Christ ’s influential apostle who started as a persecutor of Christians
PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST
Available on digital 11th June and DVD 16th July. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Starring Jim Caviezel and James Faulkner, with one female role in the saga, this story features an exciting piece of Christian history portrayed by actors in costumes which have taken some detailed research and preparation, not ignoring the actual location providing shooting which is impressive and adds to the characterisation as the plot unfolds. The film was mainly made in Malta and the convincing underground prisons and craggy rocky terrain sometimes close to the sea brings the viewer into this historical drama with rare conviction and charm. Paul (James Faulkner – Downton Abbey) is imprisoned by Romans under Emperor Nero’s rule and Luke (Jim Caviezel “The Passion of the Christ”) goes to visit him, risking his life in the process. As in many films about the origins of Christianity, there is no lack of conflict, blood, violence and trauma which is a reminder of the trials and tribulations the people following Christ went through at the outset of Christianity. Sometimes it is nice to be given more of the honey and less of the vinegar though of course, all Christians know Jesus was crucified, rose again and we wear the cross in memory of what the Messiah did to save us all. So true to the story, conflict in these dramas tends to pervade. Originally Paul was an enemy of Christ and then became one of his apostles. Portrayed as a wiry tanned older man with a thick grey beard and a balding head, he is gradually seduced into a love of all things Christian and related to Jesus. There is much drama about the crucifixion and the risen Jesus when Paul is free to live outside the confines of his captors again.
The film is written and directed by Andrew Hyatt (“Full of Grace”,” The Last Night”) and he is said to have done it, “faithfully following the scriptures”. The film also features Joanne Whalley (“Willow”, “AD The Bible Continues”) as Priscilla and Olivier Martinez (“The Physician”) as the Roman Guard Mauritius Gallas and John Lynch (“The Secret Garden”) as Aquila.
Affirm Films has released numerous quality faith-based films and this is no exception. Other films released by Affirm include “Risen”, “Heaven is for Real”, “When the Game Stands Tall” and “War Room”. In partnership with Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures, Affirm films released “The Star” on November 17, 2017, the story of the first Christmas from the perspective of the animals in the stable.
With the DVD comes deleted scenes, and in The Living Word section, “Paul’s Letter” showing the wisdom of Paul’s words spoken by James Faulkner which bring to light the power of faith. In one of the three featurettes, viewers can see the beautiful timeless scenes of Malta, where they created first century Rome. The unwavering friendship is spoken about by Jim Caviezel and James Faulkner as they discuss the evolution of their characters. http://www.sonypictures.com
Penny Nair Price