The Passion of the Jews – Christian-Style
Recommended Reading:
At Alternet, Sarah Posner offers a revealing look behind the making of the Biblical epic One Night with the King, released by the 20th Century-Fox subsidiary FoxFaith:
“Although the movie, a lavish production filmed on location in India and starring such well-known Hollywood entities as Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole, may seem on the surface a tale of political intrigue and romance, on TBN [Trinity Broadcasting Network] and in front of Christian audiences, the filmmakers relentlessly make clear their prophetic intentions. ‘Your destiny awaits!’ proclaims a TBN ticker running across the screen during daily programming. As part of a special ‘pastors’ screening tour’ in September, TBN offered pastors’ testimonials to the power of the film. ‘We have been called for a time such as this,’ said one. The film is ‘about leading others to the Kingdom,’ another intoned. The message for the modern audience? One pastor said, ‘Esther means … it’s time for Christians to stand up and save our nation.’”
Here is a snippet from the One Night with the King L.A. Weekly review by Scott Foundas:
"With its spate of blood curses, power-mad usurpers and holocausts narrowly avoided, the Old Testament story of the Jewish queen Esther of Persia certainly doesn’t lack for drama. But in this overlong costume epic … plods across the screen with the thudding portent of an earnest Sunday-school lesson. Despite spirited supporting work … most of the cast – including the beautiful but vacant Tiffany Dupont, a former Miss University of Georgia, who plays Esther – look and act like refugees from a Roger Corman remake of Gladiator."
And here’s eagerly awaiting FoxFaith’s Buddhist-, Jewish-, Muslim-, Hindu-, and Wiccan-themed "faith" films. (Uh-oh, I just checked: FoxFaith only distributes "family and Christian films." The "family" deal is just another outlet for Fox classics like State Fair and The Grapes of Wrath, besides acting as a device to prevent FoxFaith from becoming known as FoxChrist.)
Note: Though top-billed, Peter O’Toole has a very small role in the film.
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