The Flood Film Project: 2004 Update
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Author: David Buckna |
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Movies have an important impact on our society. From the first movies ever made, to today's blockbuster hits, films shape our ideals and reinstate our values. If there was a movie that had a profound impact on your life, get a vintage film poster to remember it by. Original vintage movie posters are a great gift idea for those die-hard movie fans; vintage film posters are also a way for you to bring a little piece of film history to your home! |
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In view of the recent success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, the
headline above Seattle Times movie critic Moira Macdonald's March 19 column
asks the obvious question: "Will the success of 'The Passion' beget other
biblical films?"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2001882583_jesus19.html
I. GIBSON LOOKS TO OLD TESTAMENT FOR INSPIRATION
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-02-19-gibson-main_x.htm
[snip]
Gibson says another page in the Mad Max saga "was on the table at one
point" but no longer, largely because of budget disputes. Instead, he says,
he wants "to take a little while and digest all this and see where I
am."
He adds that most of the ideas he thought about while filming The Passion in
Italy were other Bible stories, particularly Old Testament staples featuring a
demanding God. If Gibson proves he can make money turning them out, who's to
say this couldn't be the new direction for his Icon Productions?
[snip]
[Note: Gibson has gone on record as expressing interest in the story behind the
Jewish holiday of Hanukkah < the revolt of the Maccabees.]
II. THE PROBLEM WITH BIBLICAL MOVIES
Gibson said March 16 on The Sean Hannity Show: "This is to me the whole
problem with biblical movies, particularly this story [The Passion of the
Christ] ... one never got the idea that it was anything more than a fairy tale.
It was as if you were looking through a wrong end of a telescope and it didn't
seem real at all. And that was because it was kind of glossed over and
sanitized, and I believe going for the reality of it is what gives it its
power. It's believable now."
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37630
III. MAKING IT REAL
The objective of "making it real" is exactly the intent and mission
of Flood Film Project (FFP) personnel, who are convinced the same idea applies
to the story of Noah and the Flood. The FFP has undertaken a task of truly
biblical proportions--to develop a major motion picture about the Flood, as
recorded in Genesis.
In the "About Us" section of the website (http://www.floodfilm.com), the Project Plan
declares: "The Film Project exists to fulfill a mission. The MISSION is
the production of a quality action drama film on Noah's Flood that is both
biblically and scientifically accurate, reflecting the universal flooding
(Genesis 6-9) of a Young Earth in accord with Exodus 20:11."
While there are compelling scriptural reasons for concluding the Flood covered
the whole Earth: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/4104.asp
many theists think of it as a fairy tale, allegory or an ancient embellishment
about a local flood near the Black Sea.
Russell D. Moore, Executive Director of the C.F. Henry Institute writes:
"So many evangelical children's Sunday school classes are translating
biblical texts into a baptized version of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood of
Make-Believe. Jesus' calling of the twelve is about the fact that 'Jesus had
friends.' Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and the fish is about the idea
that 'Jesus wants you to share.' Noah's Ark is now about responsible care of
pets. The children are then called on to emulate the biblical 'characters' in
being good boys and girls. Previous generations had a term for Bible study like
this. It was called 'Protestant liberalism.' And, in case we don't remember, it
didn't lead to anything good."
http://www.henryinstitute.org/commentary/read.php?article=20040315
IV. GIBSON'S VIEWS ON EVOLUTION
It is worth noting that Mel Gibson has discussed his views of evolution
publicly.
>From a July 1995 interview:
Q: Do you believe in Darwin's theory of evolution or that God created man in
his image?
GIBSON: The latter.
Q: So you can't accept that we descended from monkeys and apes?
GIBSON: No, I think it's bull----. If it isn't, why are they still around? How
come apes aren't people yet? It's a nice theory, but I can't swallow it.
There's a big credibility gap. The carbon dating thing that tells you how long
something's been around, how accurate is that, really? I've got one of Darwin's
books at home and some of that stuff is pretty d--- funny. Some of his stuff is
true, like that the giraffe has a long neck so it can reach the leaves. But I
just don't think you can swallow the whole piece.
***
Regarding giraffes, Gibson should read:
http://www3.telus.net/csabc/Giraffe.html
The Giraffe: A Favourite Illustration of Evolutionary Theories
As Gibson doesn't believe in human evolution, one can assume he believes Adam
and Eve were real individuals -- a belief shared by billions of people of
various faiths worldwide. And if that's indeed the case, then it also follows
Gibson believes Noah and his family were real individuals.
Gibson is not alone: 60% of Americans believe the story of Noah's Ark is
literally true:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040216-113955-2061r.htm
February 17, 2004
Most Americans take Bible stories literally
By Jennifer Harper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
God's creation of the Earth, Noah and the flood, Moses at the Red Sea: These
pivotal stories from the Old Testament still resonate deeply with most
Americans, who take the accounts literally rather than as a symbolic lesson. An
ABC News poll released Sunday found that 61 percent of Americans believe the
account of creation in the Bible's book of Genesis is "literally
true" rather than a story meant as a "lesson." Sixty percent
believe in the story of Noah's ark and a global flood, while 64 percent agree
that Moses parted the Red Sea to save fleeing Jews from their Egyptian captors.
The poll, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points, was conducted Feb. 6
to 10 among 1,011 adults.
[snip]
V. MORE BIBLICAL FILMS EXPECTED
http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/24/news/companies/christ_movie/
"I do expect a Noah's ark film and a Revelations film down the pike pretty
quickly after this," said David Mumpower, president of Box Office
Prophet.com, which forecasts and tracks movie revenue. "A Ten Commandments
remake isn't outside realm of possibility."
*
Perhaps Mel Gibson and his producer Stephen McEveety, or directors who have
previously filmed a sea adventure, such as Steven Spielberg ["Jaws"]
and James Cameron ["Titanic"], will avail themselves of the
groundwork done by the FFP group, and contact them for a collaborative effort
to make such a film a reality--unlike the disappointing 1999 NBC "Noah's
Ark" miniseries starring Jon Voight. See: http://www.rae.org/nbcnoah.html and http://www.rae.org/noahtrash.html
VI. CURRENT ACTIVITIES OF FFP
In mid-March FFP contacted a professional screenwriter (whose projects include
doing script-doctoring on Mission Impossible II). The writer is reviewing and
considering doing a "SCRIPT TREATMENT" -- the industry norm for what
is often presented to prospective participants, such as producers and private
investors -- from the voluminous notes and pre-writing done by the FFP team. Of
course the entire movie needs to be scripted, with a solid story and characters
of depth, but as the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day.
FFP has also contracted an artist to put together a visual overview of what
such a film would do well to include. The artist is working on about 20 line
drawings of key scenes to give a visual image of the ideas generated by the FFP
team.
Scores of scientists who are associated with a wide range of creationist
organizations are very excited about the vision for a truly biblical film on
Noah and the Flood: John Woodmorappe (author of Noah's Ark: A Feasibility
Study), Donald DeYoung, Michael Oard, and many others are already "on
board", and have offered their expertise as technical advisors.
Once a script treatment is completed, FFP personnel desire to meet with
producers, directors, studio heads and private investors, in order to pitch
this idea, possibly as early as this summer.
As an aside, on March 18 Earth's closest brush with an asteroid in recorded
history occurred at 2:00 pm. Pacific Time/5:00 pm EST. It was 30 meters in
diameter and passed within 42,000 km of the planet. FFP is considering the use
of what might be called an "impact scenario" as an element of the
story.
In 2003, MensHealth.com asked in a survey: "If you could go back in time
to witness one historical event, which would it be?" After two biblical
events--the Last Supper of Christ (27%) and the parting of the Red Sea (19%),
the third choice was "the meteor that killed the dinosaurs"(15%). FFP
has a FAQ at the website (www.floodfilm.com)
explaining that dinosaurs would have been destroyed during the Flood, except
those that went on the Ark. After the Flood they were unable to thrive in new
climate conditions and likely pushed to extinction by humans. See also: http://www.rae.org/dragons.html
Imagine a movie that has elements of science-fiction (Deep Impact, Armageddon,
Jurassic Park), a love story (Romeo and Juliet), historical epic (Spartacus,
Gladiator), a survivor aspect (Mad Max, Waterworld), and sea adventure (Master
and Commander, Titanic) all blended together. Such a film would be very
successful, the mother of all disaster movies.
Just as people are leaving the theater feeling "stunned" after seeing
The Passion of the Christ, people leaving the theater after seeing the Noah's
Ark film are sure to feel "stunned" as well: For the first time in
their lives, overwhelmed with the realization that a worldwide Flood may have
actually happened.
Some may recall the tagline that appeared for the first Superman movie
(1978):"You'll believe a man can fly."
Imagine a similar tagline:
"The waters flooded the earth for 150 days." (Genesis 7:24)
You will believe...
VII. SUMMARY
In summary, to present the story of Noah and the Flood as the Bible describes
is the goal of FFP. Stay tuned for further updates to this page.
VIII. ADDITIONAL LINKS AND INFORMATION
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37630
'THE PASSION' UNLEASHED
Gibson convinced 'evil all around us'
*
The coming religious 'Passion' of Hollywood
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37683
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This page last updated 3/31/2004
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