The Bible Dvd Series
Suyay Escarsega
The Bible is a television miniseries based on the Bible. It was produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett[2][3] and was broadcast weekly between March 3 and 31, 2013 on History channel.[4] It has since been adapted as a feature film, Son of God.
Burnett, best known for producing prime-time hit reality shows, considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey after watching Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 film The Ten Commandments for the first time since childhood.
The series covers "Genesis to Revelation" in "one grand narrative,"[1] structured as ten hour-long episodes broadcast in five pairs,[12] with each episode containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery.[2][3] According to Burnett, it included "obvious" stories such as Noah's Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus Christ.[2] Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New.[1] The series is based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.[3]
"Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers," the couple wrote in an op-ed in The Huffington Post. "Instead, we wanted to show how the Old Testament connects seamlessly to the New Testament. How they are one sweeping story with one grand, overriding message: God loves each one of us as if we were the only person in all the world to love."[14]
In May 2011, The New York Times reported that Downey, Burnett and their production team were selecting stories for the series, with production scheduled to begin in 2012 for a 2013 broadcast.[2] The budget for the series was under $22 million.[1] Researchers and theologians were asked to verify accuracy.[2] Academic consultants included Craig A. Evans,[19] Helen Bond, Paula Gooder, Mark Goodacre and Candida Moss.[20] Shooting took place in Morocco and elsewhere.[3]
Burnett and Downey consulted "a wide range of pastors and academics," including their friend Joel Osteen, Joshua Garroway (a rabbi from Hebrew Union College), and a Catholic cardinal.[1] Geoff Tunnicliffe of the World Evangelical Alliance, read each episode's script and visited the set in Morocco: he "wanted to be sure that the final edits would hold together as a singular thematic message throughout the entire series" and "was not disappointed."[21] Another consultant, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, applauded the couple's courage for making the series: "Let's face it, it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood. In fact, when they first proposed the project they were told to try and tell the story without mentioning Jesus. They refused."[22]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 14% of critics have given the series a positive review based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 4.63/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An earnest but shallow take on the Greatest Story ever Told, The Bible suffers from leaden pacing and mediocre special effects."[27] At Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28]
On March 19, 2013, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett offered remarks on the viewership and its anticipated diffusion. He said: "We've realized, on the journey around the country to churches and all over the place, many people cannot afford cable TV. And those people need to see this Bible series. So we're rushing the DVD out April 2nd, also immediately with Spanish subtitles. This is very important. And this is only for America and Canada. Now we're about to start around the world. This will be in every country of the world. More people will see this series than everything we ever made; together, combined. Billions of people will see this series. Billions."[30]
In the introduction to each episode, the message is displayed "This program is an adaptation of Bible stories that changed our world. It endeavors to stay true to the spirit of the Book."[31] Roma Downey stated in an interview, "we had a great team of scholars and theologians helping us, making sure that we told these stories accurately and truthfully".[32] A few of the cases of artistic license that have raised comment include:
There have been claims of a resemblance of the actor in the role of Satan (Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) to then-U.S. President Barack Obama. The resemblance was first pointed out notably by Glenn Beck ahead of the episode's premiere.[39] This led the History Channel to announce:
Burnett and Downey responded in a joint statement that "This is utter nonsense" and that the actor, Mehdi Ouazanni, had previously played Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as president.[40] Downey added separately:
"Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible."[41]
The Bible was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie.[42] The 44th GMA Dove Awards gave a tribute to the miniseries in October 2013.[citation needed] In 2014, The Bible won the honor of Home Media Magazine's Best Miniseries or TV Movie on Disc for the year.[43]
The series became the biggest-selling miniseries on DVD in its first week of release, and biggest on Blu-ray and Digital HD of all time. In its first week on home video, The Bible series sold 525,000 copies. It was the fastest selling television show on DVD since 2008.[46] A Blu-ray version is also available via 20th Century Fox.
Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have also released a novelization of this miniseries, entitled A Story of God and All of Us: A Novel Based on the Epic TV Miniseries "The Bible." It debuted at No. 27 on the New York Times Best-Seller List.[47]
Mark Burnett announced in April 2013 that a three-hour version was being prepared for global theatrical release. He claimed that he has had no distribution arrangements yet, though he could possibly release it himself.[10] In June 2013, Burnett elaborated that the film, which has already been edited, would focus exclusively on the life of Jesus, and would run at two hours and fifteen minutes.[49] In September 2013, it was announced that 20th Century Fox would partner with Burnett on theatrical distribution, currently titled Son of God.[50][51] In October 2013, it was announced that Son of God would be released on February 28, 2014.[52]
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that there would be a follow-up miniseries in 2015, titled A.D. The Bible Continues, also produced by Burnett, Downey, and Bedser.[11][53] The limited series began airing on NBC on Easter Sunday, April 5. It airs in twelve weekly one-hour episodes. The story takes place immediately after the events of The Bible, beginning with the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and continues with the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts.[54][55] On July 3, 2015, NBC canceled A.D. The Bible Continues after one season. However, producers Burnett and Downey plan future biblical productions on their OTT digital channel.[56]
Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor. Learn moreFebruary 14, 2013Share on FacebookShare on TwitterEmail to a friendPrint I was so fortunate to recently attend a screening of the upcoming miniseries, "The Bible, " and was lucky to meet Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and Mark Burnett (Survivor, the Voice) who created the piece. I was moved in so many ways by the message and personal story behind the anticipated new series.
The series is especially important for young Christians who have grown up with films like "the Ten Commandments" but have yet to have a series they can call their own. This isn't an over dramatized documentary like we're used to. Instead, we're given a beautifully done television drama which captures the mystery, love and journey of Genesis through Revelation.
Appropriately, the piece was a product of the love between Mark and Roma who are such an amazing testament to marriage and collaboration. They spoke about how their love and faith journey brought them to make this series. It was simply incredible to watch them share their talents as a couple to glorify God.
You must tune into this series on the history channel premiering on March 3rd, which will run through the Bible beggining to end. Visit there website HERE and learn more about the piece, and view some of the breathtaking clips. Finally, we have a series that lives up to the greatest story ever told.
Over seven weeks, The Bible Series introduces people to the overall story of the Bible. Each week touches on key themes and relates them to universal human needs. In view of this, we recommend inviting guests (in church or online) so that they too can experience the power and relevance of the Bible. A suite of flexible creative resources is available for you to select and use to craft your services. Think of it as a menu and choose what you think will work best in your context.
There are similarities to The Bible Course, but this is a new resource for your whole church to experience the story of the Bible. We recommend hosting The Bible Series as a regular part of your Sunday programme (and mid-week small groups) and then using The Bible Course as a follow-up for those interested in understanding more about the Bible.
You are free to use as many of the resources as you would like. We would however ask you to follow the linear progression of The Bible Series starting with the Introduction to the Bible (Part 1) session and ending with Hope: where is our ultimate home? (Part 7) session to make sense of the story of the Bible.
c80f0f1006