The Bible produced by Mark Burnett (The Voice, television) and his wife actress Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel, television), has begun to air on the History Channel. As a ten-hour, five-part, mini-series, it is to continue on Sunday evenings through Easter as a lovely television gift to viewers.
The first episode, aired March 3, had strong impact as high-quality film. There were some liberties with details of the story, but the primary story was fairly intact. The actors were good, although the dialects of the British Isles were somewhat distracting. The British English variations, however, gave a sense of a classic story better than American English would for sure. The cinematography was good and the special effects impressive.
Burnett said he and his wife Roma Downey, both Christians, had been developing ideas for a redemptive project for about four years. They settled on working with The Bible, which Burnett called a highly debated book. Burnett and Downey have been impressed by the Truth of the Bible and its ongoing influence on art, culture and history.
Burnett and Downey worked with about 40 religious leaders, academics and theologians of all denominations as consultants. They used a blend of biblical translations, while staying with the premise that the Bible is 'the absolute truth.'
They have alerted viewers with a note before each episode that their television series takes poetic license: "This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the book."
The series features the following: Diogo Morgado as Jesus Christ, Roma Downey as Mary the Mother of Christ, Darwin Shaw as Peter, Paul Brightwell as Malchus, Greg Hicks as Pilate, Sebastian Knapp as John, and more. See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2254092/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm#cast .
For an interview with the producers, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q91psZYYP60 .
Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback Church, and Focus on the Family, among others, support this series.
There are many joining Burnett and Downey in producing epic, high-quality, redemptive movies that are life and faith affirming. See The Prodigal Film, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194242/, Ruth, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2625342/combined, and others on this Examiner site..
For further information, contact me, Dr. Diane Howard, at dhoward@vvm.com or visit my Web site at http://www.dianehoward.com.
See ongoing work on professional, epic, redemptive movies on my Pro Films Facebook site, https://www.facebook.com/groups/profilms13/ .
See recent publications, http://dianehoward.com/Dr_H_sample_publications.htm.
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