Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Sacred mystery: Blockbuster ratings for ‘The Bible’ confound Hollywood
The Washington Times ^ | Thursday, March 14, 2013 | Daniel Wattenberg

Posted on 03/15/2013 1:15:20 PM PDT by tom h

Sure, it’s easy to criticize Hollywood, but try to remember that the entertainment industry today is an intellectually demanding environment, fraught with cognitively challenging, even intractable, questions, like, to take one recent example: How can the cable mini-series “The Bible” be such a ratings hit when there is no audience for overtly religious entertainment programming?

According to the latest Nielsens, released Tuesday, Sunday night’s telecast of “The Bible,” produced by husband-and-wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey for basic cable’s History channel, managed to attract more viewers than anything on broadcast network NBC … during the entire week ...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bible; bibleseries; cabletv; christians; duplicate; historychannel; hollywood; markburnett; romadowney; thebible
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: 353FMG
.


Check out the DVD entitled "Peter and Paul" ...

It's fabulous ...

Anthony Hopkins as Paul ... a whole array of famous actors ...

Stays pretty close to scripture ...


.
21 posted on 03/15/2013 1:57:22 PM PDT by Patton@Bastogne (Piss upon Obama, and his False Prophet Mohammed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: tom h

Hollywood will counter with a Quran Series ,if they can find enough fake blood


22 posted on 03/15/2013 2:17:39 PM PDT by molson209
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

#1 nonscripted show (reality) is Duck Dynasty.

No swearing, no naked drunken partiers, no pregnant teens, no homosexual deviance in your face. Just Christian folk. AND THEY PRAY AT THE END OF EACH EPISODE! GASP!

Hollywood just cannot understand how this can possibly be popular.

Perhaps some people don’t want to watch perpetual-partying, foul mouthed, drunken homosexual sex all over the TV.


23 posted on 03/15/2013 2:28:17 PM PDT by envisio (Its on like Donkey Kong!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ilovesarah2012

That’s awesome! I didn’t know those films did that well. I have only seen Fireproof. I’d like to see the others. Fireproof was really good though, I think it should be required watching for couples thinking about getting married.


24 posted on 03/15/2013 2:30:04 PM PDT by Bulwyf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: 353FMG
"If Mel Gibson would only produce “Acts of the Apostles” starting with the Resurrection. That would be one heck of an adventure story."

Great minds think alike! Our Christian small group said exactly the same thing way back when; Gibson could have brought the entire New, and Old, Testaments to life had he put the same effort into Act, the Book of Romans, and the life of Paul.

But instead he got mystical and made that ridiculous flop about the Mayans. Then, he started cheating on his wife, becoming openly anti-Semitic, and his life fell apart.

I wouldn't wish his fate on him and I hope he repents of these sins someday.

But his work on Passion was brilliant.

25 posted on 03/15/2013 2:30:41 PM PDT by tom h
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Bulwyf
"Fireproof ... should be required watching for couples thinking about getting married."

You should also watch "October Baby" to see one of the most moving faith-based stories ever put to film. Watch it with your wife and teenaged or adult children, and your church small group. It is as transforming as Fireproof.

26 posted on 03/15/2013 2:33:20 PM PDT by tom h
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Bulwyf

Courageous was amazing. I have seen it several times. Laughed and cried. And the “bad guy” in the film is a wonderful Christian guy, but he plays a great bad guy. All dads and expectant dads (and moms) should see it.


27 posted on 03/15/2013 2:35:05 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: tom h

Well it’s also free and in your home, taping it, eating your own grits. Hollywood robbers can’t match that without changing the script perhaps replacing Jerusalem with Sodom and Gomorrah.


28 posted on 03/15/2013 2:41:08 PM PDT by ex-snook (God is Love)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tom h

>But his work on Passion was brilliant.<

.
Ever since I saw that movie I find that anything on the Bible, as sincere as it might be, is second class when compared with Gibson’s masterpiece.

Hey Mel, all is forgiven, get back to work.


29 posted on 03/15/2013 2:51:03 PM PDT by 353FMG ( I refuse to specify whether I am serious or sarcastic -- I respect FReepers too much.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: kidd

—— Is it any good? -——

It’s fine, but kind of mechanical. It’s worth its weight in gold, though, for sending a message to Hollyweird.

Imagine if true artists devoted their skills to producing Bible-based movies. There are unending riches to be mined.

Hopefully this series will help us to get there.


30 posted on 03/15/2013 3:08:04 PM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: ex-snook

Its free to watch on TBN every Sunday night in March. Joel Osteen made this possible. You don’t need cable. Praise the Lord!


31 posted on 03/15/2013 3:18:55 PM PDT by waterhill (I Shall Remain, in spite of __________.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: 353FMG

Mel’s ‘Passion’ was fantabulous! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!


32 posted on 03/15/2013 3:21:16 PM PDT by waterhill (I Shall Remain, in spite of __________.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: 353FMG
"Hey Mel, all is forgiven, get back to work."

Your sentiment is fine but Gibson does not need your forgiveness; he needs if from his own family members and the millions of Christians and Jews he offended when he uttered his anti-Semitic remarks.

I think he first needs to ask God for forgiveness, then get on his knees publicly and ask the world to forgive him. THEN I think that he can get on with business.

33 posted on 03/15/2013 3:45:28 PM PDT by tom h
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: kidd
I assumed that ‘The Bible’ would be presented in an offensive manner, so I haven’t tuned in. Is it any good?

It's OK. It's not great, but not bad either. The stuff they get wrong is fairly trivial and the rest, while sometimes cheesy, does get the basic story out. Of course much is left out-- think of it as the Readers Digest Condensed version of the story. Production quality is fair. Is not a Spielberg movie by any stretch. I have my own theory of why it is doing so well: There are lots of people that want to know the story of the bible without having to read it. They see this as an easy way to do that. There are plenty of Christians and Jews that have never read the -whole- Bible front to back. Maybe even most of them. Heck... There's probably a lot of Christians that've never even read the whole NT front to back. This is giving a lot of people a cheat-sheet of basic knowledge of the story. They've been pretending for a long time to be more familiar with the Bible than they really are. This is a quick catch-up. As such, I'd say there's no particular harm in that. Some of them will get the bug to go back and read it. Nothing wrong with that. The production values are a little disappointing and the small errors are annoying-- but they're small enough that I had to get back into the text myself to double check the differences. Nothing wrong with that either. :-)

34 posted on 03/15/2013 4:09:13 PM PDT by Ramius (Personally, I give us one chance in three. More tea anyone?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: tom h
‘pro-Christian, pro-military, and pro-traditional entertainment! ‘

Yes, it is hard to imagine a program such as ‘navy Log’ appearing anywhere on television today.

35 posted on 03/15/2013 4:49:36 PM PDT by robowombat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kidd
I assumed that ‘The Bible’ would be presented in an offensive manner, so I haven’t tuned in. Is it any good?

I like it! I have a subscription setup on my DVR, since I never remember about TV shows anymore.

One of the things everyone likes to complain about are the recurring appearances by "ninja angels," but frankly they're one of my favorite things so far. These are some bad arse angels, with some seriously cool looking armor. You don't mess with them - as is proper for God's angels.

Why not make angels who are super cool, intimidating, and kick butt when God commands? What does everyone expect, creepy looking birdmen as depicted in the minds of Renaissance painters? Who says that's correct? Ninja angels are much better.

36 posted on 03/15/2013 6:42:40 PM PDT by MCH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: tom h
blockbuster
37 posted on 03/15/2013 7:43:57 PM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro can't pass E-verify)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson