View from the Pew
A look inside Hawaii's houses of worshipBy Mary Adamski
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This is the time of year that some church groups show copies of the 1979 Warner Brothers film "Jesus" depicting the inspiring and horrible events in Christ's last days on Earth. It's been translated into umpteen languages and distributed widely by conservative Christian churches which find it word perfect to Luke's Gospel.
A locally produced film depicts
the story of Jesus coming to
Central America in 33 A.D.I'd never given a thought to how a non-Christian moviegoer, who might have sought out a costumed cast-of-thousands extravaganza as entertainment, could have been bewildered by the insider stuff in all those once-popular biblical epics. Especially when everyone else knew the plot and was hanging on every word to be sure it matched their script.
Last weekend's Laie premiere of "Testaments" put me in that position. It, too, is a dramatization of Jesus' life-teaching, death and resurrection. But the events in Israel circa 33 A.D. were counterpoint to the main story line, which unfolded somewhere in Central America at the same time.
Around me in the packed house, people sniffled, sighed and murmured as the exotic drama was played out exactly as they knew it. The story of a small band nurturing the faith of their Middle Eastern ancestors while they lived outnumbered by native American pagans was basic to the beliefs of at least 95 percent of that first-night crowd.
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They were having a religious experience while I was relaxed in an Indiana Jones-watching mode, trying to take in the Mayan-style pyramid skyline, the busy, colorful marketplace, the secret cave where the written records brought from ancient Israel were stored. Seeking out local faces and Kauai scenery was part of the fun, as it is with any locally made movie. And it was indeed relaxing -- no Indy-style pits of horrors or high-speed tests of reflexes, and even the villain was suitable for a general family audience.To be honest, whatever inspiration I might have experienced from watching the brief but touching vignettes of Christ's words and miracles was dimmed because I just don't like an actor's face to come to mind when I think of Jesus.
No offense meant to the Danish actor in this version, I feel that way about all of the above. It took me years to purge the dour visage of Max Von Sydow from "Greatest Story Ever Told."
It crossed my mind that tourists who wander into the IMAX theater at the Polynesian Cultural Center for the 65-minute show will be confused by the juxtaposition of Holy Land and tropical rain forest, robe-wrapped Jews and befeathered Indians. If those uninformed viewers emerge from the big-screen experience with questions ... aha, the movie is a success.
"The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd" was produced under direction of the top hierarchy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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In these days of multimedia worshipping enhancements, it is a cutting-edge proselytizing tool for this church, which has one of the most aggressive missionary programs going. The movie has been shown for nearly two years at the church's information center in Salt Lake City.The story of Christ coming to the Americas appears in the Book of Mormon, which LDS members believe is as important as the Bible.
The book, which no other Christians recognize, is key to Mormons' belief that Jesus' teaching went awry after his apostles died, said Marcus Martins, head of the Brigham Young University-Hawaii religion department. Only when Joseph Smith received revelations and founded the LDS church was divine authority restored, Martins said. They believe the divine gift of prophecy continues in the church today.
Before the hordes of unbelievers can even get into the 600-seat theater, the movie has a 50,000-plus instant audience lining up. It is the buzz in the local Mormon community, and families and congregations are making group reservations.
"This will be one of the most memorable evenings of your life," the first-nighters were told by Mark Willes, former president of the Times Mirror Co. and publisher of the LA Times, who is now president of the church's Hawaii missionary-training program. "This is a film about the Savior who taught ... that we are to do things to the benefit and blessing of others, not to our own credit." In that spirit, no acting or production credits are shown on the film.
Al Harrington played a leading role, one of several local actors in the show. He and director Kieth Merrill, who won an Oscar in 1974 for a feature documentary, are Mormons. Both told media interviewers that the effort of using their professional skills to portray their religious beliefs was a profound spiritual experience for them.
The movie will be shown free at 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, plus at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays. Reservations must be made by calling 293-3117.
RELIGION CALENDAR
Mary Adamski covers religion for the Star-Bulletin.
Email her at madamski@starbulletin.com.
