Community / Calendar

Film

7:00 pm

“A series of films and forums exploring the various representations of Jesus—from the reverential to the controversial—on the silver screen.”

Brainstorming began among the State Theatre Film Collective of a film or collection of films to pique the interest of community movie-goers. At this time it was shortly after Easter and the thought of religion in film was brought to the table. There are many community members that are interested in the topic of religion.
    All thought it was a very thought provoking topic that many are interested in, with a lot of films to choose from. There are many important questions around the figure of Jesus. The theatre is a perfect place to be able to feature some selected film and house discussion with speakers from many backgrounds. Considering the figure of Jesus through film is interesting because you are not simply seeing Jesus through the Gospels, a minister, or even scholars. Instead, you have a very full vision that often will reflect as much upon the context in which the film was made as it does upon the person of Jesus. At the same time, the various depictions of Jesus in film can often give us new insight into the figure of Jesus.
  The four films were chosen because they represent four rather disparate views of Jesus. In the first movie (The Gospel According to St. Matthew) we have a fairly traditional and somewhat literal rendering of the Gospel of Matthew to film. The two films in the middle, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Life of Brian, obviously offer very different perspectives. The first gives us a glimpse into the character of Judas while rendering the entire Gospel story into a modern rock opera. The Life of Brian is of course a humorous send-up of religious movements in general, but also offers quite intelligent commentary on Christianity. Finally Mel Gibson’s The Passion received an incredible amount of attention when it was released. Not all of it was unwarranted, but we believe the film deserves further consideration. It came under significant criticism for its graphic depiction of the torture of Jesus and crucifixion and his charges of anti-Semitism were leveled against it. With our panel of scholars and local clergy we hope that we can develop and foster a constructive conversation around this important figure.
  We think these movies will appeal to a broad audience, not just those sitting in pews or congregations but also film buffs and cultural critics among us.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation
Nominated for 6 Golden Globes in 1974 including Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy, Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy and Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy

Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Ted Neely, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen

    An innovative example of modern techniques in moviemaking, this famous rock opera depicts the last week of Christ’s life. Norman Jewison (“Moonstruck”; “In The Heat Of The Night”) directed this thrilling adaptation of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, starring Ted Neeley as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas Iscariot. Among the classic songs in the film are “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Hosanna,” and “King Herod’s Song (Try It and See).” The song score was nominated for an Academy Award.

Details

COST: $5*, $3* for students, *box office fee included
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: The State Theatre
WEBSITE: http://www.thestatetheatre.org