Religion: 30

In the Beginning (2000), an American biblical miniseries directed by Kevin Connor, follows the journey of Abraham’s tribe in their travels and challenges. Originally airing on NBC, this narrative takes place around 2000 B.C. As depicted in Genesis 12, God instructs Abraham and his followers to leave their country for a new land promised to be rich and bountiful. To uplift his followers during their journey, Abraham shares a sermon summarizing God’s creation of the universe. Through the use of stock footage and special-effects shots, the producers aim to connect ancient sermons with modern ...

Joseph: King of Dreams(2000) is an American direct-to-video animated biblical musical drama film. The only one of its kind to be produced by DreamWorks Animation. Joseph, the youngest of Jacob’s eleven sons, was considered a ‘miracle child’ due to his mother Rachel’s supposed infertility. He becomes conceited from his father’s special treatment, much to the resentment of his older half-brothers who long for acceptance. After having a dream about wolves attacking their flock, Joseph’s second dream depicts his brothers bowing down to him. Upon sharing this with them, they conspire against him – led by Judah – and sell him ...

The American made-for-television Biblical drama film, Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999), shares the story of Jesus from his mother’s perspective. While not all events depicted in the film can be found in the New Testament, it highlights Mary’s significance in Jesus’ life. For instance, it suggests that his parables were inspired by stories told to him by his mother during his childhood. Additionally, the film portrays the risen Jesus appearing to Mary privately. In the closing scene, Mary encourages the disciples to continue spreading Jesus’ teachings and emulating his love and way of life even after his death.

The animated musical drama film, The Prince of Egypt (1998), was created by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. In the land of Ancient Egypt, the Hebrew people who were enslaved prayed to their God for deliverance. Pharaoh Seti feared that the growing numbers of Hebrews could lead to rebellion, so he commanded a mass infanticide of all newborn Hebrew boys. Yocheved, along with her two children Miriam and Aaron, quickly made their way to the Nile River. There, she placed her newborn son in a basket on the water while singing him a final lullaby. As the basket floated towards Seti’s palace, Miriam followed and watched as her brother was ...

The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2007), a popular British sitcom, originally aired on BBC One from 1994 to 2000 and has since had several specials, with the most recent airing in December 2020. Set in the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley, the show centers around a female vicar named Geraldine Granger, who is assigned to the village after changes in the Church of England allowed for women to be ordained in 1993. The lead role is played by Dawn French. With its Christmas and New Year specials ranking in the UK’s top 10 programs of the year, it is considered one of the most successful British programs of the digital era. Created by

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) is an epic adventure drama directed by Héctor Babenco, based on Peter Matthiessen’s 1965 novel. Two explorers, Lewis Moon and Wolf, are stranded in Mãe de Deus (Portuguese for ‘Mother of God’), a remote outpost deep within the Brazilian Amazon River basin, when their plane runs out of fuel. The local police commander has his own agenda: he wants to relocate the nearby Niaruna tribe to avoid conflict with gold miners moving into the area and to appease the provincial government. To achieve this, he makes a deal ...

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), an epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader with contributions from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, is based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ controversial 1955 novel of the same name. The film depicts Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter living in the Roman client state of Judea, struggling with conflicting desires and his understanding of God’s plan for him. ...

Jesus of Nazareth (1977) is an epic film and television drama serial. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d’Amico, it tells the story of Jesus’s birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. In the screenplay writing process, additional scenes were added for a more concise and dramatic presentation. Some characters, like Zerah, were also included for the same reason. Notably, Judas Iscariot is portrayed as initially well-intentioned but later manipulated by ...

The American epic religious film, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), recounts the Biblical tale of Jesus from his birth in Nazareth to his Ascension. It was produced and directed by George Stevens. A group of wise men (Magi) travel from Asia to Jerusalem after seeing a bright star, hoping to find the prophesied newborn king. King Herod is alerted of their arrival and is told about a Messiah mentioned in prophecies. Remembering that Bethlehem is the predicted birthplace, Herod sends the Magi there to confirm the child’s existence but secretly sends guards to keep an eye on them. In Bethlehem, they find Mary and ...

Léon Morin, Priest (1961) is a French drama film helmed by director Jean-Pierre Melville. The story is based on Béatrix Beck’s award-winning novel The Passionate Heart. Set during the Occupation of France, the film follows Barny, a single mother residing in a small town in the French Alps with her daughter France. To make ends meet, Barny works as an assignment corrector for a Parisian correspondence school that has relocated to their town. Grief-stricken by the loss of her Jewish husband in the war and lacking sexual satisfaction, she finds herself drawn ...