An engaging visual interpretation

The new movie The Gospel of John is best described by the name of the organization that created it: Visual Bible International. It is, literally, a “visual text” that transposes every word of the Gospel of John into a new medium, film. Because of that it is more like a docu-drama than a movie.

Does it work? Absolutely. It portrays a Jesus who is energetically joyful about His message and His calling. That is reason alone to recommend this movie without reservation.

The other delight is the experience of actually seeing, not only hearing, biblical interpretation at work. The movie adds more than the visual world as it has been imagined behind the text of the Gospel. It also interprets Jesus in a remarkable way. The long speeches in John’s gospel, for example, are not simply monologues, but creative encounters that reflect genuine emotional engagement. In some of the speeches, Jesus even addresses several different groups within the crowd – something that the gospel text does not always tell us. Although the film is faithful to every word of the Gospel text, it adds to the text in surprising and delightful ways.

That strength of The Gospel of John is also its greatest weakness. As with any film, a Jesus film needs a good script as well as creative transposition from script to film. Since all the speaking in this three-hour film is word-for-word from the Good News Bible text, the movie never allows the viewer to forget that the script is primary and the visual is secondary. Unlike most excellent movies, the viewer cannot “get lost” in the world presented on screen. The voice-over narration interrupts the viewer’s experience and keeps the characters and the viewer in separate worlds. But that limitation is overshadowed by Christopher Plummer’s crisp narration, and by Henry Ian Cusick’s genuinely human portrayal of Jesus.

This film is an engaging way to experience the Gospel. It reflects a carefully recreated first century environment, and its characterization is delightful. The special features disc includes a variety of resources, from commentary by biblical scholars to an interactive map of gospel events. The three-DVD set (available from gospelofjohnthefilm.com) should be in every church library as a resource for all ages.

Gordon Matties is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg. One of his courses is “Film and Faith.”