Visual Bible: John & Matthew 4-Disc Set

The best-loved of the four Gospels, The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John, vividly comes to life in a faithful and powerful dramatization of the Biblical text. The Gospel of John meticulously re-recreates the era of Jesus during a tumultuous period that changed the course of history. Starring Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus, and narrated by Christopher Plummer, and with a cast of over 2500, The Gospel of John has been adapted for the screen, word-for-word, based on the American Bible Society's Good News Bible, by Emmy-nominated John Goldsmith and is directed by acclaimed British director, Philip Saville. Special features include: Historical Background * Production Design * About the Cast * About the Filmmakers * Academic Advisory Committee * Interactive Map of the Holy Land * Theatrical Trailer * Glossary * Historical Terms * Bibliography * Filmography * Dolby Digital Surround Sound * English, Spanish & French Subtitles. "The goal of The Visual Bible is to put the entire Bible on film using only Scripture to tell the story." Experience The Visual Bible's Matthew! This powerful and entertaining film is taken word-for-word from the text of the New International Version translation of the Bible. It's a multimillion dollar production that appeals to all ages, and offers outstanding educational, spiritual and entertainment value. Filmed on location, The Visual Bible: Matthew features a cast of thousands, historically accurate costuming and award-winning directing. The film stars the Emmy award winning actor Richard Kiley as Matthew, and introduces Bruce Marchiano as Jesus. (English & Spanish) Product Description

Word For Word

I have the Matthew set on VHS and the John set as a 3-disc DVD. One of the shortcomings of the VHS set was the lack of closed captioning, which I think was added for the DVD. Specific comments on each set:

Matthew:

An excellent performance by Bruce Marchiano as Jesus, and a believable supporting cast. I heard that Bruce Marchiano had been an actor on American soap operas before making this film, but he was unknown to me before Matthew. Richard Kiley was good in the role of Matthew, who served as the narrator for many scenes. Bruce Marchiano wrote a book about his experiences making this film and after the film was released. I have not read the book, but found the film to be very inspiring. The ACTS series (not included in this set) was not as good as Matthew. Using more well-known actors detracted from the message, especially since some of them were well-known Hollywood liberals who may not have believed in the words they spoke.

John:

Excellent narration by Christopher Plummer. Henry Ian Cusick was good as Jesus, and gave a good performance. Later on, I was put off when I saw him in the American TV show "Lost", looking much like he did when he played the role of Jesus. The film itself has a compelling and realistic look to it.

That said, I need to admit my bias against actors in these kind of films. The more famous the actor, the more it detracts from the "reality" of the film. Performances can be inspired, yet they can never measure up to the real people who were in the actual historical events, especially Jesus.

Whether you believe these films portray the truth or not, they are both well-made and are faithful to the text. They are also good for people who learn visually or by listening rather than learning by reading. August 31, 2007

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