The Gospel of John (2003 film)
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The Gospel of John | |
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Directed by | Philip Saville |
Screenplay by | John Goldsmith |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Mirosław Baszak |
Edited by | Michel Arcand |
Music by | Jeff Danna |
Production company | |
Distributed by | ThinkFilm |
Release date |
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Running time | 180 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $10–11 million[1][2] |
Box office | $4.1 million[1] |
The Gospel of John is a 2003 epic film that recounts the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of John.[3] The motion picture is a word-for-word adaptation of the American Bible Society's Good News Bible. This three-hour, epic, feature film follows the Gospel of John precisely, without additions to the story from the other Gospels or omissions of the Gospel's complex passages.
Cast[]
- Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus of Nazareth
- Christopher Plummer as The Narrator
- Stuart Bunce as John
- Daniel Kash as Simon Peter
- Stephen Russell as Pontius Pilate
- Alan Van Sprang as Judas Iscariot
- as Mary, mother of Jesus
- Richard Lintern as Leading Pharisee
- as John the Baptist
- Lynsey Baxter as Mary Magdalene
- Diego Matamoros as Nicodemus
- as Samaritan Woman
- Elliot Levey as Nathanael
- Andrew Pifko as Philip
- Cedric Smith as Caiaphas
- Tristan Gemmill as Andrew
- Stuart Fox as Blind Man
- David Meyer as Lame Man
- as Young Levite
- William Pappas as Elderly Levite
Production[]
This film was created by a constituency of artists from Canada and the United Kingdom, along with academic and theological consultants from around the world. The cast was selected primarily from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Soulpepper Theatre Company, as well as Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre. The musical score, composed by Jeff Danna and created for the film, is partially based on the music of the Biblical period. The film was produced by Visual Bible International. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario, Almeria, Andalucia, and Spain.[citation needed]
Reception[]
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which categorizes reviews only as positive or negative, 37% of 49 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Gospel of John takes a reverent approach to its story without ever bringing it to life, proving that cribbing from the Good Book isn't enough to guarantee a good movie."[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100 based on responses from 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
Criticism[]
While the film is largely a faithful depiction of the Gospel of John, some have commented that the inclusion of Mary Magdalene at the Last Supper has no Biblical citation.[6] However, according to the Gospels, she was one of the women who accompanied Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem, was present at the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus, was the first to whom Jesus appeared at the Resurrection, and was with the disciples in the upperroom after the Resurrection.[7]
See also[]
- The Gospel of John, a 2014 word-for-word film adaptation
- The Visual Bible: Matthew
- The Visual Bible: Acts
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Gospel of John". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "The Gospel of John". The Numbers. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ John F. A. SawyerThe Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture 2012 "Overshadowed by The Passion is British director Philip Saville's The Gospel of John (2003) a film whose text is the Gospel of John, ... The film is narrated by Christopher Plummer, whose authoritative voice makes the text sound like gospel"
- ^ "The Gospel of John". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "The Gospel of John". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "The Gospel of John Movie Review". Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
Some Christians may take issue with Mary Magdalene's silent presence at Christ's last supper with his disciples (it's not noted anywhere in scripture).
- ^ Fletcher, Elizabeth. "Mary Magdalene's story". womeninthebible.net. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
External links[]
- 2003 films
- English-language films
- Biographical films about Jesus
- British films
- Canadian films
- Cultural depictions of John the Baptist
- Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot
- Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate
- Films directed by Philip Saville
- Films scored by Jeff Danna
- Films set in Jerusalem
- Films shot in Almería
- Gospel of John
- Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
- Religious epic films
- Portrayals of Mary Magdalene in film
- Cultural depictions of Saint Peter