Posted on 12/06/2006 7:45:53 PM PST by AngieGal
Hollywood will not make anymore religious films unless Christians go and see The Nativity Story in large numbers
That’s the view of its producer, Marty Bowen
By Dan Wooding Founder of ASSIST Ministries Poster for The Nativity Story
HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- Marty Bowen, producer of The Nativity Story which came in fourth in the weekend box office in the United States, is concerned that Hollywood will not make anymore religious films unless Christians now go and see the movie in large numbers.
Despite many good reviews, New Line’s The Nativity Story, the story of Christ’s birth, only took in $8 million in the United States from 3,183 locations to come in fourth, while, for the third week in a row, the No. 1 and No. 2 films remain Warners' Happy Feet and Sony's Casino Royale, respectively. Buena Vista's Déjà Vu also remained unchanged from its third place finish last week, netting an additional $11 million.
In an interview with ANS, Marty Bowen said he was disappointed with the fact that the movie only came in fourth.
“I thought it was incredibly disheartening for a variety of different reasons, not the least of which is you hear this common lament from moviegoers that America feels like Hollywood has lost touch with what they want to see. People feel like there is too much violence in movies and too much disrespect towards the family.
“Now finally a Hollywood studio has stepped up and put their money where their mouth is and has committed to making and releasing a movie, not on a couple of screens but rather on a very big very large fashion – more than three-thousand screens around the country -- and giving the audience what they say they want and yet that sense of urgency in that audience isn’t there to go and see it.
“What is disappointing is you hear people talk about how we can make movies better but if you don’t go see them when they are presented to you, Hollywood’s never going to do it again. And that’s what is frustrating to me because I changed careers to make movies that would inspire people and if there’s not a business for it, and I can’t find a studio to make the movies that I want to make, then that’s disappointing.”
Bowen, who was formerly an agent, went on to say, “Hollywood hasn’t made a Biblical film like this for decades. The Passion Of The Christ was one man’s journey and he [Mel Gibson] did a phenomenal job.
“I think what happens in a movie like this is that people say, ‘I’ll get to see the movie when I get around to it.’ What they don’t understand is that this is a business. These theater owners have a lot of demand for their screens and if a movie does not perform well on December 1st, despite the fact that it is the reason for this holiday season -- it’s the Christmas story -- it might not make it to December 25th, and that angers me.
“It just really saddens me that a movie that’s about the birth of Jesus may not be in theaters when that celebration of that birth takes place. And that’s really disappointing.
“People don’t seem to realize that when a studio commits tens of millions of dollars to make a movie they expect an audience to go see it; and if they don’t see it soon they’ll never be around to see it later.
When asked if he had a message to American Christians, he replied, “There needs to be a sense that, if what you want is to see films that are about faith and family and you want to light a fire under your neighbors to be inspired to live the life that you feel like is fulfilling to you, then you need to support films that have a similar message. If you don’t then you need to be ok with the idea that next year at the box office there’s going to be a movie about some guy cutting people’s throats around a Christmas tree.
“That’s the nature of the beast. It’s a sad commentary to me that when we considered the possibility of naming this movie Silent Night we couldn’t do that because that sounded like a horror film. That’s awful. So that’s why I put it [The Nativity Story] out there. You can’t wait to see this movie because you’re giving the wrong message to Hollywood.”
Bowen concluded by saying, “It’s not an effective argument, in my opinion, to wait around until Hollywood makes the decision for themselves and then, what they make is something you find morally reprehensible, and then you protest. To me that’s negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement has always been more effective. If a movie speaks to what you want movies to be about than you need to support it or you need to shut up.”
So, what are you waiting for? Go and see The Nativity Story before it is too late!
Note: I’d like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.
Actually they did do something with it, that's how The Nativity Story got to be made. From greenlight to release with most movies is a process of at least two years.
From what I've heard, the actress didn't want to keep the baby but because she had worked with a number of Christians on the film, including the script writer Mike Rich, she has decided to keep the baby. I think that's wonderful.
The story that is portrayed in this movie is nothing short of beautiful and miraculous. It opened my eyes to that time period and made me think of the struggles that Mary and Joseph went through leading up to the birth. It made me think of all the miracles that took place leading up to the birth. All the different incidents of angels giving messages. I have read and heard the Christmas story so many times that I have it memorized. But to see it acted out on the screen left me and my family with a whole new dimension to the story and brought it to life right in front of me! Some may say they don't need to "see" this, as it's right in front of them to read in the Book. But, for me, it was a way to stir up my brain to think of all the different aspects that were involved with the birth of Jesus Christ. It wasn't just words on paper. These were real people 2000 years ago that were touched by the supernatural.
Hollyweird was not going to make any movies regardless.
They still refuse to acknowledge "The Passion" made any money or that anyone went to see it.
Michaelangelo, Bach and Dante are not cheap entertainment, like Hollywood trashy "entertainment vehicles", Christian rock, and flea market velvet Jesus. To compare those is laughable!
That's like saying that Hollywood would never make another movie with Dustin Hoffman because folks didn't go see Ishtar.
No, it's worse than that: it's tragic.
You illustrate my point too well: that we have NO modern Christian competition for the great names of the past. Putting the term "Christian" ahead of [insert media form here] is tantamount to flagging it with "small time", "splinter market", "low appeal", and similar terminology. This was NOT the case in the past. Who in their right mind would have considered Michelangelo "small time", or "low appeal"? This is exactly the heart of the issue.
And may I hasten to add that I am NOT advocating that Christian artists perfect themselves and their work with the singular goal of being acclaimed "world class" in the eyes of man, but I am exhorting, urging, adjuring, even, Christian artists to perfect their works even BEYOND that -- to the glory of God. Let the Christian artist be ashamed to produce any thing that, of itself, does not cry out to the Heavens proclaiming the glory of God.
My entire goal was to establish the fact that, there WILL not arise any great Christian artists to rival those of the past UNLESS Christians push to be MORE prevalent in all media forms, not less; to be more populous, more prolific, more highly accomplished, and more savvy; implement more of the "wise as serpents" so that the "innocent as doves" can come to the fore. Rather than sit like a bunch of sad sacks and lament that all of our greatness seems to be in the past, we need to get our legs under us and get about the work of building up the Christian art community -- and that includes giving our support to expressly Christian productions, whenever they appear.
We've been atrophied for decades; we'll have to walk -- perhaps even crawl -- before we can run, but NOTHING will happen if we do not get moving.
That reminds me of the cover of a National Lampoon magazine many years ago:
"BUY THIS MAGAZINE OR WE'LL SHOOT THIS DOG."
On the cover was a cute pooch with a gun to his head.
I am very much looking forward to it. If it's really good, I may go twice.
I was being sarcastic. I obviously cannot really commment on something I haven't seen.
I just don't trust Hollywood, their methods, or motives.
I hope the movie is an accurate depiction...it'd be a breath of fresh air. (But I still hope they go broke).
We saw it tonight....it was good, thought provoking and we enjoyed it. Helped remind us of the reason for the season.
"You sound totally stupid. I hope you are not as you sound."
_____________________________________________
"God is Great and greatly to be praised."
??????? Bitter and sweet water ????
The picture is not bad. The director and producer say publicly that they are Christian, and the movie does not denigrate the faith. This is not a profound moviegoing experience like "The Passion," but it's not a piece of evil, amoral, devil-worshipping claptrap.
Yes! So why the angsting over Mary's hymen?
We plan to go this weekend to see "Nativity". I honestly can't remember the last time we went to see a movie... and we used to be very active movie-goers. Sorry we missed "Flags of our Fathers" (just too busy lately), but I'll be sure to see it on DVD.
"Yes! So why the angsting over Mary's hymen?"
I dunno, I prefer my Bloody Mary be made with Snappy Toms and a little tabasco with a pickled green bean garnish.
Well well well,
ironically Hollywood is putting out a Christmas slasher movie, so I guess the line that if Christians won't go see "The NAtivity Story" they'd have to make a slasher movie instead, is a bunch of crap. They did it anyways - "Black Christmas".
So why am I supposed to support these people with my money? They're just going to produce the trash no matter if I go or not.
My remark wouldn't make much sense unless you had followed Salvation's link to this post.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1748533/posts
"
Fr. Geiger, in an video blog post, explains that the Catholic Church has taught for over 2000 years that the referenced Scripture showed that Mary would not only conceive the child miraculously, but would give birth to the child miraculously - keeping her physical virginity intact during the birth.
"The film, he suggests, in portraying a natural, painful birth of Christ, thus denies the truth of the virginal and miraculous birth of Christ, which, he notes, the Fathers of the Church compared to light passing through glass without breaking it. Fr. Geiger quoted the fourth century St. Augustine on the matter saying. 'That same power which brought the body of the young man through closed doors, brought the body of the infant forth from the inviolate womb of the mother.'"
The priest is saying that there is a positive value in an intact hymen, rather than what the intact hymen implies in certain situations.
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