The Bible: The Epic Miniseries (4-Disc DVD Set) $6.99

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This 10-part miniseries meets the overwhelming challenge of bringing the story of the Bible to film in a way that embraces modern technology and makes the stories seem relevant and fresh to today’s audiences. The Bible was truly a project of passion for executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. By focusing on hope and love as the string of continuity throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, Burnett, Roma, and the writers and filmmakers have created a powerful series about a historical text that’s at once action film, adventure, and even love story. The many stories included in this presentation include those of Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, the birth of Abraham’s son Isaac, Moses’s parting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Mary’s conception of Jesus and his birth, the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spread of Jesus’s word through his disciples. Each of the 10 episodes is powerfully rendered–the subject matter is by nature moving, and the costuming, special effects, settings, and filming choices are fitting and realistic. The performances of the entire cast are stirring, but special recognition is deserved by Diogo Morgado for his performance as Jesus, Downey as Mother Mary, Darwin Shaw as Peter, Joe Wredden as Judas, and William Houston as Moses.
The best thing about this miniseries is that it functions so well on three very disparate levels: it serves as an affirmation of faith and a bringing to life of a beloved story for the devout, a reminder and re-igniter of faith for those raised in faith who may have strayed from religion, and an overview of the Bible’s stories and a catalyst for faith for those who may never have been exposed to the Bible. One hesitates to characterize the series as “highlights of the Bible” because the moniker trivializes the subject (though Downey calls it just that), but indeed the film views like a “highlights of” in the best sense of the phrase: it offers an overview of most of the major, as well as some of the minor events related in the Bible and conveys a strong sense of the emotion, faith, devotion, and even fervor that has driven religious belief for thousands of years. The Bible: The Epic Miniseries is well crafted and powerfully delivered and it absolutely lives up to its professed desire to preserve the true spirit of the Bible. Special features include lots of interview footage with Burnett and Downey on a variety of subjects; featurettes on the Genesis and Creation segments of the series, casting, music, and special effects; and a “Mary, Did You Know” music video composed of visual excerpts from the film set to the 1996 recording by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna. (Ages 13 and older due to graphic violence) –Tami Horiuchi