The Bible (2013/History)

[Ophiucha]

Please do not start a religious debate or make an inane quip about how 'the Bible is a fantasy book' in this thread. We don't need to start an argument; this is just about the TV show.

An epic mini-series on the History Channel is airing this month. It is a highly condensed retelling of Biblical events, both the Old and New Testament. Last night's episode included the birth of Christ, with the next few weeks detailing his life (and death/rebirth). It is glazing over a lot of the stories in favour of hitting all of the 'high notes' - Noah, Moses, David & Goliath - but it does have a lot of great writing and characterization in it, plus it gives a nod to most of the Biblical stories it's skipping over. It's definitely on the lower end of the budget, but they really make the best of it and the effects are pretty good all things considered. The acting is a mixed bag, though.

The one thing I really like about it as its cohesive-ness. The Bible is a bit hard to follow as a narrative, as some of the books are little more than listings of laws and many stories are repeated. Sometimes stories of the same man are split up by a couple hundred pages. But the TV show sort of tells it all as one, continuous, massive time-spanning story from the Fall to (I assume) Revelations. Which is pretty cool.

 

[CupofJoe]

I probably won't get to see the show [being in the UK and all]. The show definitely sound epic in scale...
There are some great stories in the Bible or in their retelling. I have "The illustrated Ben Hur" in my pile to to-be-read-next...

 

[Alexandra]

I watched snippets of the first two episodes; the cast is far too uniformly pretty and clean. There's no excuse for making these mistakes in contemporary costume dramas.

 

[Black Dragon]

I've really been enjoying it. It's rare to see a film of this nature that is 1) very well made and 2) not heavy-handed or preachy.

As a writer, I've also enjoyed seeing how they weaved the entire tale into one cohesive narrative. And they've taken these old stories and have given them a fresh interpretation, with a heavy emphasis on characterization.

Also, there's tons of action and at times shocking violence, which is actually true to the source material.

 

[Mindfire]

I've just started watching it. And I find it interesting, although I can't help but wonder why Noah has a Scrooge McDuck accent, or how on earth the dark-skinned peoples of earth could have descended from a lily-white Adam and Eve... I have some other gripes too about the animals they have in the ark and how Abraham doesn't even look close to Middle Eastern, and the list goes on, but I'll just suspend by nitpickiness. Or at least try.

 

[Zero Angel]

I watched snippets of the first two episodes; the cast is far too uniformly pretty and clean. There's no excuse for making these mistakes in contemporary costume dramas.

I think it's called "artistic license" and they probably would make no excuse for it other than wanting things to be pretty and clean...

 

[Lucas]

For the bible to be filmed in a good manner, put a non-christian or agnostic at the directorship. The Bible could be amazing as a fantasy series, though a bit more on the "low fantasy" scale compared to the Norse tales. David & Solomon is Game of Thrones material.

 

[Mindfire]

For the bible to be filmed in a good manner, put a non-christian or agnostic at the directorship. The Bible could be amazing as a fantasy series, though a bit more on the "low fantasy" scale compared to the Norse tales. David & Solomon is Game of Thrones material.

>_> Something tells me that would go all kinds of wrong.

 

[Alexandra]

I think it's called "artistic license" and they probably would make no excuse for it other than wanting things to be pretty and clean...

That's probably true but artistic licence has likely been used to justify a plethora of artistic errors. Squeaky clean peeps in a dusty, dirty, occasionally violent time just doesn't work for me. Tis known khaleesi

 

[Lucas]

>_> Something tells me that would go all kinds of wrong.

Like this one?

Deleted by moderator.

 

[Ophiucha]

Come on, guys, it's in big bold letters at the top. Don't make this a thread about the Bible, the book. You can discuss it in terms of how tastefully and accurately it was adapted into this TV show, but let's not get into a debate about its merits.

 

[Zero Angel]

Like this one?

What the heck is that?

 

[Sheriff Woody]

I'd much rather have a documentary on the subject instead of some kind of narrative.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

FYI to all posters on this thread:

I removed all links to that survey. I see no logical reason for its inclusion. Further, it referenced a giveaway for completion of that survey, which to me, is spam.

Secondly, please keep all conversation directed towards the media (writing, TV, film, etc.) without referencing personal opinions or judgments of real-world religions. Discussion of religion is fine until it veers into the realm of religious debate. Therefore, comments on religion should not be geared towards, or imply, any content that could incite religious debate.

It's all part if respecting other Scribes.

Thank you.

 

[Zero Angel]

Is Lucas real?

 

[Mindfire]

Is Lucas real?

I checked out his post history. Unless spambots are getting super-sophisticated, he looks real enough.

 

[Xaysai]

I've watched 2 episodes of The Bible (the one where Moses parts the red seas, and the one with Daniel in the lions den), and as a fairly staunch atheist, I found them to be surprisingly enjoyable.

 

[CupofJoe]

It looks like we in the UK can get to see it - but probably not for a few months [but who knows when Autumn will start in this country...]

Channel 5 wins rights to US hit 'The Bible' - TV News - Digital Spy

 

[Black Dragon]

Also, I forgot to mention one of the best things about this series:

An amazing, original soundtrack by Hans Zimmer!

 

[druidofwinter]

I am currently watching it and think it is pretty good. it is great that it is on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! the parting of the red sea was epic!