The Gospel of John (film)
| The Gospel of John | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Philip Saville |
| Produced by |
Garth Drabinsky Chris Chrisafis |
| Written by | John Goldsmith |
| Starring | Henry Ian Cusick |
| Narrated by | Christopher Plummer |
| Music by | Jeff Danna |
| Cinematography | Mirosław Baszak |
| Edited by | Michel Archand |
| Distributed by |
Visual Bible International THINKFilm |
Release date | 26 September 2003 |
Running time | 180 minutes |
| Country |
United Kingdom Canada United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Box office | $4,068,087 [1] |
The Gospel of John is a 2003 film that is the story of Jesus' life as recounted by the Gospel of John.[2] It is a motion picture that has been adapted for the screen on a word-for-word basis from the American Bible Society's Good News Bible. This three-hour epic feature film follows John's Gospel precisely, without additions to the story from other Gospels, or omission of complex passages.
Production
This film was created by a constituency of artists from Canada and the United Kingdom, along with academic and theological consultants from around the world. The cast was selected primarily from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Soulpepper Theatre Company, as well as Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre. The musical score, composed by Jeff Danna and created for the film, is partially based on the music of the Biblical period. The film was produced by Visual Bible International.
Cast
The film is narrated by Christopher Plummer and stars Scottish-Peruvian actor Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. Others cast include British actors Stuart Bunce (John), Richard Lintern (Leading Pharisee), Scott Handy (John the Baptist), Lynsey Baxter (Mary Magdalene), and Canadian actors Diego Matamoros (Nicodemus), Stephen Russell (Pontius Pilate), Daniel Kash (Simon Peter), Cedric Smith (Caiaphas) and Nancy Palk (Samaritan Woman).
Directors and Producers
The film was directed by Philip Saville and co-produced by Canadian producer Garth Drabinsky and British producer Chris Chrisafis.
Executive producers were Sandy Pearl, Joel B. Michaels, Myron Gottliel and Martin Katz
Other Critical Contributions
Also involved were screenwriter John Goldsmith, production designer Don Taylor, sound mixer David Lee, makeup artist Trefor Proud, costume designer Debra Hanson, and director of photography and film editors Miroslaw Baszak and Michel Arcand.
The filming production was shot in Toronto, Ontario, and Almeria, Andalucia, Spain.
Criticism
While the film is largely a faithful depiction of the Gospel of John, some have commented that the inclusion of Mary Magdalene at the Last Supper has no Biblical citation. However, according to the Gospels, she was one of the women who accompanied Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem, was present at the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus, was the first to whom Jesus appeared at the Resurrection, and was with the disciples in the upperroom after the Resurrection. Thus, like many modern movies about Jesus, the producers are faithfully attempting to help their audience see what the Gospel writers sometimes have not included. [3]
See also
References
- ↑ The Gospel of John at Box Office Mojo
- ↑ John F. A. SawyerThe Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture 2012 "Overshadowed by The Passion is British director Philip Saville's The Gospel of John (2003) a film whose text is the Gospel of John, ... The film is narrated by Christopher Plummer, whose authoritative voice makes the text sound like gospel"
- ↑ http://www.womeninthebible.net/women-bible-old-new-testaments/mary-magdalene/