100 Bible Films

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

100 Bible Films

Author:

Matthew Page

Publisher:

British Film Institute (a division of Bloomsbury Publishing)

https://www.bfi.org.uk/

Publication Date:

June 2, 2022

Format:

Hardcover

Length:

232 pages

OVERVIEW

The first Bible story ever filmed was the Höritz Passion Play in 1897. Since then, hundreds of Bible films have appeared every year, from parodies like Monty Python’s Life of Brian to controversial new takes like The Passion of the Christ. Matthew Page explores 100 historic Bible movies—some classics, some notorious, but all groundbreaking in their own way. He offers a short look at what made each of them distinct and what they can offer viewers today. Most of these films can be found on DVD or streaming (in the introduction, Page talks about limiting himself to movies that can be found through at least film archives if not through other channels). But that many are niche, creative movies that take some digging—which makes it all the more fun once viewers find them.

Page aims for variety here, with an emphasis on whether each movie works than on how orthodox the content is. Since he’s particularly interested in how Bible films are a means to discuss the period when they were made, he includes many movies that were shocking but used the genre to address social concerns of the time. So, he includes devout movies like The Greatest Story Ever Told, perhaps the most self-serious movie about Jesus ever made. He also includes movies like The Garden, gay activist Derek Jarman’s arthouse movie that intermingles the crucifixion story with a narrative about a gay couple. He includes close Bible adaptations like The Gospel According to St. Matthew, famous for using the gospel’s text nearly verbatim. He includes loose adaptations like The Book of Life, which takes Revelation and imagines Jesus appearing at the turn of the millennium.

That being said, Page doesn’t try to take an amoral view of each movie. He’s careful to point out moral flaws that some of these movies feature. Early Bible movies that downplay Roman slavery too much, or some of the unfortunate pre-WWII German movies that make Jesus look as Aryan as possible. In each case, Page makes his objections clear, keeps his points short, and leaves readers to ponder what they think about each movie.

An intriguing look at a wide range of movies, a great resource for people with different opinions to discuss the Bible and entertainment. There is something here to entertain, educate, or offend pretty much everybody, challenging everyone to consider what they truly want when they watch a Bible movie… and whether that’s what the filmmaker had in mind. Definitely not a guide for picking the least offensive Bible movies for the whole family. But a great guide for adults wanting to have conversations about great Bible films and what they believe Bible films are supposed to do.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 Stars):

Five stars

Suggested Audience:

Christians seeking an intelligent, accessible discussion about the many different ways that Bible movies have been made for decades, and the many goals that the filmmakers have aimed for.

Christian Impact:

While Page doesn’t delve much into his own spiritual journey, he consistently emphasizes why Christians should consider what makes good art. From that angle, the book can be seen as an argument for understanding how to make other movies that are true, lovely, and beautiful—even when the true part means covering some mature, complicated content.

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