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Director challenges Christian media to tell the Truth.

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This article was originially written for and posted on Hollywood Jesus.com.

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Undaunted is a docudrama based on the childhood and early adulthood of preacher and Christian author James McDowell. Writer and director Cris Krusen tells me that McDowell had contemplated such a project for many years, as he had been told by his staff that he needed to do a film on his early life. He didn’t take the idea seriously, however, until he saw a series of docudramas directed by Cristóbal Krusen. McDowell is quoted in an article published by Campus Crusade for Christ, “I never knew you could communicate so much emotion and so much substance in so little time as you can with a docudrama.”

The film developed in various stages. After Krusen and McDowell decided to work together, Krusen sat down to write the screenplay. Unfamiliar with McDowell’s story, Krusen gathered all the notes, articles, copies of speeches, and so on he could find, where McDowell might have shared his testimony, and pored over them. As he learned more about McDowell’s life, Krusen recalls his first impression. “This is a powerful story,” he remembers thinking, “with a marked conflict and a deeply moving resolution. And it’s true!”

With a script in hand, production of the film was stalled due to shortage of funds. After many months without progress on the project, Krusen suggested that they shoot the film in stages, starting first with all the scenes involving the real-life Josh. They shot those scenes in October 2010. “It seemed,” Krusen observed, “to provide a real impetus for raising the remainder of the budget.” They would then shoot most of the dramatizations in May 2011.

Krusen enjoyed working with McDowell. “It was great,” he says. McDowell “had many endearing qualities, chief among them being that he was open and approachable; he became ‘one of the guys’.” Krusen does point out that the report by Campus Crusade that McDowell’s story influenced him in his personal conversion is just incorrect. Krusen never knew about Josh McDowell until after he had been a Christian for three or four years.

Even so, Krusen was excited about working on this project because it provided an opportunity to explore, as he says, “the fragile world of a child haunted by family dysfunction and abuse, and plumbing the depths of a troubled father-son relationship which is ultimately transformed by the power of love and forgiveness.”

The docudrama presents to the viewer the chilling reality of McDowell’s childhood, which includes some challenging scenes. McDowell is abused by a caretaker and witnesses the abuse of his mother at the hands of his father. These scenes were not only challenging for the viewer, they presented their own challenges in filming.

The actress playing McDowell’s mother got delayed in reaching the shooting location, leaving Krusen having to rely a lot on the “power of suggestion.” “The beating took place in real dairy barn,” Krusen tells me, “and called for her rolling around in cow manure.” This presented another challenge. The actress was too big a woman to handle any physical stunts. “There was no way she could fall to the ground,” Krusen says. So, they had to imply a lot. Krusen says he hopes that the audience is so engaged the story that they do not notice the non-direct shots. As a member of the audience, I say job well done. The scene is a dramatic one, and the lack of direct shots of the mother being beaten does not take away from its emotion.

The other challenge in filming was the sexual abuse scene where young McDowell is abused by his caregiver. How do you portray something so horrific and offensive without being overly graphic? Krusen was adamant about one thing. “I was to not play this scene ‘safe.’ The audience,” he said, “must know that Young Josh is being molested.” Krusen again uses the power of suggestion to communicate the drama. As he says, “there is no room for doubt about what is taking place.”

The issue of abuse, both physical and sexual, is a huge one in our society. The effects it has on children are long standing. The hope is because McDowell is so open and vulnerable about the issue it could bring it to the forefront of the Church. “Unless you’re trying to raise children in a protective bubble,” Krusen points out, “issues like domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, and so forth need to be confronted as real-life issues affecting real people every day.” Krusen goes on to say that the church and Christian media needs to not give audiences a “watered down” version of reality. “It seems,” he says, “that the highest goal for many Christian filmmakers these days is to produce ‘safe’ and ‘family-friendly’ programming. The first goal of a filmmaker should be to tell the truth and you are not telling the truth about evil by hiding the horror of sin and its aftermath.” Krusen does not advocate, however, the senseless graphic portrayal of true events. Instead, there is need for balance in storytelling, as long as the jeopardy, the trouble, the danger of something in the story is not removed. “If you’re trying to reach the lost,” he told me, “stop preaching to the choir.”

In the film, Young Josh turns away from God. As a college student he meets a group of students who are Christians. Even though he doesn’t believe in God, they do not beat him over the head with the Bible to get him to believe. They leave an open invitation to him. Over time, McDowell will have so many questions about faith and God, he travels to Europe to seek answers. I was extremely impressed with this aspect of McDowell’s life. Too many people will either accept blindly what others tell them, or they become so discouraged by the questions that they walk away from faith.

One of the hopes of the film is that people who are questioning their faith will inspire individuals and communities of faith to respond differently to doubting and questioning. Krusen hopes that young people will respond favorably to the film’s honesty. Overall, he hopes that people will catch a glimmer of God’s great love for them. As he says, “No one is beyond the pale; no one is removed from the grace of God.”

Krusen is currently developing an evangelistic film for the Balkans and is also preparing for the shooting of 33 Hope, a feature film based on the early life of the apostle Paul.

Melancholia (2011)

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melancholia-movie-posterHow does the world end?  Cultures throughout time have been intrigued by this question, and by what events will take place.  We read our holy books to find answers, but only find ourselves asking more questions.  In Melancholia, writer-director Lars Von Trier explores and ponders this question.

The film’s prologue is a collection of images set to rich, beautiful music—the overture to Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.  It’s almost as if Von Trier had closed his eyes while listening to this music and these are the images that flashed before his eyes.  But, the images—a moon rising; a bride running and being captured by branches; a bride floating in some body of water; a woman walking through the forest; a boy with a stick—are not that random. Von Trier, in the film’s beginnings, is using the tool of foreshadowing, giving the viewer hints to what is going to happen.  This prologue is an invitation.  The music chosen is enough to draw the viewer in.   Von Trier has set the stage for a beautiful, complex, and apocalyptic narrative.

The story starts with the younger of the two sisters, Justine.  We meet Justine and her groom Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) two hours late to their own reception.  As the party unfolds in all the traditional ways, Justine begins to disappear.  She explores the property outside, she puts her nephew to bed, she attempts to have a conversation with her anti-marriage mother. The whole time the camera jerks from one angle to the next, as if it is a home videorecording. The fun, light-hearted mood at the beginning of the film begins to slip away.

Every encounter Justine has during the scenes at the reception seems to be a tug of war. While Justine is slipping away, everyone else is desperately trying to pull her toward love, including her new husband Michael. It is here that we are surprised that Kristen Dunst was overlooked by the Academy Awards. This is by far the best role Dunst has portrayed yet. At the reception scenes, almost the first half of the film, we see in Dunst’s eyes life slowly being extinguished. We become more intrigued by Justine and what her story is. The greatest tug of war, and perhaps the more painful, is here in Justine. While her eyes testify to her slipping away, her face is trying to show happiness and joy. Dunst’s performance is gripping and, at the same time, heartbreaking as she makes Justine’s melancholia be very real for the viewer.

Throughout this first half of the film, Justine continues to be drawn to this new star she observes in the sky. The star is actually the planet Melancholia, larger than Earth and headed for collision with Earth. This is the hinge of the film. We have witnessed the emotional end of Justine. Now Von Trier turns his attention to the end of the world.

The second half of the film is devoted to Justine’s sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Claire commissions herself to take care of her now depressed sister.  Von Trier himself has struggled with depression and it only adds a level of intimacy that contributes to the cinematic excellence that is this film. Again, Dunst’s performance is riveting.

One of the most compelling scenes in this film is when Claire tries to help Justine take a bath. Justine is filled with so much agony that she can barely move. The emotional end (death) has left her physically weak. This scene is shot through a half-open door, somewhat symbolizing the state of humanity. Is the door opening? Or is the door closing? Either way, this scene causes you to catch your breath.

As Claire struggles to take care of her sister, she is wrought with anxiety that the mysterious planet Melancholia is going to bring destruction. She frantically searches the Internet for information. She goes into town and returns with a bottle of pills that she locks away.

During all of this anxiety, Claire’s husband John (exceptionally portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland) is calm and clear-headed. He is obsessed with watching and recording the planet’s progress. He insists the planet is just going to pass by, nothing is going to happen. The whole while, he includes their son Leo (Cameron Spurr) in this obsession.

While Claire becomes so overwhelmed by the planet’s movement, Justine provides perspective: “The earth is evil.  We don’t need to grieve for it. … Life is only on earth, and not for long.” And, it is this that is perhaps is the greatest message of this film.  If the earth as we know it is evil, we do not need to grieve for it. The old will pass away and the new will be created. The writer of 2 Peter tells us, “But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home” (3:13).

Claire will get so overwhelmed that she frankly tries to get her and Leo into town, yet nothing seems to work right. Justine, calm and collected, takes Leo into the woods to find sticks to use to build a magic cave. She becomes the caregiver. She is not as worried about the unfolding events. She doesn’t see the planet collision as a bad thing. It is almost as if she has finally found comfort.

The film’s finale will leave you speechless. It is very appropriate for the end credits to begin scrolling in complete silence.

HJ’s TV Monitor (11.12.12)

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Read Hollywood Jesus’ reviews and analysis  of some of last week’s television. Leave us your comments on the HJ page and let us know what you think.

Shows include: Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, How I Met Your Mother, Castle, Modern Family, Arrow, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Grimm.

Murder in the First (1995)

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Murder in the First is based on the imprisonment of Henri Young in Alcatraz. After a failed escape attempt in March 1938, Young (Kevin Bacon) is placed in a solitary confinement. This confinement, what the prisoners have called the dungeons, is an underground vault where Young remained for three years. The first half hour of the film brutally portrays the torture Young is put through while in solitary confinement.

At the end of the three years, Young is brought out of confinement and rejoins the prison community. While sitting in the mess hall strangely getting adjusted to the sounds and voices, he notices his fellow escapee who did not receive the treatment Young did. In a quick moment, Young is out of his seat and stabs the other man with a spoon. Young is taken into custody.

What follows is a courtroom drama seeking to answer the question, “Is Henri Young a murderer or victim?” Young, court-appointed attorney, James Stamphill (Christian Slater) argues that due to the suffering he experienced while in Alcatraz, Young is indeed a victim. Gary Oldman is Assistant Warden Milton Glenn, a man with extreme anger issues.  William H. Macy is D. A. William McNeil who proves to be a strong adversary for the young Mr. Stamphill.

Stamphill is the only—the only—character in this film who finds and shows compassion toward Henri Young. Which brings to mind these words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel:

“for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 emphasis added)

In the beginning of the film, director Marc Rocco depicts the torture of Henri Young in such a way that you cannot help but think of Jesus.  Young’s confinement results in him having long hair and a full beard. The artist-like camera angles that Rocco employs only intensifie the Christ-like affect. The way in which Rocco has the guards beat Young, in addition to the cruciform position in which Young hangs while getting beaten screams to the unconsciousness, “This is Jesus.”

The disciples asked Jesus, “When did we visit you in prison?” As if to say, “You were never in prison, Jesus.” Jesus’ reply was, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 26:45)

If Henri Young is the Christ-like figure, James Stamphill represents who Jesus calls us to be. We are to find and show compassion to others—those who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison. Dr. Cornel West has gone so far to challenge that the Church is not fulfilling its mission if it does not visit those in prison. In the film, even though Henri never got out of prison before he died, he felt liberated; liberated by the compassion showed to him by Stamphill.  Our love for our neighbors, despite who they are, where they are, or what they have, has the power to liberate.

This, and other movie reviews, can be found at hollywoodjesus.com.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

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If you have not seen Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, you should before you see Rises.  Nolan brilliantly weaves themes and characters from the first two films into Rises, much to the delight of Bat-fans. Rises picks up months after Dark Knight. The lie that Batman created for Gotham that Harvey Dent was the hero, despite his transformation into Two-Face. Thanks to the Dent Act, in memory of Harvey, the streets of Gotham have been swept clean of organized crime. For the first time in decades, the city knows peace. It is a city without the need for Batman. As such, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has secluded himself in the east wing of Wayne Manor.

With the city and Bruce Wayne vulnerable, Bane (Tom Hardy of Nolan’s Inception) enters the story. Bane is quite possibly the epitome of evil. His presence alone is intimidating due to the way he carries his physical bulk.  And never mind the Hannibal Lector-like mask he wears. He speaks in a calm and thoughtful manner, that reminds you of a great philosopher, yet he can break a neck in a single twist. A mercenary who speaks of revolution, Bane exploits the class warfare already in existence for his own means; for his own power.

As Bane and his goons wreak havoc in Gotham – which looks more and more like New York – Bruce must decide if he will rise from the self-inflicted daze to regain his vocation as the Batman. The question, however, shifts from, “Can he?” to “Should he?” The answer, as is true for most of Nolan’s films, is nowhere near simple. In a Jonah-in-the-whale kind of way, Bruce is imprisoned in Bane’s prison where he heals physically and emotionally. As Bruce catapults out of the prison’s hole, he claims his mission and sets out to wear the mask and cape.

In the midst of all of this, there is a mysterious woman in a cat costume.  Catwoman, or Selina Kyle is played by Anne Hathaway.  Hathaway handles the role of Catwoman in such a casual way that it makes us think, “Of course she’s the Catwoman.” Her morality is as flexible as her body, which is no wonder she and Batman seem to have a kinship.

The Dark Knight Rises does what every great film should do – spark conversation on the drive home. And I don’t mean conversations about how awesome the special effects were. I mean conversations about the themes and statements the film is saying about humanity.

Catwoman embodies one of the many themes in this film: grace. She is searching for ways to clear her slate, erase her record. She was made promises by Bane’s people that never came to fruition. Wayne/Batman offers her the same BEFORE she does anything. As a result, she offers assistance to help him find Bane.  But, it turns out to be a trap.  Even so, Wayne/Batman offers her grace and a chance to be a part of the redeeming of Gotham.

“Born in hell, forged from suffering, hardened by pain.” That line from the film is about Bane. It could easily be about Bruce Wayne as well. Both men have been forged from suffering and hardened by pain. The difference is how the men response to this tragedy/crisis/struggle. Like Jonah, Bane prefers vengeance to those who have done wrong. Like Jonah, Bruce Wayne rises above his own struggles to reclaim a commitment he has made to do good. And like Jonah, grace is the lesson learned. We rise because we have grace.

The film is the home to many more themes and theological ponderings. Too many to name and discuss here. One question remains, though, what will the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences do with the Batman?

To read more movie and television reviews, go to hollywoodjesus.com.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012)

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Honest Abe. Father Abraham. The Great Emancipator. Mr. President. Vampire Hunter?

I have to admit, I was excited to finally see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  The film is based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s mash-up novel of the same title.  However, I almost hate to admit, as the film progressed on, I became slightly disappointed.

The film, with its screenplay by Grahame-Smith, uses a fictional journal that Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) kept as the source for its storytelling.  In this journal, Lincoln tells of his encounters with the dark side of humanity: vampires.  As a child, Lincoln witnesses the death of his mother at the hands of a vampire.  This combined with witnessing his best friend, an African-American boy, get beaten unjustly, Lincoln vows revenge.  As Lincoln becomes the man history tells us about, he begins to unravel a twisted web of slavery, vampires, and deceit.  His role as the Great Emancipator struggles to be coupled with his vocation as Vampire Hunter.

The film is often repetitive, exhausting, bloody, and not as witty as I had expected.  I viewed the film in 3D, which I assure you was by accident.  My lack of desire for seeing the film in 3D was only confirmed because I did see it in 3D. The vampires’ mouths had to be open extra wide for their pointed teeth to have an effect.  And even though novel and screenplay were written by the same pen, I prefer the book over the film on this one.  It seems that in the attempt to make the story big-screen worthy, it lost some of its page-turning charm.

It leaves us wondering what was director Timur Bekmambetor, best known for the film Wanted, was thinking. It’s a shame Tim Burton didn’t direct this film, the story has a Burton-esque feel to it. (It might be interesting to note, that Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay for the Burton directed Dark Shadows).  But I suppose if Burton did, Johnny Depp would have been transformed into the 16th President.

But, that’s not to say the film is without its theological ponderings. Lincoln, in fiction as in life, represents light, while the vampires (as opposed to the Southerns) represent darkness. The film’s most basic premise is that slavery is an agent of the vampires, or injustice is an agent of darkness.

Yet, underneath all of this, Lincoln is struggling throughout the film with his vocation.  First, as the Vampire Hunter.  And then as the President.  Who is he?  Lincoln is good at zoning in and focusing on one or the other role.  It is when he is called upon to be the Vampire Hunter while President that we see a Lincoln conflicted. He left the life of the Vampire Hunter behind him. He is going to rid slavery and her vampires along with her through the office of President.  He has retired his ax.

But, there is that piece of him that longs to pick up that ax again.

As people of faith we often ourselves in the same conflict. We are fulfilling one role at a time, but then God calls us to another role, perhaps at the same time.  Take, for example, the Great Emancipator of the Hebrew slaves: Moses.  He had left the life of an Egyptian Prince behind him and embraced the life of a simple shepherd.  A new life, in a new land.  When called to free the slaves, Moses’ two selves come crashing into one another.   We get the feeling that he’d rather not return to Egypt, the place of his past.

In order to be himself and to fulfill his vocation, Moses had to reclaim a part of him he had tried to forget.  He had to return to his past. A part of his life that was hard and difficult.  But, a part of his life that molded and shaped who he became as he fulfilled his vocation. In a similar way, Lincoln has to reclaim the Vampire Hunter part of him. Not as a separate part from his vocation as President.  But, rather, as self-discovering to his whole self.

Or, the film is just about the 16 President giving the ax to a bunch of vampires.

Seuss on the Loose (1973)

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The new DVD/Blu-ray Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories gives us the TV short Dr. Seuss on the Loose.  This DVD/Blu-ray combo brings to a new generation the rhyming Seuss-parables.  The Cat in the Hat serves as the host for this 1973 TV special, a short 25 minutes in total length.  It features three Seuss stories, “The Sneetches,” “The Zax,” and “Green Eggs and Ham.”

The animation has been remastered for this new medium.  It is classic in every sense of the word.  The animation seems to jump right out of the Dr. Seuss books (who was involved in the making of this short).  The simplicity of the animation, unlike the animation in a lot of current cartoons, is not so overwhelming that it is distracting from the story.  The creators managed to squeeze into these short 24 minutes, musical numbers to reinforce the stories being told.  It’s almost as if the produces sat down with Dr. Seuss and gave him the opportunity to add more to his classic tales. While the animation and the music is clever, unique, and distinctly Seuss, it is the parable is the focal point.

Dr. Seuss has always managed to tell parables for the 20th century.  While his characters appear to be kid-friendly (and they are), his stories and morals are very much adult-needed. Dr. Seuss knew how to tell a story, and knew how to preach a sermon.

In “The Sneetches,” there are Sneetches with stars on their bellies and those without. The Sneetches without stars feel different and they long to be like the Sneetches with stars.  We can relate. There are those of us to appear to have it all and walk around with our noses in the air and teach our children to do the same.  Then there are those of us who long day after day to be like those others.  Wouldn’t life be so much better if we were?  Then, there are those in society who capitalize on our desires to be like others. Our media is filled with advertisements for things that will change our bodies, change our minds, change our wardrobe, and so forth. The lesson of “The Sneetches” is that you do not have to change yourself to be like everyone else, nor do you have to treat others poorly because they are not like you.

In “The Zax,” the North-bound Zax and the South-bound Zax bump into each other and neither will budge for the other.  This parable ends with roads being built around them.  Here in this parable, change is necessary. As Eric Erickson implies in his work, change happens. The world is changing constantly.  Are we going to be a part of that change, or are we going to dig our heels in the sand and not budge?

In “Green Eggs and Ham”, Sam I Am is endlessly trying to get the man to try his dish.  He refuses because he does not like it, though he’s never tried it.  How often we claim that we do not like something – a new style of worship, a new way of preaching, a new ministry – and yet, we haven’t tried it. Once the green eggs and ham are tried, they are loved.  You don’t know if you like, till you try it.

For those of us who claim the Christian faith, we claim a Savior who advocated for change.  The societal attitude that you must change to be like me, Jesus said needed to change. Because of Jesus, we no longer need to dig our heels into the religious rites and traditions that are empty and without meaning. Through the Holy Spirit, we can experience a change and new life in our traditions and transform ourselves and the world around us.

Read more hollywoodjesus.com reviews.

Franklin & Bash Season One

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In 2008 the kooky legal drama genre took a hit when David E. Kelley’s Boston Legal was cancelled.  A short two years later, Franklin & Bash premiered on TNT, proving that the kooky legal drama genre is not solely in the hands of David E. Kelley. The first season is now available on DVD.  The DVD comes with an underwhelming handful of extras that include featurettes with brief interviews with the cast and the crew.

Franklin & Bash is about two young lawyers who are longtime friends: Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselear). These two lawyers’ unconventional way of lawyering reminds us of Kelley’s now classic Ally McBeal and Boston Legal.  They do everything you would never imagine a lawyer doing.  As partners in their own law firm, they answer only to themselves. As the pilot episode unfolds, the pair win a case against the prestigious law firm Infield Daniels. As such, Stanton Infield (Malcolm McDowell), the firm’s major partner, recruits the duo despite the cries of the firm’s other lawyers, to work for him. They accept and the antics begin.

Peter Bash and Jared Franklin are to Franklin & Bash what Alan Shore and Denny Crane were to Boston Legal, which brings us to the other genre that this television show branches into, that of the bromance.  The bromance genre seems to have experienced a resurrection. In 1 Samuel of the Hebrew Bible we read about the friendship of David and Jonathan. David is the young man who would be king, and Jonathan was the current prince. An unlikely friendship, but one based on loyalty.

The French writer and thinker, Albert Camus, has said, “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and by my friend.” Characters like Alan Shore and Denny Crane and Jared Franklin and Peter Bash remind us of the need for friendship.  We all need a friend we can talk to about the chaotic parts of life; someone who understands us when no one else does; someone to walk beside us in those chaotic moments; and someone to be crazy with.

If you’ve missed Boston Legal and its kookiness and bromanceness, Franklin & Bash will fill that void.

Camelot (1967)

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Some have called it sappy. Others have called it a flawed musical. Still others call it a medieval fantasy. Whatever you call it Camelothas a place in classic American cinema.

This 1967 film directed by Joshua Logan was adapted from the Broadway musical of the same title. Though widely accepted that it was not a great cinematic feature (the Academy Awards it did win were all in costumes and set design), the film benefited greatly from the times. In the 1960s there was a deep fascination with Camelot and King Arthur’s narrative. So much so that it drew comparisons to the royalty of the United States: the Kennedys. The Kennedys loved the musical. According to the First Lady, she and the President would listen to the soundtrack of the musical at the end of the each evening.

Whether it was intentional or not, the film pays homage to the assassinated President Kennedy.  As the film opens it is draped in mystery as Arthur (Richard Harris, probably best known as Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films) sits in the damp and misty forest calling upon Merlyn, the mystic magician. Arthur is about to go into battle, though he would prefer to avoid it. In this state of uncertainty he cries out to Merlyn (Laurence Naismith), who instructs Arthur to remember the day he met Guenevere (wonderfully played by Vanessa Redgrave). From here the film goes back to that day and we follow along as the story of this romance unfolds.

But the film is about more than just a romantic tale of King and Queen, and more than just the love triangle that develops when Lancelot (Franco Nero) is introduced to the narrative. Arthur wants to bring about social change. As he tells Guenevere, “Merlyn taught me to think without boundaries.” Arthur ponders how peaceful the kingdom would be if disagreements were not settled by violence. As he dreams about this with Guenevere, he images a round table that they would all sit at to discuss these issues.  A round table, not a square table, so no one may be seated at the head of the table.  Not everyone in his kingdom buys into this image as easily as the French knight Lancelot.

Lancelot rides into town with great respect for King Arthur. He is filled with excited hope to witness this new vision of kingdom. And to some extent that is what Lancelot represents in this film. Excited hopefulness. An excited hope fueled by Lancelot’s desire to do good and to right wrongs. Lancelot is the only French knight of the Table. Lancelot comes because Arthur’s vision gives him hope.

But Lancelot is also a religious voice in this film. A majority of the characters never really say much about religion. When we first meet Guenevere she is praying to some goddess. Meryln seems to be a holy figure to Arthur. But for Lancelot, he expresses without apology his Christian faith. In a jousting contest, Lancelot hits his opponent hard enough to knock him off his horse and leave him wounded. Arthur pronounces the knight dead. Lancelot looks on from his horse, uncertain about what he should or shouldn’t do. He eventually jumps off his horse, removes the King’s cloak from the dead man, grabs his face into his hands and beings to pray. As he does so, he is weeping. The man eventually opens his eyes. The people are amazed, including Guenevere.

From here Lancelot’s romance with Guenevere begins. He feels that God has led him to her. He begs for forgiveness because he knows it his wrong to be in love with a woman who is married. Yet, the romance continues. In the meantime Arthur is developing his dream. The Round Table is becoming a reality. The vision is extended from nations and knights to the common people. Courts are developed where disagreements can be settled.

Arthur’s vision of a peaceful kingdom is threatened when a young man named Mordred comes into town. When Mordred relieves that he is Arthur’s illegitimate son, Arthur takes him under his wing. But Mordred has his own agenda. Mordred uses Arthur’s vision against him in an attempt to overthrow him as king. They catch Guenevere and Lancelot expressing their love and drag them to King Arthur where Mordred reminds him about his vision of courts and juries handling matters like this.

A trial is held and the jury decides that Guenevere is guilty of treason and is to be put to death by burning at the stake. One character says, “Your table has cracked, Arthur.” Arthur calls upon Meryln that night: “They forgot justice.” Without justice, the vision of the new kingdom is ruined.

Seeking justice without violence is a major theme throughout the Old Testament prophets. The ancient Hebrews believed that injustice equated the absence of God. The prophet Habakkuk pleas with God about ending the violence and the injustice.  He pleads for God’s presence to be felt, to be known.  God repeatedly responds back that in time things will change. In the gospels the disciples and others long for the day when Jesus will lead them to victory over the oppressive Romans. But the Kingdom that Jesus preached about in the Gospels was a different kind of vision. A vision of peace and all at table.

As in Arthur’s time, the vision requires thinking outside of the boundaries. As such, the vision has been difficult to achieve. But, let us hold on to excited hopefulness for the Kingdom.

Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (2012)

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Carol Channing is possibly one of the most beloved performers of our time. With three Tony Awards and one Oscar nominations, Channing has left a mark on the stage and on the screen. The documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life captures Channing’s career and talent. Dori Berinstein’s biography is not an in-depth character study. Instead it captures the essence of Carol Channing; the stuff that makes her Carol. Berinstein makes use of old archival footage, television clips, and interviews with friends, co-stars, and admirers of Carol’s to tell her story.

Known mostly for her role as Dolly in the 1964 Broadway hit Hello, Dolly and the film Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), the raspy voiced Carol is often viewed as an unlikely star. The personality she was when she hit the stage in Hello, Dolly is the same personality she embodies now at the age of ninety-one. She carried that personality, which some say is who she is, not just a character, everywhere she went—stage, film, television, and on the street.

Channing’s first exposure to the stage was delivering the Christian Monitor, the magazine of the Christian Scientist, in theaters in San Francisco for her parents. She describes walking into the theater at the age of seven for the first time; she says she felt like she was standing on holy ground. At an early age, she found her place in this world. She left that day determined to fulfill the calling she felt that day. And that she did.

For Carol, standing on holy ground was connected to who she saw herself as; her vocation; her calling. We don’t hear people talk about their careers in such a way very often. Unlike Moses standing barefoot before a burning bush, Carol was not hesitant about her calling. She knew that being on the stage was the most comfortable thing for her to be, and she did everything from that point on to gain experiences to fulfill her calling. Carol talks fondly of her father and her teachers supporting her in various school activities.

A surprising amount of the film was spent on her relationship with Harry Kullijan, where the film becomes a love story. Harry and Carol were junior high sweethearts who met seven decades later, after Carol’s failed marriages and the death of Harry’s wife. You can see why they were meant for each other. They coo over each other as they recall stories and memories like love-struck teenagers. In a way the film becomes homage to their romance and friendship.  Kullijan would pass away before the film was released.

As the stories unfold about Carol’s life, it is clear that she is a compassionate and gracious soul. “The heart Carol shows on stage is the heart she shows in real life,” Barbara Walters observes in the film. And that is who Carol is. A gracious soul who stays positive on and off the stage, with a positive outlook and barely a negative word to say about a person.  A model for all of us to live by.

The DVD includes 15 bonus scenes from the cutting room floor that didn’t make it into the film. If you are a Channing film, you are going to want to see these. In one of these, Carol talks briefly about praying before Hello, Dolly started on opening night.

Overall, the film is enjoyable mainly because it does what it needs to, it lets Carol Channing be Carol Channing.

For more movie and DVD reviews, visit my blog on hollywoodjesus.com.

Team Snoopy

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Team Snoopy is a moderate collection of Peanuts cartoons that focus on sports, mainly baseball. The DVD features the 2003 TV short “Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown,” where Charlie Brown painstaking has to decide what to do with Lucy, his committed yet dreadful right-fielder. The DVD also includes an episode from the shortly-lived Saturday morning cartoon show The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show from the mid-1980s. The episode includes Charlie Brown getting stuck as the mascot for Peppermint Patty’s baseball team… as a pelican. While Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin, the rest of the gang visit a bowling alley where Charlie Brown learns a new sport, and finally a cat from the neighborhood meets his match when Spike, Snoopy’s older brother, comes into town.

If ever there was a character from pop culture that embodies the struggles of humanity, it is Charlie Brown. We have all had moments where we felt like Charlie Brown. We can never quite seem to kick that football. We are walking in the shadow of someone else’s charisma. When we feel like a win is coming, the game gets rained out.

In the beginning of the Book of Habakkuk in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament), the prophet cries out to God about all the bad things that are happening. His cries are with a certain level of expectation. As in Habakkuk expects God to do something about it. In essence what he is saying is, “If you are God, you should be able to handle this.” With each crying out from Habakkuk, God responses that Habakkuk needs to wait. “I am doing something,” God says, “it might not be in your time, but it’ll be in my time.” Habakkuk was having a Charlie Brown moment.

In this DVD collection we learn from Charlie Brown the importance of staying in the game. Poor Charlie Brown never seems to get a win. In “Lucy Must be Traded, Charlie Brown,” he does his best to form a winning team, even going so far as to trade Snoopy! But at the end he realizes that winning isn’t that important. We see a Charlie Brown who recognizes that playing the game is more important than winning the game. Charlie Brown seems to adopt the attitude that Habakkuk does at the end of his Book.

Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. (3:17-18)

The lesson of Charlie Brown is that no matter what happens, even though it rains on your ball game; even though you wear an awful pelican costume; even though you… fill in the blank…; even though all of that stuff happens, we can still rejoice and exult and praise God. Why? Because no matter what we’re going through God is still there working in the midst of our struggles in God’s time.

If you’re having a rough day, remember Habakkuk, remember Charlie Brown. Hang in there, stay in the game, rejoice in God’s glory.

For more movie and DVD reviews, visit my blog on hollywoodjesus.com.