Posted on 09/29/2012 1:35:31 PM PDT by NYer
When it sets sail in the coming film "Noah," a massive 148-foot wooden ark will carry not only a slew of zoo animals, but one of Hollywood's biggest wagers in years.
"Noah," a $125 million epic from Viacom's Paramount Pictures, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Darren Aronofsky, is one of a boatload of religious films in the works from major movie studios.
There are compelling economic reasons for Hollywood to embrace the Good Book. The studios are increasingly reliant on source material with a built-in audience, something the Bible—the best-selling book in history—certainly has. And like the comic-book superheroes that movie companies have relied on for the past decade, biblical stories are easily recognizable to both domestic and the all-important foreign audiences. What's more, they're free: Studios don't need to pay expensive licensing fees to adapt stories and characters already in the public domain.
With floods, plagues, burning bushes and parting seas, Bible movies make great vehicles for big-budget special effects, a key selling point for a wide swath of audience members. Paramount is hoping "Noah" will connect with religious Americans who "may not necessarily go to more than one or two movies a year," said Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore.
snip
Not since the 1950s has Hollywood been so smitten with scripture. After World War II, Hollywood relied on religious epics as vehicles for its biggest stars, particularly Charlton Heston, who carried both 1956's "The Ten Commandments," about Moses' exodus from Egypt, as well as 1959's "Ben-Hur," about a Jewish prince sent into slavery and rescued by Jesus, only to witness Jesus' crucifixion. Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic "Samson and Delilah," released in 1949, was another hit.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Oh yeah, Bible stories written by LGBT and atheist liberal writers about the Old and New Testaments? What do they know about a book they condemn or haven;t read?
My thoughts exactly.
Actually, if you read through the entire article, you will learn that they recognize their past mistakes in interpreting the Bible (low revenue), and are now working with scripture scholars. We'll have to take a wait and see attitude.
David - a man’s Man.
- Handsome young musician, devout to God but seeds of courage
- courage against 9’ Goliath in the face of his country’s warriors and the enemy’s
- a HEALTHY NON-HOMO friendship with Jonathan closer than “the love of a woman”
- a young warrior with deathly envy of his best friend’s father Saul, the King
- A Warrior “Saul has slayed his 1000’s, but David his 10,000’s”
- Dancing in the streets in his underware before the daughters of Israel, to the chagrin of his soon-to-be-barren wife
- Acting crazy (doing a Mel Gibson) before enemy kings to protect himself
- The scandal as king, of seeing beautiful Bathsheba bath naked on a rooftop, covering it up with Uriah sent to the front lines and then exposed by Nathan the prophet
- The dysfunctionality of Absolom, his son, plotting his death
- The final years of wanting to build the greatest man-made Temple of Israel, and seeing Solomon, his son, succeed him
Now, if Hollywood can not distort any of the true accounts of above, I’d be pleasantly shocked. But what a story! I think that could fill 2 1/2 hours of a good action movie!
IOW, put a liberal spin on the Bible.
Hollywood has learned that filming bits from the unholy koran can be dangerous.
Or to show how "outlandish" the stories are that "wacky Christians believe".
There have been an increasing number of films and plays about Mormonism.
But don't think about exposing Islam.
If they have actual Christians (and yes there some in Hollywood)/ or conservatives working on the films then I would be hopeful.
If they have normal “New Normal” types making these; then we all know how they will turn out.
“Noah” is going to lose a zillion dollars.
Big studio movies in the modern era based on the Bible always tank.
And don’t say Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” made bank. That wasn’t a studio movie. It was an independent film made by one guy with a vision.
Could you give a few examples of Biblical films which approached their subject from an embellished, secular viewpoint? I ask this out of some admitted ignorance on the subject, not being a Christian myself.
I looked forward to Mel’s film on the Maccabees.
That would be a great movie.
Their patrons are drying up because of the economy, and it is the frugal Christian who still has some. The only way to get us back into the theaters is by catering to our wishes, and that is a GOOD THING.
Now, it will only take one and if they mess this one up, we will not go to another.
I was kinda hoping to see the part where Mohammed
accepted the city’s surrender and then turned around
and slaughered all the men and raped and subjugated
all the women and children.
Probably several examples to choose from.
Even Ted Turner cranked out many bible movies.
“3. Esther - Beauty, brains, daring, treachery, this story has it all.”
Have you see A Night With The King? It came out a few years ago and is about Esther.
Only so many time you can show "jump in bed" the first 2 seconds, or some car careening down main street, up a guard rail, flip over 20 times, land on top of a semi and explode, taking the semi into the ocean, with the herion inside the trailer, OH, how will she get free, but she does cause there is another bedroom scene yet to come.
Seen one, seen em all.
One can only hope that they go for that audience, which is under-served, and don't try to sneak in any post-modernist non-sensibilities aimed at folks that won't go see the films anyway.
Well, he was a Master and Commnder on the Far Side of the World...
Good suggestions. I’d go see all of those, if they are faithful to the text.
Not with Russell Crowe playing Noah. He might get into a couple of barfights, though.
He turns Noah into a ship captain who comes to visit the Baby Jesus.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.