TORONTO, Canada, August 15, 2003 — Gospel of John Film to Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
"The Gospel of John" will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation feature, organizers announced last week. The $17 million, three-hour epic adapts the Gospel of John, the fourth book in the Bible's New Testament, word for word onto the big screen.
Produced by Visual Bible International, the film features a distinguished cast and crew with 75 principal actors and 2,000 extras. Director, Philip Saville (Metroland) is a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award winner, and Executive Producer, Joel B. Michaels (Terminator 3, Stargate) is a 6-time Academy Award nominee. Two-time Emmy Award-winning Canadian, Christopher Plummer, narrates, while British stage actor, Henry Ian Cusick, takes on the role of Jesus.
The Toronto film festival began as a low-key event for local film buffs when it began nearly 30 years ago. Since then, it has grown into one of the world's top movie showcases.
Accuracy and Authenticity
The film strives to be accurate and authentic in every respect. To that end, a panel of expert academic advisers were on hand during filming.
Throughout the process, the crew worked to recreate the Book of John in meticulous detail. Sets in Spain and Toronto were designed with materials and decorations appropriate to first century Judea, costumes used only fabrics of the era, even the musical score incorporates instrumental sounds of the period.
Peter Richardson, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and Chair of the internationally renowned Advisory Committee, believes that moviegoers will leave the theatre with an extremely accurate impression of life in the time of Christ. "I really think that (the creative and production team) have caught the atmosphere better than I would ever have dreamed that they could do it," he told Bible Network News in April.
While most other films about the life of Jesus amalgamate the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, allowing for plenty of leeway in producing a screenplay, this film adheres strictly to just one account. And The Gospel of John doesn't stop there. It draws word for word on the Good News Translation of the Bible.
The Good News Translation, produced by the American Bible Society for the United Bible Societies, "seeks to state clearly and accurately the meaning of the original texts in words and forms that are widely accepted by people who use English as a means of communication," it reads in its foreword. "It attempts... to set forth biblical content and message in the standard, everyday, natural form of English".
Relying on a well-known, contemporary translation helps both to ensure that the production stays true to the Bible and to make the film more easily understood by today's moviegoer.
"The entire company is committed to maintaining the highest possible degree of integrity and quality to its biblical productions," states Dr. Steven C. Small, Chaiman of the Board at Visual Bible International. "We believe that this, the first in a long series of word-for-word biblical films, will be very well received by the world Christian faith population. Through this visual medium we intend that our product will offer a wonderful experience and enhanced understanding and appreciation of the Bible."
More on the way
"The selection of The Gospel of John (as the basis for a film) made sense, given its dramatic portrayal of historical Jesus," says Richardson. "This Book illustrates the wide variety of ways in which the biblical revelation appears in written form, including narratives, biographies, apocalypses, letters, hymns, wisdom sayings and novels, among others."
The Gospel of John is just one of a series of films planned by Toronto's Visual Bible International. In time, the firm hopes to film every book of the Old and New Testaments, with each film having a limited theatrical release before going to DVD for distribution as an educational resource for Christians.
The company plans to release a new production every nine months or so, with The Gospel of Mark next on the docket.
"Our production team has a passion for this project that will translate into the film adaptation and which we think will appeal to all denominations, both Christian and non-Christian," Dr. Small stated. "In addition to the highest integrity, we are determined to bring the highest possible quality to our films."
Visual Bible has previously produced films for the home viewing market based on the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Acts. All of Visual Bible's planned series of films will be word-for-word adaptations of the Books of the Bible, produced for the global Christian faith community.
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