Bible Movies

[Kegek]

But Edward G. ROBINSON as a royal advisor? "This is Egypt, see? He's the pharoah, see? Nyeah."

Ever since Billy Crystal's impression of The Ten Commandments, I can't watch most of that movie with a straight face. Amazing filmmaking for its time, but the casting WAS a bit odd. Anne Baxter is SO over the top.

Bah. Edward G. Robinson is a great Dathan; he delivers one of the most subtle performances in the film. Few actors can seem both subservient and contemptuous at the same time. Off the top of my head, I'd single out the scenes with him and Yul Brynner. Terrific stuff. Him and Vincent Price, too, not enough of that combination in the picture.

And maybe it's just me, but I thought Baxter was really channelling Claudette Colbert in such DeMille epics as The Sign of the Cross and Cleopatra, and did a solid job of it. She's fun throughout.

Biggest casting error in that picture? John Derek; but he's too bland a performer to make anyone even remember it.

 

[Amaris]

^ Oh yeah. Dathan has become my favorite character in the movie. Robinson played him spot on perfectly. Although I did and still do enjoy John Derek's performance. I think he's the perfect fit as Joshua.

As for myself, I voted:

"The Ten Commandments" (DeMille 1956 version in all of it's glory)
"Jesus of Nazareth" (the 1980's Miniseries)
"The Egyptian"
"Demetrius & The Gladiators"
"The Silver Chalice"
"Samson & Delilah" (the one with Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr)

"The Egyptian" in particular, resonates with me because there are times when I feel like Sinuhe, when I ask "Why?" to our society, our people and our gods. The movie is one of my very favorites.

J.

 

[Kegek]

"The Egyptian" is a particularly good and unfortunately overlooked costume epic; but it's only barely a Bible film through analogy - and that's the weakest part of the film. The entire ending feels like being beaten over the head, as if saying IF YOU DIDN'T GET THE SUBTLE ANALOGIES, LET'S SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU AS BRAZENLY AS POSSIBLE!

Besides that, the film has great sets, a strong cast (especially Peter Ustinov in a supporting role) and one of the smarter and stranger scripts among those films.

 

[Lindley]

If Arthur C Clarke's Sunstorm is ever movie-ized, I wonder if they'll keep the part about the Star of Bethlehem being a Jovian planet fired at our sun by an alien intelligence with the intent of destabilizing the core and ultimately wiping out life on Earth.....

 

[Guartho]

...with the intent of destabilizing the core and ultimately wiping out life on Earth.....

Or maybe that's just why they thought they were doing it.

 

[Lindley]

Well, I haven't gotten to Firstborn yet.....

 

[Kegek]

IIRC, 'The Star' has been adapted, though I've never seen the adaption. Supposedly it does include the idea that the Star of Bethlehem resulted in the death of a whole civilization but gives it a more upbeat spin, if Wikipedia is any indication. (A more upbeat spin? Pish.)

 

[Sakrysta]

I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned The Prince of Egypt. I LOVE that movie. I keep looking for a used soundtrack. The opener gives me chills every time, as do the burning bush scene and the parting of the Red Sea.

 

[Amaris]

"The Egyptian" is a particularly good and unfortunately overlooked costume epic; but it's only barely a Bible film through analogy - and that's the weakest part of the film. The entire ending feels like being beaten over the head, as if saying IF YOU DIDN'T GET THE SUBTLE ANALOGIES, LET'S SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU AS BRAZENLY AS POSSIBLE!

Besides that, the film has great sets, a strong cast (especially Peter Ustinov in a supporting role) and one of the smarter and stranger scripts among those films.

Oh, indeed. It's also loosely based on, apparently, the real life events of a man named Sinuhe, as part of an old Egyptian story of the man. I also agree about Ustinov's role. My favorite scene is where Kaptah begins naming the reasons why he should be Sinuhe's servant. I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer, unmitigated hubris of the man.

J.

 

[Kegek]

I also agree about Ustinov's role. My favorite scene is where Kaptah begins naming the reasons why he should be Sinuhe's servant. I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer, unmitigated hubris of the man.

Oh, absolutely. Peter Ustinov is often the best thing in any Biblical or swords-and-sandals epic he's in. He's basically the only watchable element of Quo Vadis and his Oscar win for the snivelling Batiatus in Spartacus is well-earned, IMHO.

Actually, I find it ironic that he and Charles Laughton are paired up in Spartacus; considering that both of them played enjoyably campy Neroes in Bible flicks at some point in their careers, Laughton in The Sign of the Cross and Ustinov in Quo Vadis.

 

[TheArsenal]

Ben-Hur would definitely be classified as a "Bible" movie, simply because it carries on in the lands of the Bible, using some of the people mentioned in the Bible and depicts events described in the Bible.

Just finished watching this over two nights (it's three and a half hours long). Agreed, it is certainly a Bible movie. Throughout a large part of the film the Christ character plays a very crucial but peripheral role (at one point he keeps ben Hur from dying by giving him water) and informs the political situation that movie hinges on. The last half hour of the movie is explicitly a Bible story featuring the crucifixion, ben Hur's accepting of "the word" and denouncing violence after witnessing it, gospel quotes, and a couple of miracle leprosy cures thrown in for good measure.

 

[Amaris]

I also agree about Ustinov's role. My favorite scene is where Kaptah begins naming the reasons why he should be Sinuhe's servant. I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer, unmitigated hubris of the man.

Oh, absolutely. Peter Ustinov is often the best thing in any Biblical or swords-and-sandals epic he's in. He's basically the only watchable element of Quo Vadis and his Oscar win for the snivelling Batiatus in Spartacus is well-earned, IMHO.

Actually, I find it ironic that he and Charles Laughton are paired up in Spartacus; considering that both of them played enjoyably campy Neroes in Bible flicks at some point in their careers, Laughton in The Sign of the Cross and Ustinov in Quo Vadis.

If you've seen Ustinov's Herod the Great in "Jesus of Nazareth", I think you've seen the best depiction of Herod on the movie screen.

J.

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

Which leaves, the cheap, straight-to-video companies to make crappy movies like Left Behind, The Omega Code, etc.

You think that's bad, seen the sequel to Omega Code? Awful - one would think that everyone that deplores the U.S military has brought into every stereotype of them seen in that movie. The performance by the U.S strategic commander at the armageddon battle reminded me of the north korean plays that stereotype U.S soldiers... (blonde hair, texas accent, shoot anything that moves, etc)

 

[Vanyel]

1. Jesus Christ Superstar
2. The Ten Commandments
3. The Prince of Egypt

 

[HoundDog]

Ben-Hur would definitely be classified as a "Bible" movie, simply because it carries on in the lands of the Bible, using some of the people mentioned in the Bible and depicts events described in the Bible.

Just finished watching this over two nights (it's three and a half hours long). Agreed, it is certainly a Bible movie. Throughout a large part of the film the Christ character plays a very crucial but peripheral role (at one point he keeps ben Hur from dying by giving him water) and informs the political situation that movie hinges on. The last half hour of the movie is explicitly a Bible story featuring the crucifixion, ben Hur's accepting of "the word" and denouncing violence after witnessing it, gospel quotes, and a couple of miracle leprosy cures thrown in for good measure.

Yeah, I'm convinced. "Ben Hur" is a movie that refers heavily to the bible - still it's not based on it, but on the Wallace's novel "Ben Hur" which makes it technically a novel adaption. But I think there are good reasons to classify it as "bible movie" - I mean, it's on TV every easter.