Biblical Night Part ll: Rise Of The Opposition And Thirst For Vengeance

Tonight's marathon continues where last Mondays left off. To give a quick recap of what happened with last Mondays marathon for those who didn't get a chance to read the previous blog for biblical night part l, that one centered around the birth of two major deliverers. Their names are Jesus of Nazareth and Moses. We followed the story arc of Mary and Joseph giving birth to Jesus and fighting to protect their son from the clutches of King Herod, who wished to seek out the child and have him killed. We also saw the relationship between Moses and Rameses as brothers in Prince of Egypt, and a more wider scope of Moses remarkable achievement as deliverer of Egypt in Cecil Be Demile's The Ten Commandments. Moses mission was completed with leading his people out of bondage and where we left Jesus in Franco Zeferelli's powerful miniseries, he had just begun his teachings. Tonight's marathon centers around the formation of the twelve disciples, and Jesus performing such great miracles as raising people from the dead such as Lazarus and his redeeming of Mary Magdeline from prostitute to believer. We also follow the story arcs of two men who have been betrayed by the system and those closest to them, and at the same time have a thirst for vengeance. We have on our menu for this evening:

                       Jesus of Nazareth 1977 Part ll, Gladiator 2000, and Ben Hur 1959

With these three movies together back to back, everything is bigger, and more action packed than last week. This one carries with it a lot more weight and really shows the determination that these three men such as Jesus of Nazareth, Maximus, and Judah Ben Hur have in achieving their goals and standing against the system that is hell bent on breaking them and the ones they love. We begin the evening with part two of Franco Zefferelli's critically acclaimed miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. In this second act of the epic story on the life of Christ, Jesus begins to assemble his group of disciples while performing such great miracles as raising a little girl from the dead, making a crippled old man walk again, turning a few pieces of bread and fish into baskets full of food for thousands of people to eat, and ultimately ending with his greatest miracle ever recorded: The raising of Lazarus from the dead. Other story arcs that are covered in part two of this remarkable series is John The Baptist being the prisoner of King Herod ll, and being faced with the realization that a new leader is on the rise who has the potential to overpower him. He also is faced with having to kill John The Baptist in a cowardly way to fulfill his adulterous ways. The character of Mary Magdeline is introduced played by Anne Bancroft who finds herself drawn to Christ, and feels that he is the only man who can wipe away her sins as a prostitute and give her a second chance. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the perfect finale to part two as it goes in line with the theme that Jesus is becoming a figure that people not only worship but ultimately fear. The second movie in this incredible lineup is Ridley Scott's Oscar winning epic titled Gladiator. Winner of five academy awards and winner of twelve, this roman theater epic focuses on a loyal Roman general played by Russell Crowe, whose betrayed by his emperor's corrupt son leading to his family being murdered and him becoming a slave. His anger and thirst for vengeance empowers him to come to Rome as an acclaimed Gladiator to seek revenge for his families murder. Great performances from Russell Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix, and Connie Nielsen bring this epic storyline to life along with fantastic scenery, great cinematography, and a remarkable score from the legendary Hans Zimmer. Gladiator remains the defining swordsman and roman epic of the 21st century with a storyline that screams out Ben Hur. There is no perfect lead into the story of Ben Hur than Gladiator. Winner of eleven academy awards including best picture, a feat that has only been matched by two other films in movie history such as Titanic and Return of the King. Ben Hur tells the story of two great friends, one of them a Roman general, and the other a Jewish Prince who reunite as friends after years of not seeing each other, however their friendship ultimately ends when they both realize they are on the opposite sides of the system. One believes in God and the messiah, the other pledges his loyalty to Rome. When the Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by his Roman friend and family is put into prison, he seeks to regain his freedom and come back for vengeance. Charlton Heston won an academy award for his powerful portrayal of a man who got the rugged pulled from under him but never once loses his faith in God, and neither his thirst for revenge. This is essentially the Empire Strikes Back of the Biblical nights story arc.

Our heroes for this evening: