Unfaithful Adaptations?
With Noah out and about on film (I haven't seen it yet, I have to admit), there is a tremendous call among Christian fundamentalists (at least in this area of the country) for more "Biblical" movies and more "Christian" movies that portray the "Biblical truths" as they are found in the Bible itself.
All well and good. But when you look to the entertainment industry for their cooperation in creating movies that reflect a particular understanding of the faith, you have to realize that it becomes an issue very much like prayer in schools.
By this I mean that if we were to "allow" prayer in schools, exactly whose prayer would we be allowed to say? Would that include Muslims? Hindu prayers? Or is it only for particular branches of the Christian family tree? By the way, you can't outlaw prayer. You or I can pray anywhere at anytime. Just because it isn't sanctioned by the state doesn't mean it can't exist. State sanctioned prayer, by the way, strikes me as a step towards Emperor worship mentality from the Roman Empire. Would state supported prayers be offered only for the president (or to the president)? It becomes a slippery slope.
Getting back to the movies, when people say they want "Biblical" movies, what do they mean? Certainly they can't mean movies like "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" as that story is not Biblical. Just because a movie is 'inspirational' doesn't make it Biblical, Christian, or even religious. It might have been directed by Christians, it might have Christians in it as actors or as characters in the story, but that doesn't make it Biblical.
Likewise, they can't mean movies like "The Passion" either, because it certainly takes artistic liberties (as does my personal favorite, "Jesus of Nazareth"). Why can't Christians mean these movies? Because they are Christian in theme, but whose theme? The Passion certainly had a Catholic slant (not a judgment) in that there were certain biases from the director. When "Christians" start decrying movies, we have to wonder which group of Christians and why?
Of course, we also have to be careful of claiming movies are "Christian" when they adhere to Christian ideas, but little else. Great moral and ethical stories seem Christian enough but they might not have anything to do with Christ or the Bible - and I enjoy them just as much! Why? Because I watch movies to be entertained. Sometimes I find that I have my thoughts challenged or I find that a movies provides such compelling drama that I wrestle with some preconceived ideas I held. But I don't go to a movie to find "Biblical" truth. I go to the Bible to find what it has to say.
Sometimes we find that what the Bible has to say is far worse than what the movies portray. Just imagine a movie based on the story of the Judge Jephthah or Lot and his daughters. Those could be done quite literally, and I think many Christians would have to think twice before taking their children to see them.
Or what about an animated version of Revelation? The way computer generated graphics have become, it would be visually stunning. But would it make sense? Or would people come out of the theater wondering what they just saw?
A movie based on the Bible or a story from the Bible is likely to be like any movie based on any book - it will have to cut corners and take artistic licence in order to fit into the standard 1 hour and 45 minute time frame. Or it has to make a long standing story fit into the time frame. For example, as a fan of the Marvel Comic character Silver Surfer, I was thrilled to see him in the second Fantastic Four movie. However, it only took a few minutes to realize that the Silver Surfer I loved to read about wasn't what I was seeing on the screen. I was a bit disappointed, but that wasn't a problem, and it shouldn't be a problem if we can recognize that a movie is just an adaptation of the story from which it drew inspiration.
Remember "The Prince of Egypt"? Watch it closely then read the book of Exodus. Notice that Aaron isn't a main character among other things. It is an adaptation. A good one, and an entertaining one - if it weren't, no money would be made from it and it would have 'flopped' at the box office (part of the whole entertainment industry).
Noah may be off base from the Bible. No skin off my back, nor any damage to my ability to read the Bible or damage to my faith. It's just a movie.
All well and good. But when you look to the entertainment industry for their cooperation in creating movies that reflect a particular understanding of the faith, you have to realize that it becomes an issue very much like prayer in schools.
By this I mean that if we were to "allow" prayer in schools, exactly whose prayer would we be allowed to say? Would that include Muslims? Hindu prayers? Or is it only for particular branches of the Christian family tree? By the way, you can't outlaw prayer. You or I can pray anywhere at anytime. Just because it isn't sanctioned by the state doesn't mean it can't exist. State sanctioned prayer, by the way, strikes me as a step towards Emperor worship mentality from the Roman Empire. Would state supported prayers be offered only for the president (or to the president)? It becomes a slippery slope.
Getting back to the movies, when people say they want "Biblical" movies, what do they mean? Certainly they can't mean movies like "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" as that story is not Biblical. Just because a movie is 'inspirational' doesn't make it Biblical, Christian, or even religious. It might have been directed by Christians, it might have Christians in it as actors or as characters in the story, but that doesn't make it Biblical.
Likewise, they can't mean movies like "The Passion" either, because it certainly takes artistic liberties (as does my personal favorite, "Jesus of Nazareth"). Why can't Christians mean these movies? Because they are Christian in theme, but whose theme? The Passion certainly had a Catholic slant (not a judgment) in that there were certain biases from the director. When "Christians" start decrying movies, we have to wonder which group of Christians and why?
Of course, we also have to be careful of claiming movies are "Christian" when they adhere to Christian ideas, but little else. Great moral and ethical stories seem Christian enough but they might not have anything to do with Christ or the Bible - and I enjoy them just as much! Why? Because I watch movies to be entertained. Sometimes I find that I have my thoughts challenged or I find that a movies provides such compelling drama that I wrestle with some preconceived ideas I held. But I don't go to a movie to find "Biblical" truth. I go to the Bible to find what it has to say.
Sometimes we find that what the Bible has to say is far worse than what the movies portray. Just imagine a movie based on the story of the Judge Jephthah or Lot and his daughters. Those could be done quite literally, and I think many Christians would have to think twice before taking their children to see them.
Or what about an animated version of Revelation? The way computer generated graphics have become, it would be visually stunning. But would it make sense? Or would people come out of the theater wondering what they just saw?
A movie based on the Bible or a story from the Bible is likely to be like any movie based on any book - it will have to cut corners and take artistic licence in order to fit into the standard 1 hour and 45 minute time frame. Or it has to make a long standing story fit into the time frame. For example, as a fan of the Marvel Comic character Silver Surfer, I was thrilled to see him in the second Fantastic Four movie. However, it only took a few minutes to realize that the Silver Surfer I loved to read about wasn't what I was seeing on the screen. I was a bit disappointed, but that wasn't a problem, and it shouldn't be a problem if we can recognize that a movie is just an adaptation of the story from which it drew inspiration.
Remember "The Prince of Egypt"? Watch it closely then read the book of Exodus. Notice that Aaron isn't a main character among other things. It is an adaptation. A good one, and an entertaining one - if it weren't, no money would be made from it and it would have 'flopped' at the box office (part of the whole entertainment industry).
Noah may be off base from the Bible. No skin off my back, nor any damage to my ability to read the Bible or damage to my faith. It's just a movie.
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