Christmas is not about the prestents and food (though I'm not sure the good Doctor Suess knew what Christmas was really about). And because it has Boris Karloff.
6) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Though I miss the elves riding through the snow on razors, and it is pretty funny to see them try to get every line of the song quoted, and I can't figure out why some of those toys are misfits; it still just rules.
7) Home Alone - Yeah, some of the slapstick is lame. But the sloppy sentimental bits make my eyes water. And it has John Candy.
8) Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Ed Gwynn, Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara are all wonderful and the script is even better. But they do get faith wrong (which is really "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".)
9) White Christmas or Holiday Inn - As long as you get to hear Bing sing White Christmas.
10) MST3000 version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians - If I have to explain this to you, you still won't understand. But it does involve mocking robots.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Finding Treasure
FINDING TREASURE
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
The fantasy takes many forms, but we all dream about it at times. Whether is be finding an original painting by Whistler in the attic, gold buried in a field or the even more unlikely possibility of buying a winning lottery ticket, we think about what we would do if we found a treasure.
A little way into No Country for Old Men, we see a man find a treasure. Set in West Texas in 1980, a Vietnam vet by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while deer hunting stumbles across the results of a shootout between drug dealers. He finds a number of corpses, many packets of heroin and two million dollars.
For a time viewers think that this is a typical action film about an ordinary guy who outwits criminals on his way to seeing that his fortune is preserved and justice is served. But the film is about much more. It is about the fleeting nature of life, the endurance of evil in the world and responsibility of to do what is right even if we are not assured of being rewarded for doing so.
Ethan and Joel Coen have made a great film. But it is a grim film, a very violent film and one that on its surface seems to enforce a nihilistic view of life. But I think that sense of hopelessness is just the surface of the film. The heart of the film is found in the character of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, warmly played by Tommy Lee Jones. At one point of the film, Bell says he had always hoped God would come into his life, but He never did. But then he says “I don’t blame Him”. Bell deals daily with the results of human sin and depravity, but he continues to hope there is something more, for a life beyond this one.
Though all in the film are pursuing the satchel full of money, they all come to realize, that there are much greater treasures than the world’s riches. Even Anton Chigurh, a very creepy Javier Bardem, the psychopath killer sent after Moss talks argues that there are things much more valuable than money. And yet character after character risks life, and even their souls, in pursuit of earthly treasure. Perhaps many of the characters pursue the money because it keeps them from thinking about the things that truly matter.
(The movie closely follows novel by Cormac McCarthy, but it leaves out my favorite passage from that book: Sheriff Bell muses about how everyone talks about the bad things that come in their life that they don’t deserve. But he thinks about the good things in life that he doesn’t deserve. Such as the day he met the woman that would be his wife. As Proverbs 31: 10 says, a wife of noble character is worth more than rubies.)
This is not the first film, of course, to show the dangers of greed in the pursuit of treasure. Sam Rami’s excellent A Simple Plan focused on many of the same themes. And John Huston’s The Treasure of Sierra Madre also showed the dangers of greed with the bonus of Bogart and that greasy thief exclaiming, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” Huston made another treasure hunter film in The Man Who Would Be King based on a Robert Kipling with Sean Connery and Michael Caine as men who come to desire more than mere treasure but also obedience and worship.
All of these films aptly illustrate the words of Jesus from Matthew 16: 26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
But is treasure hunting always bad? Jesus didn’t seem to think so. The hero of his parable in Matthew 13:44 is a treasure hunter.
One of the all time great fun treasure hunting stories has the bonus of pirates as well. There have been a lot of versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but my favorite is Disney’s 1950 version. Robert Newton as Long John Silver still provides the best model for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
Another film in this genre is coming out December 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, a sequel to the 2004 hit which also starred Nicolas Cage. The first film was not exactly profound, but it was fun and G-rated (the rating for the sequel as well).
For sheer fun, though, my favorite treasure hunting film has been and will probably always be, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though he would protest he was just seeking knowledge, we all knew Indiana Jones was all about the adventure in the hunt. Though violent, this film is wise enough to make the Ark of the Covenant, or in fact, God Himself, the greatest treasure of all.
And that is the key to true treasure hunting. Silver and gold is for pikers: real treasure hunters seek Jesus.
Treasure Island (1950) directed by Byron Haskin
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) directed by John Huston
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) directed by John Huston
National Treasure (2004) & (2007) directed by Jon Turteltaub
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) directed by Steven Speilberg
Monday, December 3, 2007
Films for the Whole Family
Here's how our December goes, maybe yours too:
Three breathless hectic weeks leading to the best day of the year, and then a couple of weeks to breath again. And during that breathing time, there may be time to watch some DVDs with the family. So what is a film for the whole family?
It can be challenge to pick a family film if the criteria include having no offensive material. You might think the problem is just with modern films. We tend to think things are worse today then it has ever been; with today’s sex and violence and offensive language. After all, things were always better in the good old days, right? Why can’t every thing be like the old Disney films?
So why not go with one of the first Disney films? Surely those were safe films.
Why not start with the first Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s rated ‘G’, of course. It’s the retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale about a young girl waiting for her prince to come. No one would find any sexism here, would they? But if we used it for film night, there are some really scary scenes with the Wicked Witch, the Huntsman ordered to take out a heart and the spooky trees. There are people that who would be offended by the witchcraft in the film. (Some Christians don’t like to see any presentation of black magic; of course these days there are practitioners of Wicca who would be equally offended.)
How about the next Disney film? Pinocchio: a good moral tale of a puppet that learns to be a good boy. There is smoking in that film, though; on Pleasure Island with the cigars. The ratings board have made new rulings that say any smoking will move a ‘G’ to a ‘PG’, a ‘PG’ to a ‘PG-13’, etc. So these days, would it be a ‘G’ film? And then there’s the use of the word, ‘Jackass’. And it doesn’t refer exclusively to the donkeys.
The next feature film from Disney was Fantasia, classical music visualized in animation. This could be a great cultural experience. But if people are bothered by the occult images in Snow White, they’ll surely be thrown for a loop by the devilish images in the “Night at Bald Mountain” segment. The original version of the “Pastoral” segment had topless lady centaurs and black centaurs based on ethnic stereotypes of the time. The Chinese mushrooms in the “Nutcracker” portion are not exactly P.C.
The next Disney feature was The Reluctant Dragon which is just dated and dull.
The next was Dumbo. That film features drunkenness. Sure it is clown, elephant and mouse drunkenness, but alcohol abuse nonetheless. Modern critics look at the black crows in the film as negative racial stereotypes. And where is Mr. Jumbo? Is the film a statement on single motherhood?
Do you know what one of my favorite Disney film's it? Swiss Family Robinson. The novel it’s based on, about a family stranded on a deserted island; a truly Christian novel. There are elements of faith that remain in the film, such as the family’s prayer of thanks when they land on the island. But there are violent scenes with the pirates (arguably portrayed as offensive Asian stereotypes.)
Are there any films without anything offensive? I can certainly understand people who give up on movies altogether -- quite a popular Christian fundamentalist position through most of the last century. But as for me, I think God has used some films and TV shows to teach me about Him. Some films and TV shows have helped me talk to my kids about important issues.
If we want to live a life without any offense, we can drop out of the media world completely. But we'll also have to avoid all other human interaction as well.
Three breathless hectic weeks leading to the best day of the year, and then a couple of weeks to breath again. And during that breathing time, there may be time to watch some DVDs with the family. So what is a film for the whole family?
It can be challenge to pick a family film if the criteria include having no offensive material. You might think the problem is just with modern films. We tend to think things are worse today then it has ever been; with today’s sex and violence and offensive language. After all, things were always better in the good old days, right? Why can’t every thing be like the old Disney films?
So why not go with one of the first Disney films? Surely those were safe films.
Why not start with the first Disney feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s rated ‘G’, of course. It’s the retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale about a young girl waiting for her prince to come. No one would find any sexism here, would they? But if we used it for film night, there are some really scary scenes with the Wicked Witch, the Huntsman ordered to take out a heart and the spooky trees. There are people that who would be offended by the witchcraft in the film. (Some Christians don’t like to see any presentation of black magic; of course these days there are practitioners of Wicca who would be equally offended.)
How about the next Disney film? Pinocchio: a good moral tale of a puppet that learns to be a good boy. There is smoking in that film, though; on Pleasure Island with the cigars. The ratings board have made new rulings that say any smoking will move a ‘G’ to a ‘PG’, a ‘PG’ to a ‘PG-13’, etc. So these days, would it be a ‘G’ film? And then there’s the use of the word, ‘Jackass’. And it doesn’t refer exclusively to the donkeys.
The next feature film from Disney was Fantasia, classical music visualized in animation. This could be a great cultural experience. But if people are bothered by the occult images in Snow White, they’ll surely be thrown for a loop by the devilish images in the “Night at Bald Mountain” segment. The original version of the “Pastoral” segment had topless lady centaurs and black centaurs based on ethnic stereotypes of the time. The Chinese mushrooms in the “Nutcracker” portion are not exactly P.C.
The next Disney feature was The Reluctant Dragon which is just dated and dull.
The next was Dumbo. That film features drunkenness. Sure it is clown, elephant and mouse drunkenness, but alcohol abuse nonetheless. Modern critics look at the black crows in the film as negative racial stereotypes. And where is Mr. Jumbo? Is the film a statement on single motherhood?
Do you know what one of my favorite Disney film's it? Swiss Family Robinson. The novel it’s based on, about a family stranded on a deserted island; a truly Christian novel. There are elements of faith that remain in the film, such as the family’s prayer of thanks when they land on the island. But there are violent scenes with the pirates (arguably portrayed as offensive Asian stereotypes.)
Are there any films without anything offensive? I can certainly understand people who give up on movies altogether -- quite a popular Christian fundamentalist position through most of the last century. But as for me, I think God has used some films and TV shows to teach me about Him. Some films and TV shows have helped me talk to my kids about important issues.
If we want to live a life without any offense, we can drop out of the media world completely. But we'll also have to avoid all other human interaction as well.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Coming December Attractions
“I Read the Book”
Have you ever starting telling someone about a movie or TV show you watched, and you ask if he’s seen it, and you get the response, “I read the book”. And the person says it in such sanctimonious way, like reading is morally superior to viewing. Does that ever irk you?
Anyway, I’d like to write about a couple of movies I haven’t seen. But I have read the books they’re based on.
Sorry.
These two films, Atonement and The Kite Runner, hadn’t been released at press time. And for some reason writers from Time Magazine and the Washington Post get press screenings but the studios don’t bother with the staff of this blog. Go figure.
But I have read that both films stayed true to their sources. If so they, like the books they’re based on, will share interesting thematic similarities. Both are about young characters that commit tragic acts of betrayal and later devote themselves to trying to make things right. But the settings of these tales are very different.
Atonement, a novel by Ian McEwan, is set in England in an upper class home between the great 20th century wars. Briony is a young girl who loves to write. She writes simple tales with pure heroes and heroines and unredeemable, wicked villains. But she soon comes of age, finding that the adult world is more morally ambiguous than she had ever imagined. She finds that ambiguity extends to her own life as she makes a mistake in judgment that ruins the life of her neighbor, and even worse, the life of her sister.
Briony searches for atonement for her actions (yep, there’s a reason for that title), but she comes to accept the secular values of 20th century Europe. The theories of Freud taught that guilt, an artificial construct that we can overcome by understanding, should have no power over the rational mind. But she cannot set her guilt aside so easily. Atheistic philosophies in vogue at the time of the story teach Briony that there is no God or afterlife, ultimately rendering any true restoration for the wrongs she commits impossible. But she continues to try to make atonement for past sins, even while knowing her attempts are futile and in a very unique sense, imaginary.
The The Kite Runner (a novel by Khaled Hosseini) takes place in a very different culture, Afghanistan beginning just prior to the Russian invasion of that country in the late 1970’s. But it takes on themes remarkably similar to those found in Atonement. Amir is a boy born into privilege who shares a friendship with a family servant, Haasan (the kite runner of the title.) Like Briony, Amir commits an act of betrayal during his childhood that he seeks to atone for throughout his life.
Though Amir lives in a world with very different standards than those of Briony, the Muslim world as opposed to the world of secular Europe, the frustration of righting past wrongs is just as great. His is a world of works righteousness, and many wrongs can seemingly never be made right.
How different a life than the one God desires for us! He knows we can never atone ourselves for our acts of petty and major cruelty and betrayal. That is why He sent His Son Jesus in the world. We celebrate Christmas when our Savior came to make right the wrongs we could never fix on our own.
As Paul wrote in Romans chapter 3: “22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Both novels vividly portray the human dilemma of dealing with our oh-so-human frailty and depravity. Fortunately, we can at Christmas celebrate God’s great gift that meets are great need.
I would like to write about one other film that I haven’t seen. I haven’t even read the book. But along with the releases of Atonement and The Kite Runner this month will come the release of The Golden Compass. It is based on the first novel in Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. My wife Mindy began to read the books because she read they were a modern retelling of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.
She enjoyed the fantasy of The Golden Compass (also released as Northern Lights), but as she continued to read the series she became agitated and annoyed by the books. She told me she was frustrated when the books turned out not to be a retelling of Milton’s classic Christian tale but a reaction against it, an anti-Christian polemic for children. As a character in the book, Mary Malone (a former nun) states, “The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.”
Pullman is an outspoken atheist and has been quite vocal in his criticisms of C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series of books for children.
Mindy has a hard time quitting books once she has begun, but she quit the third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass, because she couldn’t stand the depiction of God and His Son as wicked tyrants.
According to press reports, writer/director Chris Weitz (best known for his American Pie teen sex comedies) has toned down the religious themes in The Golden Compass.
I’m not a big fan of boycotts, and I’m certainly not going to advocate one for this film or of the work of the people who made it. But I do think it is important that parents are aware of the contents of their children’s film and book options. Take advantage of any and all opportunities, even the release of major motion pictures, to discuss your faith with your children... because faith in Jesus is where true gold is found.
All three of these films are currently scheduled for a December 7th release. Probable ratings for these films: PG for The Golden Compass, PG-13 for The Kite Runner and R for Atonement.
Have you ever starting telling someone about a movie or TV show you watched, and you ask if he’s seen it, and you get the response, “I read the book”. And the person says it in such sanctimonious way, like reading is morally superior to viewing. Does that ever irk you?
Anyway, I’d like to write about a couple of movies I haven’t seen. But I have read the books they’re based on.
Sorry.
These two films, Atonement and The Kite Runner, hadn’t been released at press time. And for some reason writers from Time Magazine and the Washington Post get press screenings but the studios don’t bother with the staff of this blog. Go figure.
But I have read that both films stayed true to their sources. If so they, like the books they’re based on, will share interesting thematic similarities. Both are about young characters that commit tragic acts of betrayal and later devote themselves to trying to make things right. But the settings of these tales are very different.
Atonement, a novel by Ian McEwan, is set in England in an upper class home between the great 20th century wars. Briony is a young girl who loves to write. She writes simple tales with pure heroes and heroines and unredeemable, wicked villains. But she soon comes of age, finding that the adult world is more morally ambiguous than she had ever imagined. She finds that ambiguity extends to her own life as she makes a mistake in judgment that ruins the life of her neighbor, and even worse, the life of her sister.
Briony searches for atonement for her actions (yep, there’s a reason for that title), but she comes to accept the secular values of 20th century Europe. The theories of Freud taught that guilt, an artificial construct that we can overcome by understanding, should have no power over the rational mind. But she cannot set her guilt aside so easily. Atheistic philosophies in vogue at the time of the story teach Briony that there is no God or afterlife, ultimately rendering any true restoration for the wrongs she commits impossible. But she continues to try to make atonement for past sins, even while knowing her attempts are futile and in a very unique sense, imaginary.
The The Kite Runner (a novel by Khaled Hosseini) takes place in a very different culture, Afghanistan beginning just prior to the Russian invasion of that country in the late 1970’s. But it takes on themes remarkably similar to those found in Atonement. Amir is a boy born into privilege who shares a friendship with a family servant, Haasan (the kite runner of the title.) Like Briony, Amir commits an act of betrayal during his childhood that he seeks to atone for throughout his life.
Though Amir lives in a world with very different standards than those of Briony, the Muslim world as opposed to the world of secular Europe, the frustration of righting past wrongs is just as great. His is a world of works righteousness, and many wrongs can seemingly never be made right.
How different a life than the one God desires for us! He knows we can never atone ourselves for our acts of petty and major cruelty and betrayal. That is why He sent His Son Jesus in the world. We celebrate Christmas when our Savior came to make right the wrongs we could never fix on our own.
As Paul wrote in Romans chapter 3: “22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Both novels vividly portray the human dilemma of dealing with our oh-so-human frailty and depravity. Fortunately, we can at Christmas celebrate God’s great gift that meets are great need.
I would like to write about one other film that I haven’t seen. I haven’t even read the book. But along with the releases of Atonement and The Kite Runner this month will come the release of The Golden Compass. It is based on the first novel in Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. My wife Mindy began to read the books because she read they were a modern retelling of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.
She enjoyed the fantasy of The Golden Compass (also released as Northern Lights), but as she continued to read the series she became agitated and annoyed by the books. She told me she was frustrated when the books turned out not to be a retelling of Milton’s classic Christian tale but a reaction against it, an anti-Christian polemic for children. As a character in the book, Mary Malone (a former nun) states, “The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.”
Pullman is an outspoken atheist and has been quite vocal in his criticisms of C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series of books for children.
Mindy has a hard time quitting books once she has begun, but she quit the third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass, because she couldn’t stand the depiction of God and His Son as wicked tyrants.
According to press reports, writer/director Chris Weitz (best known for his American Pie teen sex comedies) has toned down the religious themes in The Golden Compass.
I’m not a big fan of boycotts, and I’m certainly not going to advocate one for this film or of the work of the people who made it. But I do think it is important that parents are aware of the contents of their children’s film and book options. Take advantage of any and all opportunities, even the release of major motion pictures, to discuss your faith with your children... because faith in Jesus is where true gold is found.
All three of these films are currently scheduled for a December 7th release. Probable ratings for these films: PG for The Golden Compass, PG-13 for The Kite Runner and R for Atonement.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Lord's Prayer in Movies
As I continue to recycle my old stuff (this from the Healdsburg Community Church newsletter)
Matthew 6: 9 – 13
“This is how you should pray:
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Our Father Who Art in Heaven and the Multiplex
In our increasingly Biblically illiterate society, it is interesting to see which passages of Scripture continue to maintain a high pop culture profile, particularly in the movies. The Shepherd Psalm certainly gets its share of shout outs (most recently The Number 23 with Jim Carrey notes the 23rd Psalm’s reference to ‘the valley of the shadow of death’.) I Corinthians 13 is used almost as frequently in movie weddings as it is in movies off the silver screen (In Wedding Crashers a bet is made about whether I Corinthians 13 or Colossians 3:12 will be used in the ceremony. I Corinthians is the sage bet.) But the Scripture that seems to be the moviemakers’ go-to passage is The Lord’s Prayer. It has been used frequently through the first century of cinema, and there is no sign it will go out of fashion soon.
The prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples (Matthew 6: 9 – 13) remains a powerful touchstone for our culture, but not always in a positive one.
One of the most common uses of the Lord’s Prayer in movies is in funerals. There is a long legacy of the “Our Father, Which Art in Heaven” eulogy, particularly in Westerns. The prayer was used at the funeral in George Steven’s Shane (1953) and was used at a funeral in the HBO series Deadwood (2004). The Lord’s Prayer is used in a funeral in Michael Cimino’s Vietnam War epic, The Deer Hunter (1978).
But one of the most powerful uses of the prayer as a eulogy can be found in Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). In the seafaring adventure, Russell Crowe plays British Ship Captain Jack Aubrey, a stern yet fair man. When the men of the ship begin to question the authority of one of his officers, he tries to set things right. Soon all the ill-fortune of the ship (especially the still wind) is blamed on this officer; he is referred to as a Jonah. The officer eventually comes to believe himself that he is somehow karmicly responsible for the ship’s woes, and following the prophet’s example, throws himself in the sea. But the Lord does not provide a fish, and the man drowns. At the man’s funeral, Aubrey refuses to read from the book of Jonah that is offered, but instead leads the crew in the Lord’s Prayer. In a powerful way the crew is reminded that they had not been willing to forgive this man, leading to his death. The prayer serves as a reminder of dependence on God for all needs: wind, rain, and forgiveness. We too, need these reminders.
But as I mentioned, the Lord’s Prayer is not always used positively. Sometimes knowledge of the Prayer is a Christian Badge, and not a positive emblem. In David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees (2004) the rather freakish Christians recite the Lord’s Prayer (the more cool people in the film are the Buddhists or existentialists). In Claude Berri’s The Two of Us (1967), a Catholic suggests to a Jew in 1944’s occupied Paris that he should learn the Lord’s Prayer, just to be safe.
This theme is echoed in the 2001 Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa), the story of a Jewish family in Nazi Germany that flees to Kenya for safety. The parents use the majority of their meager resources to send their daughter, Regina, to a private British school. At the opening of the school year, the school master asks the Jewish children to stand at the side of the room, while the rest of the children stand to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Regina was ostracized in Germany for being a Jew, is set apart again in Africa because of her white skin, and discovers this prayer is yet one more obstacle to prevent her from being part of a community.
In many congregations the Lord’s Prayer is recited with an expectation that all will know it. Someone visiting the church, new to the Christian faith, may also find that their ignorance of the prayer sets them apart. I am sure Jesus is not pleased when the prayer He gave as a gift is used as a test of spirituality.
In the melodrama Johnny Belinda (1948), reciting the Lord’s Prayer in sign language was a part of Jane Wyman’s Oscar winning performance as a deaf mute.
The Lord’s Prayer makes cameo appearances in horror films as well, often as a contrast to the forces of evil. A character in The Seventh Victim (1943), produced by horror icon Val Lewton, uses the Prayer as protection against a satanic cult. In the remake of The Omen (2006), the anti-Christ’s adopted father, Thorn, recites the Prayer as he unsuccessfully tries to kill the child with a sacred dagger.
The prayer can also be heard in film adaptations of Marvel Comics. In Bryan Singer’s X2 – X-Men United (2003), the blue, German, Christian, teleporting, mutant, Nightcrawler (AKA Kurt Wagner) recites the Lord’s Prayer in to fight his fear.
But my favorite use of the Lord’s Prayer in a fantasy film is in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman. Peter Parker (AKA Spider-Man) was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Toward the end of the film, Aunt May is knelling by her bed in the midst of praying “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from…” when she stops, shrieking in fear as the film‘s villain, the Green Goblin, breaks through a window into her bedroom. The demonic looking creature has discovered Spidey’s real identity and has chosen to attack Peter Parker’s through his aunt. He commands May to finish her prayer. She hesitates, and then prays, “Deliver us from evil”. We next see Aunt May lying on her hospital bed. Was her prayer answered, or not?
It is worth noting that praying for deliverance from evil does not mean evil will not have an impact on our lives. Christians throughout the centuries have prayed for daily bread, and yet some have starved. And though we pray that God’s will be done, people will still act against God’s will.
This point is quite clear in the two major theatrical films made in 2006 about the events of 9/11/01. In both, Paul Greengrass’ United 93 and Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center characters facing death pray the Lord’s Prayer. But of course these aren’t just characters. Actors in both films portray real people that faced death on that day. Passengers on United Flight 93 really did pray for God’s will to be done. And they died.
Port Authority Police Officers John McLoughlin and William Jimeno prayed for God’s will to be done. And they were rescued.
There is something about that prayer that Jesus taught. It forces us to wrestle with God’s will, God’s provision, sin and forgiveness. It addresses the ultimate issues. So it makes sense that this is a prayer that would come naturally to believers facing death. It is a prayer that should come naturally to believers most every day.
And it makes sense that this is a prayer, a passage of Scripture, that even Hollywood can not ignore.
Matthew 6: 9 – 13
“This is how you should pray:
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Our Father Who Art in Heaven and the Multiplex
In our increasingly Biblically illiterate society, it is interesting to see which passages of Scripture continue to maintain a high pop culture profile, particularly in the movies. The Shepherd Psalm certainly gets its share of shout outs (most recently The Number 23 with Jim Carrey notes the 23rd Psalm’s reference to ‘the valley of the shadow of death’.) I Corinthians 13 is used almost as frequently in movie weddings as it is in movies off the silver screen (In Wedding Crashers a bet is made about whether I Corinthians 13 or Colossians 3:12 will be used in the ceremony. I Corinthians is the sage bet.) But the Scripture that seems to be the moviemakers’ go-to passage is The Lord’s Prayer. It has been used frequently through the first century of cinema, and there is no sign it will go out of fashion soon.
The prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples (Matthew 6: 9 – 13) remains a powerful touchstone for our culture, but not always in a positive one.
One of the most common uses of the Lord’s Prayer in movies is in funerals. There is a long legacy of the “Our Father, Which Art in Heaven” eulogy, particularly in Westerns. The prayer was used at the funeral in George Steven’s Shane (1953) and was used at a funeral in the HBO series Deadwood (2004). The Lord’s Prayer is used in a funeral in Michael Cimino’s Vietnam War epic, The Deer Hunter (1978).
But one of the most powerful uses of the prayer as a eulogy can be found in Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). In the seafaring adventure, Russell Crowe plays British Ship Captain Jack Aubrey, a stern yet fair man. When the men of the ship begin to question the authority of one of his officers, he tries to set things right. Soon all the ill-fortune of the ship (especially the still wind) is blamed on this officer; he is referred to as a Jonah. The officer eventually comes to believe himself that he is somehow karmicly responsible for the ship’s woes, and following the prophet’s example, throws himself in the sea. But the Lord does not provide a fish, and the man drowns. At the man’s funeral, Aubrey refuses to read from the book of Jonah that is offered, but instead leads the crew in the Lord’s Prayer. In a powerful way the crew is reminded that they had not been willing to forgive this man, leading to his death. The prayer serves as a reminder of dependence on God for all needs: wind, rain, and forgiveness. We too, need these reminders.
But as I mentioned, the Lord’s Prayer is not always used positively. Sometimes knowledge of the Prayer is a Christian Badge, and not a positive emblem. In David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees (2004) the rather freakish Christians recite the Lord’s Prayer (the more cool people in the film are the Buddhists or existentialists). In Claude Berri’s The Two of Us (1967), a Catholic suggests to a Jew in 1944’s occupied Paris that he should learn the Lord’s Prayer, just to be safe.
This theme is echoed in the 2001 Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa), the story of a Jewish family in Nazi Germany that flees to Kenya for safety. The parents use the majority of their meager resources to send their daughter, Regina, to a private British school. At the opening of the school year, the school master asks the Jewish children to stand at the side of the room, while the rest of the children stand to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Regina was ostracized in Germany for being a Jew, is set apart again in Africa because of her white skin, and discovers this prayer is yet one more obstacle to prevent her from being part of a community.
In many congregations the Lord’s Prayer is recited with an expectation that all will know it. Someone visiting the church, new to the Christian faith, may also find that their ignorance of the prayer sets them apart. I am sure Jesus is not pleased when the prayer He gave as a gift is used as a test of spirituality.
In the melodrama Johnny Belinda (1948), reciting the Lord’s Prayer in sign language was a part of Jane Wyman’s Oscar winning performance as a deaf mute.
The Lord’s Prayer makes cameo appearances in horror films as well, often as a contrast to the forces of evil. A character in The Seventh Victim (1943), produced by horror icon Val Lewton, uses the Prayer as protection against a satanic cult. In the remake of The Omen (2006), the anti-Christ’s adopted father, Thorn, recites the Prayer as he unsuccessfully tries to kill the child with a sacred dagger.
The prayer can also be heard in film adaptations of Marvel Comics. In Bryan Singer’s X2 – X-Men United (2003), the blue, German, Christian, teleporting, mutant, Nightcrawler (AKA Kurt Wagner) recites the Lord’s Prayer in to fight his fear.
But my favorite use of the Lord’s Prayer in a fantasy film is in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman. Peter Parker (AKA Spider-Man) was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Toward the end of the film, Aunt May is knelling by her bed in the midst of praying “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from…” when she stops, shrieking in fear as the film‘s villain, the Green Goblin, breaks through a window into her bedroom. The demonic looking creature has discovered Spidey’s real identity and has chosen to attack Peter Parker’s through his aunt. He commands May to finish her prayer. She hesitates, and then prays, “Deliver us from evil”. We next see Aunt May lying on her hospital bed. Was her prayer answered, or not?
It is worth noting that praying for deliverance from evil does not mean evil will not have an impact on our lives. Christians throughout the centuries have prayed for daily bread, and yet some have starved. And though we pray that God’s will be done, people will still act against God’s will.
This point is quite clear in the two major theatrical films made in 2006 about the events of 9/11/01. In both, Paul Greengrass’ United 93 and Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center characters facing death pray the Lord’s Prayer. But of course these aren’t just characters. Actors in both films portray real people that faced death on that day. Passengers on United Flight 93 really did pray for God’s will to be done. And they died.
Port Authority Police Officers John McLoughlin and William Jimeno prayed for God’s will to be done. And they were rescued.
There is something about that prayer that Jesus taught. It forces us to wrestle with God’s will, God’s provision, sin and forgiveness. It addresses the ultimate issues. So it makes sense that this is a prayer that would come naturally to believers facing death. It is a prayer that should come naturally to believers most every day.
And it makes sense that this is a prayer, a passage of Scripture, that even Hollywood can not ignore.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Links to Some of My Other Stuff
Just thought I would link to some of my articles at Absolute Write:
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/profitable_fan_fiction.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/art_of_repackaging.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/bedtime_classic.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/joy_of_book_signings.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/necessary_fantasies.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/writers_guidelines.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/profitable_fan_fiction.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/art_of_repackaging.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/bedtime_classic.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/joy_of_book_signings.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/necessary_fantasies.htm
http://absolutewrite.com/fun/writers_guidelines.htm
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Movie recommendation
In the Shadow of the Moon
I have a clear and vivid memory of Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon because my brother made sure I would.
I was seven years old at the time. My brother, Daryl, a decade older than me, said, “You have to watch this and remember this. This is history.” So I watched closely and made sure to remember; as did billions of other people around the world on July 21, 1969.
That wonderful historical moment and the hard work that led up to it is beautifully captured in the new documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon. Directed by David Sington, this film understandably won the audience prize at the Sundance Film Festival because it leaves viewers cheered and inspired.
It was rather astonishing to hear in the film President John F. Kennedy propose, almost promise, that America would be on the moon by the end of the decade. He acknowledges that the technology, and even some of the metal alloys, had not yet been developed, but assures the nation that these things will be discovered, and the job will be done.
It made me think of Proverbs 29:18 – “Without a vision, the people perish” (KJV). The sixties were a difficult time in the US -- war, assassinations, social upheaval – but the space program provided a vision of accomplishing great things.
God knows that we need big dreams. It can be too easy to become consumed by the petty details of life -- household chores, meeting budgets, running errands – which must be dealt with, but we can not believe those details are life. We need to be reminded that there are bigger things to be accomplished.
If you are a part of a church, you need to deal with the painting, the carpet and the tile. These are all good things. But you need to be dreaming about bigger things. Some scoffed at JFK’s goal to reach the moon in less than a decade. It seemed impossible. But it could not have happened if it hadn’t been proposed.
Congregations need to dream big dreams. Could we have a thousand people in our congregation? Could we support a Spanish language congregation that would be healthy and strong? Could we double, triple, quadruple our missions budget? Great things cannot happen without a great vision. And God’s vision is greater than our own.
The heart of the film is the interviews with the Apollo astronauts. Most of these men are in their seventies, before long many of these men will be gone. So it is valuable to record their unique experiences.
Neil Armstrong, noted for his reclusive nature, is not interviewed, but he is well represented in news reel footage and the anecdotes of other astronauts. Armstrong’s crew mates, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, provide a fascinating picture of that first moon landing and the experience of being truly alone in space (though Collins says he never felt lonely).
An interesting coda in the end credits is a response of the astronauts to those who say that there was no moon landing, that it was all a hoax (a la Capricorn One). They scoff at the scoffers, postulating that such a lie could not have been kept quiet by so many people. One of the astronauts (John Young?) wonders why, if it was a fraud, they had to make so many fraudulent trips.
(Not mentioned in the film, the incident of Buzz Aldrin punching a moon launch skeptic in the nose. The punchee sued Aldrin, but the judge quickly threw the case out of court. This led one wag to say that Buzz Aldrin is the only person of whom it can be said that walking on the moon is the second coolest thing he ever did. Not that I would ever advocate such violence.)
Another astronaut notes that around any great historical event, conspiracy theories will abound. There are people who believe that the German Holocaust of the Jews never happened or that planes couldn’t have taken down the World Trade Centers. No amount of evidence will convince these people otherwise.
Jesus recognized the stubborn nature of people. He performed miracle after miracle and yet most people of His time still doubted him. But He knew that skepticism would persist even after His resurrection. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man he said, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31, NIV) There is vast evidence that the Bible is a reliable historical document, that Jesus was raised from the dead and that the world was created with intelligent design. But doubt will persist because admitting these truths would mean changing one’s life.
It was interesting that toward the end of the film several of the astronauts confess that being in space made them consider the magnificence of the earth and space and the necessity of believing in a Creator. In fact, Charlie Duke in the film tells about how shortly after his trip to the moon he received Christ as his Lord and Savior. He says that though his trip to the moon was a great three day adventure, his adventure with God is forever.
It is unlikely that any of us will be able to walk on the moon any time soon. But we will all be able to have the adventure of walking with God.
In the Shadow of the Moon is not rated, but would probably be rated G in spite of a few uttered vulgarities. It probably won’t be playing at the theater as you read this but look for it on DVD soon. In the mean time, here are some other moon adventures worth viewing:
The Right Stuff (1983) is a dramatized depiction of the beginning of the space program. The Phillip Kaufman-directed film is not as good as the excellent Tom Wolfe book it is based on, but it is still good -- especially in its depiction of Chuck Yeager, a test pilot who was a role model for the astronauts to come. The film was rated PG, but probably, if that rating had then existed, would have been rated PG-13 for strong language and sexual references.
Apollo 13 (1995) This nearly disastrous moon venture is discussed by the real Jim Lovell in In the Shadow of the Moon, but this film dramatization gives a fuller telling of the story, with Tom Hanks playing the role of Lovell. The PG-rated film was directed by Ron Howard who also produced the Moon documentary.
Tom Hanks was one of the producers of the HBO mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon” which is also worth tracking down. The twelve-part series allows for more time to dig into the lives of these men and their families. Being an HBO series, there is stronger content, but it’s no “Sopranos”.
And do remember, Space is not the final frontier. Heaven is.
I have a clear and vivid memory of Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon because my brother made sure I would.
I was seven years old at the time. My brother, Daryl, a decade older than me, said, “You have to watch this and remember this. This is history.” So I watched closely and made sure to remember; as did billions of other people around the world on July 21, 1969.
That wonderful historical moment and the hard work that led up to it is beautifully captured in the new documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon. Directed by David Sington, this film understandably won the audience prize at the Sundance Film Festival because it leaves viewers cheered and inspired.
It was rather astonishing to hear in the film President John F. Kennedy propose, almost promise, that America would be on the moon by the end of the decade. He acknowledges that the technology, and even some of the metal alloys, had not yet been developed, but assures the nation that these things will be discovered, and the job will be done.
It made me think of Proverbs 29:18 – “Without a vision, the people perish” (KJV). The sixties were a difficult time in the US -- war, assassinations, social upheaval – but the space program provided a vision of accomplishing great things.
God knows that we need big dreams. It can be too easy to become consumed by the petty details of life -- household chores, meeting budgets, running errands – which must be dealt with, but we can not believe those details are life. We need to be reminded that there are bigger things to be accomplished.
If you are a part of a church, you need to deal with the painting, the carpet and the tile. These are all good things. But you need to be dreaming about bigger things. Some scoffed at JFK’s goal to reach the moon in less than a decade. It seemed impossible. But it could not have happened if it hadn’t been proposed.
Congregations need to dream big dreams. Could we have a thousand people in our congregation? Could we support a Spanish language congregation that would be healthy and strong? Could we double, triple, quadruple our missions budget? Great things cannot happen without a great vision. And God’s vision is greater than our own.
The heart of the film is the interviews with the Apollo astronauts. Most of these men are in their seventies, before long many of these men will be gone. So it is valuable to record their unique experiences.
Neil Armstrong, noted for his reclusive nature, is not interviewed, but he is well represented in news reel footage and the anecdotes of other astronauts. Armstrong’s crew mates, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, provide a fascinating picture of that first moon landing and the experience of being truly alone in space (though Collins says he never felt lonely).
An interesting coda in the end credits is a response of the astronauts to those who say that there was no moon landing, that it was all a hoax (a la Capricorn One). They scoff at the scoffers, postulating that such a lie could not have been kept quiet by so many people. One of the astronauts (John Young?) wonders why, if it was a fraud, they had to make so many fraudulent trips.
(Not mentioned in the film, the incident of Buzz Aldrin punching a moon launch skeptic in the nose. The punchee sued Aldrin, but the judge quickly threw the case out of court. This led one wag to say that Buzz Aldrin is the only person of whom it can be said that walking on the moon is the second coolest thing he ever did. Not that I would ever advocate such violence.)
Another astronaut notes that around any great historical event, conspiracy theories will abound. There are people who believe that the German Holocaust of the Jews never happened or that planes couldn’t have taken down the World Trade Centers. No amount of evidence will convince these people otherwise.
Jesus recognized the stubborn nature of people. He performed miracle after miracle and yet most people of His time still doubted him. But He knew that skepticism would persist even after His resurrection. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man he said, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31, NIV) There is vast evidence that the Bible is a reliable historical document, that Jesus was raised from the dead and that the world was created with intelligent design. But doubt will persist because admitting these truths would mean changing one’s life.
It was interesting that toward the end of the film several of the astronauts confess that being in space made them consider the magnificence of the earth and space and the necessity of believing in a Creator. In fact, Charlie Duke in the film tells about how shortly after his trip to the moon he received Christ as his Lord and Savior. He says that though his trip to the moon was a great three day adventure, his adventure with God is forever.
It is unlikely that any of us will be able to walk on the moon any time soon. But we will all be able to have the adventure of walking with God.
In the Shadow of the Moon is not rated, but would probably be rated G in spite of a few uttered vulgarities. It probably won’t be playing at the theater as you read this but look for it on DVD soon. In the mean time, here are some other moon adventures worth viewing:
The Right Stuff (1983) is a dramatized depiction of the beginning of the space program. The Phillip Kaufman-directed film is not as good as the excellent Tom Wolfe book it is based on, but it is still good -- especially in its depiction of Chuck Yeager, a test pilot who was a role model for the astronauts to come. The film was rated PG, but probably, if that rating had then existed, would have been rated PG-13 for strong language and sexual references.
Apollo 13 (1995) This nearly disastrous moon venture is discussed by the real Jim Lovell in In the Shadow of the Moon, but this film dramatization gives a fuller telling of the story, with Tom Hanks playing the role of Lovell. The PG-rated film was directed by Ron Howard who also produced the Moon documentary.
Tom Hanks was one of the producers of the HBO mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon” which is also worth tracking down. The twelve-part series allows for more time to dig into the lives of these men and their families. Being an HBO series, there is stronger content, but it’s no “Sopranos”.
And do remember, Space is not the final frontier. Heaven is.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Bill the Warthog
Bill the Warthog and the Temple of Truth
The fourth book in the series is out and I have to say I love the work that Dave Carlson did, especially on the cover. Not that we would ever think of ripping off "Raiders of the Lost Ark" but....
Anyway, Legacy is contracted to put out two more books and we're hoping for more, so keep up the good work Dave.
The fourth book in the series is out and I have to say I love the work that Dave Carlson did, especially on the cover. Not that we would ever think of ripping off "Raiders of the Lost Ark" but....
Anyway, Legacy is contracted to put out two more books and we're hoping for more, so keep up the good work Dave.
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