The History of Bible Movies
2014 was called “The Year of the Bible Movie” and I discovered a fascinating site called “Bible Films Blog” focused on the history of Bible films. It’s a very interesting resource, and includes some of the earliest films on the life of Christ, including “From the Manger to the Cross” from 1912. Back on the eve of the Millennium, I directed a global TV special that featured a music video with Michael W. Smith singing “To The King Eternal” and we shot the video in an abandoned warehouse and projected scenes of “From the Manger to the Cross” on the brick walls.
The video was very effective, and it created a real passion to explore how Christ has been portrayed over the years on film. Some cheesy, some good, but these early films are really fascinating. Check out the Bible Films Blog list. Chances are, the list is longer than you think…
My favorite Bible film is the mini-series, “Jesus of Nazareth,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli also directed my favorite movie of all time, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon.” It is a beautiful portrayal of the life of Francis of Assisi and has an awesome sound track by Donovan. The film vividly shows how Francis gathered people together in participatory, community-style fellowships where each person considered others better than himself. http://stevesimms.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/st-francis-practiced-participatory-church/
I need to re-watch that movie in HD. It was a beautifully shot film.