Derek (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I consider Derek Jarman's films some of the greatest of film output from Great Britain. I'm a fan of avant garde films and Derek's are some of the best. So, to say the least, I was incredibly eager to see this documentary. It did not disappoint! Tilda Swinton does an amazing job as the host/narrator of this documentary. The first 10 minutes or so are done in an avant garde style and may put some people off. However, once it gets past that, the documentary is quite cohesive and tells the amazing story of Derek Jarman's life and films. Incredibly lush and full of interesting tidbits about Derek and his films. I highly recommend this for any Derek Jarman fan, Tilda Swinton fan or fans of avant garde cinema.

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The Bible Collection (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought all of these 6 DVDs separately because I did not know that they came as a set, at a better price! I paid about $15 each, about $90 total, and I do not regret owning them all, but I would have jumped on this set if I had known about it!
Most of these DVDs are very interesting and faithful to Scripture. SAMSON & DELILAH is the weakest of these 6 DVDs, as it spends too much time on non-scriptural characters. ABRAHAM covers many scenes of the 40 year wandering rarely seen on DVD. JACOB is pretty close to Scripture. JOSEPH is great, but it spends a bit too much time rewriting the narration to allow for Ben Kingsley's Potiphar role to expand. I have not yet watched DAVID, but I look forward to Leonard Nimoy's appearance in the film.
Most of these films are 3 hours long, presumably they were mostly all short mini-series when they originally ran on TV. I think only JACOB is about 90 minutes, of the 6 DVDs in this set. You can read about each DVD as they are all sold separately on amazon.com.
All of these 6 DVDs have major TV network, made-for-TV quality, and I am quite surprised and pleased that these movies are so good. I do not know of any better series of Bible stories on DVD.
There is another Box Set available, THE BIBLE SERIES BOX SET, which has 3 other DVDs of this series of movies. JEREMIAH is my favorite of all 9 movies. ESTHER is great, and perhaps the most faithful to Scriptural accuracy and chronology of all 9 movies. SOLOMON is the only 3 hour DVD in this smaller Box Set. There is a GENESIS in this Box Set, but it is not a dramatized movie, just a narration of the book of Genesis, while modern day nomads are shown going about their daily routine. GENESIS is a disappointment and very UNLIKE the other 9 movies, so much so that it doesn't even seem to be part of the same production series.
Bottom Line: I highly recommend that anybody buy both of these box sets, and they will save about 50% over buying each DVD separately! Praise the LORD!

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Abraham (The Bible Collection) (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)As previously mentioned in reviews of other films of this genre, I teach ancient civilizations to middle schoolers. For this reason, I am always looking for good films of the Biblical era, and this is certainly one of the best!
Richard Harris portrays old Abraham as the fallible human being that he surely was. Barbara Hershey (Sarah) is equal to the challenge of becoming a woman who, even in her advanced years, maintains a beauty which can entice a Pharaoh of Egypt.
The research production crew of Abraham certainly did their homework. As an ancient Sumerian, Abraham was part of a thriving and wealthy culture, which invented everything from schools, to surgery, to a codified law system. They were even the formulators of astrology, which the film skillfully sites as Abraham draws the signs of the zodiac in the sand for Isaac to learn. Probably an offensive moment to Biblical purists, but nevertheless--realistic and accurate.
The Mesopotamian custom of producing a son through the wife's handmaid is handled with accuracy and tact. Relevant in light of today's Arab/Israeli conflict is the fact that this custom produced the Arab race extant today, while the children of Sarah's son Isaac became the Hebrews.
Another piece of excellent background the film delivers, is the covenant-making ceremony in the presence of the king's 'Divine Right' to rule. The scene in Haran is exceptionally well done--right down to the Sumerian's penchant for bargaining.
The animal sacrifice is handled with welcome reserve. So too, is the custom of midwifery, and how grief-stricken Sarah must've felt if she-childless, indeed did deliver so many children.
If there is any complaint with the film, one might be the portrayal of Isaac as a young teen when he was being prepared as a sacrifice by his father. Isaac was no doubt somewhat older than this according to Biblical chronology.
I shall long remember the reaction of my students to this impending sacrifice--especially from those who did not know how the story would end!
Another complaint might be the Pharaoh showing Sarah a pyramid, as if this was a new thing in Egypt. In reality, by Abraham's time, the main pyramids were several hundred years old.
In summary, this version of the Abraham is right up there with the best of the films in this genre (see my other reviews). I feel only the Joseph story is better.

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Item Name: Abraham (The Bible Collection); Studio:Turner Home Ent

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