MOVIE REVIEW 'Gospel' vision doesn't compromise

The movie doesn't skimp on authenticity.
By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
It's unlikely that "The Gospel of John" will ever be confused with Mel Gibson's upcoming "The Passion of the Christ."
For starters, this three-hour word-for-word translation of the fourth New Testament gospel was produced by Toronto's faith-based media company, Visual Bible International, so there aren't any movie stars in front of -- or even behind -- the camera.
Furthermore, nobody involved with this production felt obliged to serve up ultra-gory Crucifixion scenes for the sake of cinematic "realism," and Jewish activist groups won't be picketing theaters showing it.
Sounds pretty boring, huh?
Hardly.
"The Gospel of John" might lack the hype and obvious selling points of "The Passion of the Christ," but no one will ever accuse it of being dull.
Uncompromising
Directed by British film and television vet Philip Saville, "John" has the same purity of vision and uncompromising approach to its source material that master filmmakers like Manoel de Oliveira and Eric Rohmer brought to such literary adaptations as "The Valley of Abraham" and "Perceval."
In Biblical-movie terms, "John" most closely resembles Pier Paolo Pasolini's ultra-reverent, bare-bones 1966 Italian masterpiece, "The Gospel According to St. Matthew." Anyone expecting a Cecil B. DeMille-type special effects extravaganza is bound to be disappointed.
Like John's Gospel, Saville's movie presents a version of the Christ story that might seem vaguely new even to believers. Conspicuously absent are the Nativity, the Sermon on the Mount, and other well-known benchmarks of "the greatest story ever told."
"John" hits the ground running with Jesus being baptized and never pauses to take a breath.
The rest of the film, like the text itself, is comprised of significant events in the adult Jesus' life: clashing with the Pharisees in Jerusalem; changing water into wine at Cana; raising Lazarus from the dead; etc.
Narration
Christopher Plummer eloquently delivers the nonstop voiceover narration. Instead of sounding like a Sunday School lecture, it actually enhances the overall experience by serving as counterpoint to the lush visuals. John's exceptionally poetic language sounds quite beautiful when read aloud, and British theater actor Henry Ian Cusick's superb performance as Jesus makes the Gospel's numerous lengthy speeches dynamic rather than dogmatic.
Although clearly made on a tight budget, the producers didn't skimp on authenticity. A panel of experts were consulted on period clothing, architecture, even musical instruments, and that diligence pays off in spades. Also, the Spanish locations do such a convincing job of impersonating the Holy Land setting that only someone who has traveled extensively in the Middle East would be able to tell the difference.
Since premiering at last fall's Toronto Film Festival, "The Gospel of John" has been in almost continual release.
Thanks to its Scriptural fidelity and painstaking craftsmanship, the movie has evolved into a quiet grassroots phenomenon, selling out performances in cities across America. This might not be the "sexiest" new release of the weekend, but it's certainly the most unusual and uniquely compelling.
XWrite Milan Paurich at milanpaurich@aol.com.