"Quo Vadis?"
Year of manufacture: 2001
Country: Poland, USA
Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Starring: Pavel Delong, Magdalena Melzaz, Boguslav Linda, Michal Bajor, Jerzy Trela and others.
The most expensive film in the history of Polish cinema. The film is based on the cult novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz and tells about the first period of the spread of Christianity. On the throne, Nero is a murderer, comedian, arsonist. Christians are crucified on crosses, thrown into cages with wild animals, turned into “living torches,” but they believe in Christ. A film with an extraordinary ending - the Apostle Peter returns to another Rome.
My strength is in weakness: the pros and cons of the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ”
Everyone knows that the Church does not recommend working on Sundays and major holidays. And this is not just a ban for the sake of a ban. We want to preserve the feeling of the Divine presence, the closeness to Heaven that we receive during the Liturgy for as long as possible and not spill it with everyday routine activities and worries. And although each of us is required to be at our workplace on a working day, the evening, as a rule, is free. And we recommend dedicating this evening of the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul to watching a new feature film - “Paul, Apostle of Christ.”
It's no secret that lately Hollywood's interpretation of biblical stories has caused bewilderment at best, and indignation bordering on anger at worst. The reinterpretation of the Holy Scriptures in the spirit of the “spiritual” quest that is fashionable today, which American scriptwriters offer us, actually does not contain anything modern. Therefore, I did not expect anything good from the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. And I was wrong.
Evangelist Luke in the film was played by Jim Caviezel, known for the role of Christ in Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ"
The plot, in principle, is quite simple and is mostly borrowed (in some places literally) from the book of Acts, some texts of the Apostle Paul and Christian Tradition.
The events of the film take place in Rome in 67 AD and tell about the last days of the life of the once Saul, and now the Apostle Paul. It is known that he suffered martyrdom during the reign of Emperor Nero, who accused Christians of setting fire to the Eternal City (the arson itself and the events surrounding it are beautifully described in Henryk Sienkiewicz’s book “Camo is Coming”).
According to the plot, Nero throws Paul into prison, where his faithful disciple and colleague on the second missionary journey, a doctor named Luke, arrives to him, who writes the Gospel from the words of the apostle. The warden of the prison, Mauritius, learns about the meetings of these two followers of Christ and plans to use the situation to regain the favor of the emperor. I will not spoil or retell the plot further, but I would still like to draw attention to some points.
The budget, by today’s standards, is absolutely “meager” - only five million dollars, which, by the way, almost immediately paid off more than four times. But despite this, the film’s cast is pretty good. Judge for yourself. Jim Caviezel, known for his role as Christ in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, played Luke. Downton Abbey star James Faulkner, who also appeared in Game of Thrones, played the role of the Apostle Paul. Joanne Whalley, who played in the TV series “Our Era. Continuation of the Bible,” embodied the image of Priscilla. And Olivier Martinez, known for the TV series “Texas Rising,” played a prison guard. How the director and producers managed to persuade all these people to take part in the filming of a film with such a limited budget is unknown. Especially when you consider that the scenery and some scenes in the film are so believable that they allow you to fully experience the atmosphere and setting that the authors of the film tried to recreate. Just look at the episode in which Christians are burned as lanterns in Nero’s garden!
The external surroundings are fully consistent with the acting of the actors, who performed their roles at the highest level. Also worth noting are the costumes and cinematography.
As for the philosophical component of the picture, there is something to be said here too. Roman society, as portrayed by director Andrew Hiatt, is painfully reminiscent of modern society - the same thirst for money and entertainment, lack of interest in life and the very meaning of life. The Romans do not understand that the power that came from the East is capable of destroying it and creating a new world in which there will be different values and different foundations. A handful of weak (physically) and poor (materially) people have what all the powerful and rich of this world do not have - faith and convictions. And it is faith and conviction that ultimately defeat rich and seemingly indestructible human pride. It seems that Hiatt is warning modern society and at the same time giving it hope - you can only be saved in Christ and with Christ, and even if your head is cut off, this does not mean that you have lost.
Downton Abbey star James Faulkner as Apostle Paul
In addition, I would recommend paying special attention to the dialogues, which, despite their apparent simplicity, are quite deep in meaning and content.
Naturally, there are also points that look both completely wrong from a historical point of view and too controversial from a theological point of view. It primarily concerns a dispute between Christians over whether to rebel against Rome, and scenes in which Christians attempt to free Paul from prison by force of arms. Yes, today something similar could happen, but then...
The fact is that Christianity won precisely because it offered a completely different view of the world, and the words of the Apostle Paul “my strength is made perfect in weakness” illustrate this perfectly. At the same time, we can remember that already at the beginning of the 2nd century, some zealous Christians wanted to free Ignatius the God-Bearer from prison and help him avoid martyrdom. But nowhere is it said that they proposed to do this with the help of a sword, and secondly, the saint himself forbade them to do this. Not only because bloody reprisals against enemies are not the Christian path, but also because he sought martyrdom, which was perceived as the great mercy of God. Therefore, we will not find any hints, even the slightest, that the ancient Christians were preparing an armed uprising in any literary source.
Another disadvantage of the film is its unclear plot. At the very beginning of the film, the viewer is made to understand that the time that describes the events taking place is very dangerous for Christians. However, it is only in the second part of the film that it becomes clear where the plot is going, what its premise and main message are.
Of course, in the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ” there are many times more positive moments than negative ones. And most importantly, it seems to me that he is able to move a Christian to a deeper study of his faith, especially the New Testament texts, and he is able to move an unbeliever or non-Christian to ask the right questions, on which the correct answers largely depend. The film is brutal (it's not easy to watch people burn alive or children go to their deaths in the Coliseum), but it tells the truth about what happened. And most importantly, he talks about Christ, because ultimately, the story is about Him, and not about Paul...
"Apostle Peter and the Last Supper"
Released: 2012
Country: USA
Director: Gabriel Sabloff
Cast: Robert Loggia, Bruce Marciano, Ryan Alosio, Sarah Prickle, David Callaway, Leon Milas, David Collier and others.
The young soldier Martinian is guarding an unusual prisoner. He is old, weak, his earthly journey is coming to an end. And just before execution, the condemned man tells the guard the story of his life from a simple fisherman to a devoted and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. How does a soldier feel when he realizes that he is the last guard of the Apostle Peter himself?
"Apostle Paul: Miracle on the Road to Damascus"
Released: 2000
Country: Italy, Czech Republic, Germany
Director: Roger Young
Cast: Johannes Brandrup, Thomas Lockyer, Barbora Bobulova, Ennio Fantasticini, J.W. Bailey, Giorgio Pasotti, Franco Nero, Daniela Poggi, Umberto Orsini, Christian Brendel and others.
The worst enemy of Jesus Christ becomes one of the most important evangelists of the Lord's teachings. “...for it is written that those who had no news of him will see, and those who have not heard will know...” What was the Apostle Paul like in life and what changed the consciousness of the persecutor of Jesus, making him a saint?
The film “Paul, Apostle of Christ”: how reliable is the story shown. Christian Media Review
“Next to Jesus, no one played a more important role in the growth of the early church than the apostle Paul,” said Affirm Films executive director Rich Peluso. “He wrote most of the books of the New Testament and walked more than 10,000 miles preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
On March 23, 2021, the world premiere of the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ” took place. Starring James Faulkner (Paul) and James Caviezel (Luke). Has director Andrew Hiatt succeeded in bringing the biblical story to life? Here's what the Christian media thought of the film.
Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Friday, March 23, 2018
Plot
The story of the life and death of the Apostle Paul, who went from a merciless persecutor of Christians to one of the founders of the Christian church. His last missionary journey ends in prison, where he was imprisoned by order of the Roman Emperor Nero. While the captive Paul awaits execution and ponders his posthumous fate, his follower Luke writes a new Gospel.
Movieguide:
Paul, Apostle of Christ is a profound, inspiring film about Paul's final days in a Roman prison.
The film has a powerful cast. Jim Caviezel, known for his role as Christ in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, plays Luke this time. Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey star James Faulkner played Paul. Joanne Whalley, who played in the TV series “Our Era. Continuation of the Bible”, played the role of Priscilla. Olivier Martinez, best known for Texas Rising, a series about the fight for Texas independence in 1836, plays a prison guard whose daughter is terminally ill but who refuses to go to Christians for help.
We are called to forgive, just as God has forgiven us.
See PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST, in theaters this weekend! Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Tuesday, March 20, 2018
The acting is excellent throughout the film. This is truly one of the best films about Jesus Christ, his disciples or early Christians . Also, despite some exceptions, the script is brilliantly written and beautifully weaves in several passages from the Book of Acts and other books of the Bible, and the plot benefits from the use of many passages from Paul's epistles or letters. Finally, the second and third acts lead to an inspiring, exciting, and profound conclusion and climax that encourages viewers to learn more about the New Testament, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the meaning of the Christian faith, and how to live the Christian life.
Probably the biggest flaw of the film is that the premise and plot in the first part are not entirely clear. So while the film makes it clear from the beginning that this is an extremely dangerous time for Christians in Rome, it is not until the second half that the film really reveals what direction the plot is actually going in and what the film's premise and core message is.
See the story of the most influential apostle come to life on the big screen!
Tickets for PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST are available now! -> paulmovie.com/site/theaters Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Monday, March 19, 2018
Roger Patterson and Tim Chaffee, Answer Genesis:
Although the film centers on the life of Paul, we clearly hear the message about Jesus. When Paul talks about his life, he has nothing to boast about except his weakness. Instead of being a valiant and powerful leader, Paul is a humble and meek servant to all those who look up to him. He does not rely on his own strength, but sheds light on the power of God and the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
Whether it's with a friend who doesn't know Christ, your family, or a group of friends from church or neighbors, you won't regret watching this movie . Undoubtedly, he will provide many topics for conversation. Believers can discuss the issue of persecution and suffering in the lives of Christians. Unbelievers will find hope for redemption even from the most sinful past. The message of hope in Christ is presented differently in the film for everyone. And if you are not filled with hope and maybe even cry at the final scene, then I don’t know what will stir your soul.
Witness this powerful story of love.
See Paul, Apostle of Christ in theaters today! Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Sunday, March 25, 2018
David Criswell, Christian Answers:
One of the film's controversial events is when Christians argue among themselves over whether to rebel against Rome, including a scene where some Christians raid a prison, killing the guards, in an attempt to save Paul. Naturally, the authors assumed that the Christians of Rome were no different from those of today, but the student of biblical history knows that Rome changed precisely because the early Church had a unique view of the world that may not have been shared by another generation since then. por. They welcomed martyrdom. Some even looked for him. True, the majority undoubtedly feared this, but there was no hint of an armed uprising of Christians in ancient times. Even the enemies of Christ recognized the passivity of the early Church.
In Christ, we are made new!
See this powerful story of redemption in theaters this weekend. Get your tickets now! Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Saturday, March 24, 2018
Consequently, the rebellion scene was a little hard for me to swallow, but I can't entirely blame the writers for that since their goal was to show Paul's unshakable faith that Christ is the Victor in all things. He doesn't need our help.
In most other aspects the film is faithful to history . Christians are used as human torches, persecuted and tortured. Pavel is not quite what I imagined him to be. I paid attention to only one real theological question; it sounded unobtrusive and yet remained unanswered. In the first scene of the film, Paul looks up to heaven and asks, “Is this all there is?” This attempt to portray a doubting Paul may stem from the writer/director's Catholic roots, or it may simply be a poor attempt to show Paul's struggles in the midst of persecution and set the stage for the rest of the film.
However, I am glad to say that Paul never appears further in this light. On the contrary, he affirms again and again that “the grace of Christ is sufficient.”
Overall, I recommend the film "Paul, Apostle of Christ." It's not exactly a thrilling film, but it is uplifting and moving. Made on a relatively small budget by Hollywood standards, the film outdid itself in depicting Paul in his dying days, declaring, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
We must finish the race and keep the faith.
See PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST, in theaters today! Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Friday, March 23, 2018
Michael Ordona, Common Sense Media:
While attempting to create a suspenseful plot and highlight the bloody persecution of Christians, this biblical drama only briefly addresses its main theme. Viewers see only the end of the life story of Paul, the Apostle of Christ. He is essentially a supporting character whose previous life as a persecutor of Christians is conveyed in brief, elusive flashbacks. According to the biblical story, he is blinded by God, then opens his eyes to a new life as a Christian proselyte. The filmmakers did not address the human reasons for these choices, but instead presented an almost self-contained story of the jailer and the possibilities of his own change. Like other modern biblical films such as The Passion of the Christ, Paul, Apostle of Christ focuses more on violence than redemption . This is quite a cinematically executed piece of work: the production, costumes and cinematography are all beautifully done. And it boasts a veteran cast.
Luke will not rest until Paul's story is recorded for future generations of believers.
See Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie in theaters today! Posted by Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie on Monday, March 26, 2018
Paul Asay "Plugged In":
It's perhaps quite obvious that the editors at Plugged In will undoubtedly praise Paul, Apostle of Christ and call it a "good" film filled with Christian themes and a positive message. But this is true.
But let me go even further.
Paul, Apostle of Christ is a well-made, moving film with a strong cast and an absolutely magnetic transformation from James Faulkner, who plays the title character.
As more and more Christian films set sail, let me say to all the other filmmakers out there: This is how it should be done.
It must be admitted that the film "Paul, Apostle of Christ" is not for everyone. At times it can be brutal, desperate and borderline horrifying: it is not easy to watch living people burn like torches, or watch children march to their deaths in the arena of the Colosseum.
On the cover there is a photo screenshot from a video on YouTube
INVICTORY is now on Youtube, Instagram and Telegram!
Want the best content delivered straight to your favorite platforms? We prepare for you reviews of new films, interesting podcasts, breaking news and useful tips from ministers on popular platforms. Many materials are published only on them, without even getting to the site! Subscribe and be the first to receive the most interesting information!
"Friends of Jesus - Thomas"
Year: 2001
Country: Italy
Director: Raffaele Mertes
Starring: Ricky Tognazzi, Roberta Armani, Hannes Janicke, Mathieu Carriere, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Denny Quinn and others.
Free interpretation on the Gospel theme. At the center of the story is a doubting apostle. Thomas is looking for the body of the teacher in order to bury him; it seems to the apostle that this is his only mission on earth. The film is about hesitation and devotion, about the fact that, no matter what, you can remain human in any situation if you love and believe.
