Promising Idea Ends Up on Cutting Room Floor
Jesus Ride
Jesus Ride
Presented by: Deux Ex Productions
Writer: Mike Schlitt
Director: Nancy Keystone
Summary:
100 years of Hollywood and 33 films starring Jesus as seen by Michael Schlitt, a former post-production manager at Sony.
What starts as a promising idea about looking at how Jesus is portrayed by the film industry morphs into a personal platform for a sermon about the hypocrisy of believers. triggered, apparently, by a personal negative experience Schlitt had while working on “The Revolutionary,” a virtual-experience film about Jesus produced by Trinity Broadcasting Network.
He shows some very brief clips from the films (there's a humorous clip of John Wayne as a Roman soldier) and talks about them a little, but is more interested in taking some jabs at TBN and believers in general (he might be shocked to find that all Christians don't behave hypocritically and don't all even watch TBN, which surprisingly, Schlitt tells us he watches a lot).
"People actually believe this stuff is real," he says as clips of a charismatic healing service are shown
A non-practicing Jew, who assures us many times during the program that he does not believe in God, Schlitt opines about how people “push back the darkness,” and portrays Christians as people who believe all Jews will go to hell and teach that Jews are bad because they killed Jesus. “No one knows what eternity looks like, but we all have to make it through the day,” he says.
What does all this have to do with Jesus and Hollywood? Some, to be sure, but not enough to justify an hour-and-20-minute diatribe. We’re left feeling like we didn’t see the show advertised. I had looked forward to Schlitt’s insights about the Jesus movies based on his expertise in the film industry, as well as his playwrighting and acting credits. Those were obscured by another agenda, however.
Highlights:
• There are some interesting facts about the film industry and a few amusing anecdotes.
Lowlights:
• Already expressed in the summary.
Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• A clip from a pornographic film about Jesus is shown
Fringe Tassels Awarded: 1
VENUE #18: HERE Arts Center - Dorothy B. Williams Theater
See it again Tue 25 @ 7:45 Sat 29 @ 3:15
Writer: Mike Schlitt
Director: Nancy Keystone
Summary:
100 years of Hollywood and 33 films starring Jesus as seen by Michael Schlitt, a former post-production manager at Sony.
What starts as a promising idea about looking at how Jesus is portrayed by the film industry morphs into a personal platform for a sermon about the hypocrisy of believers. triggered, apparently, by a personal negative experience Schlitt had while working on “The Revolutionary,” a virtual-experience film about Jesus produced by Trinity Broadcasting Network.
He shows some very brief clips from the films (there's a humorous clip of John Wayne as a Roman soldier) and talks about them a little, but is more interested in taking some jabs at TBN and believers in general (he might be shocked to find that all Christians don't behave hypocritically and don't all even watch TBN, which surprisingly, Schlitt tells us he watches a lot).
"People actually believe this stuff is real," he says as clips of a charismatic healing service are shown
A non-practicing Jew, who assures us many times during the program that he does not believe in God, Schlitt opines about how people “push back the darkness,” and portrays Christians as people who believe all Jews will go to hell and teach that Jews are bad because they killed Jesus. “No one knows what eternity looks like, but we all have to make it through the day,” he says.
What does all this have to do with Jesus and Hollywood? Some, to be sure, but not enough to justify an hour-and-20-minute diatribe. We’re left feeling like we didn’t see the show advertised. I had looked forward to Schlitt’s insights about the Jesus movies based on his expertise in the film industry, as well as his playwrighting and acting credits. Those were obscured by another agenda, however.
Highlights:
• There are some interesting facts about the film industry and a few amusing anecdotes.
Lowlights:
• Already expressed in the summary.
Christians might also like to know:
• Language
• A clip from a pornographic film about Jesus is shown
Fringe Tassels Awarded: 1
VENUE #18: HERE Arts Center - Dorothy B. Williams Theater
See it again Tue 25 @ 7:45 Sat 29 @ 3:15
--Lauren Yarger
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