Since the remarkable success of the Roma Downey/Peter Burnett produced History Channel miniseries “The Bible,” Hollywood has taken notice and will release a number of Scripturally inspired films in 2014. They include “Noah” starring Russell Crowe, “Exodus” starring Christian Bale as Moses, and “Mary the Mother of Christ.” The first two, have been described as a sort of action-hero film set in The Bible; this may be particularly true as they are major big-budget blockbuster-targeted movies headed by an international star. The last film involves some unknown quantities. “Mary” is directed by a slightly untested Australian filmmaker - with co-writing credits going to two women: Mary Aloe, a rather fascinating lady who heads up her own production company which focuses on faith-based action and drama films; and Barbara Nicolosi, a Catholic journalist, who served as a theological consultant on “The Passion of the Christ.”
The last time Hollywood experienced such a Bible craze was during the mid-1950s to early-60s flowering of the Biblical epic; with the penultimate examples being: “The Ten Commandments” (1956,) “Ben Hur” (1959,) and “King of Kings” (1961.) During that period, traditional values and the family structure were being severely tested for the first time in the modern era with the advent of: television, rock and roll, and the emergence of teen-culture. The impetus for these social phenomena are numerous, including: post-War American affluence, the rise of the auto-nation, and the entrance of women into the workforce. Today, society is continuing to struggle with the effects of technology upon everyday life. The only difference, over the past 50 years, what was once the bulwark of the family has been almost completely denuded and replaced with the feeble replacements of cohabitation, sexual promiscuity, abortion, gang-warfare, homosexuality, and the curious ascent of prescription psychotropics. Instinctively, Man is longing for a relationship with the transcendent that escapes all ties with the earthly and the degraded; we now see this in the popularity of fantasy-driven video games, internet pornography, and the ceaseless need for cyber sharing and social-media chatter. Perhaps, when Man is most lost, he will once again look to the solid foundations of the Judeo-Christian past; and the message which has somehow survived the centuries: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.”