MOVIE: Noah

[aicirt]

Yes, I got a vey pro-life message from it.

Still hated the rock people.

I wouldn’t have thought up the “TRANSFORMERS”/Rock people either. But they apparently redeemed themselves and God is merciful. (Guess they’ll have a harder time with the audience.

God told Adam and Eve to take care of his Garden and His creatures. Noah does just that. Like all in the Bible, Noah is not without flaws. He gets drunk and naked and brings shame upon himself when the boys find him. The director takes his flaws to the direct opposite of Noah’s original disposition. He now condems his very own. Personnally, I can be sympathetic to his plight. He has seen too much, the chore of building the Ark has been arduous. He snaps but not to the point of doing the deed.

All of this is conjecture on the part of the producer who is a Jew and, supposedly, an atheist. I don’t agree with the being an atheist. But as a Jew, he sees things differently than a Catholic. But he conveys that life, ALL life, is precious.

Considering we’ve done 60million abortions in the US, a Princeton prof continues to advocate the killing of kids up to three years of age, children can opt for euthanasia in Belgium, and there might be death panels here in the US, I think his message, like the Bible’s, goes against this trend. Thank GOD for that!

Abraham was willing to slay his beloved son because God told him too. God stopped him. Noah had to draw on his own sense of right and wrong based on God’s teachings. That’s what we have to do. That, to me, is the message. So what’s wrong with that?

 

[irishpatrick]

I wouldn’t have thought up the “TRANSFORMERS”/Rock people either. But they apparently redeemed themselves and God is merciful. (Guess they’ll have a harder time with the audience.

God told Adam and Eve to take care of his Garden and His creatures. Noah does just that. Like all in the Bible, Noah is not without flaws. He gets drunk and naked and brings shame upon himself when the boys find him. The director takes his flaws to the direct opposite of Noah’s original disposition. He now condems his very own. Personnally, I can be sympathetic to his plight. He has seen too much, the chore of building the Ark has been arduous. He snaps but not to the point of doing the deed.

All of this is conjecture on the part of the producer who is a Jew and, supposedly, an atheist. I don’t agree with the being an atheist. But as a Jew, he sees things differently than a Catholic. But he conveys that life, ALL life, is precious.

Considering we’ve done 60million abortions in the US, a Princeton prof continues to advocate the killing of kids up to three years of age, children can opt for euthanasia in Belgium, and there might be death panels here in the US, I think his message, like the Bible’s, goes against this trend. Thank GOD for that!

Abraham was willing to slay his beloved son because God told him too. God stopped him. Noah had to draw on his own sense of right and wrong based on God’s teachings. That’s what we have to do. That, to me, is the message. So what’s wrong with that?

“What’s wrong with that?”

Well how about the fact that nowhere in the Biblical account does Noah ever act that way?

and

How about the fact that Noah was considered (by God) to be a righteous man, and that a righteous man would never try to wipe out humanity or his family, and a righteous man would never knowingly go against God’s will for his life?

and

How about staying to true to what we know that is in the Biblical account, and not add things that pervert the overall message?

 

[randomuser]

Gives 8 reasons why Catholics should see the movie.

I especially liked this reason:

“(7) The movie makes a strong pro-life stand. At one of its most pivotal moments, the movie is powerfully pro-life. Without giving the story away, a character faces a choice to eliminate innocent, defenseless human life or to choose to protect and defend it. I hope that those who consider themselves “pro-choice” will see that scene and be open to a change in their views. Unborn girls and boys are vulnerable, voiceless and innocent too.”

Um…yeah…the fact that he’s merely thinking about it, let alone obsessing over it - to the point of terrifying his family to the point of wanting to flee - pretty much negates the “pro-life” message. And then there’s the whole incest thing…ewww…

 

[new_atheist]

I hoped they should have shown the 3D version here in Australia. Sadly, they skipped that format in the US, UK, Australia and instead, presented the 3D format in Asia and Europe. 'Could have been perfect if it was in IMAX 3D with those moving seats (D-Box technology) and 4DX (with piped-in water sprays and wind effects).

 

[Cable]

If you don’t mind spoilers, then PluggedIn.com will tell you more than opinion about the movie. They’ll share actual content re: spirituality, violence, language and so on. So that even if you know you wanted to see, it would also help you to know which of your kids might see it too.

 

[randomuser]

He contemplates it but he doesn’t do it. There is a pro-life thread to this whole movie.

I don’t think “contemplate” is the appropriate word. He was obsessing over it for the third act of the film, so much so that his family was terrified.

 

[oldcelt]

This guy is jewish.
jewornotjew.com/profile.jsp?ID=965

Has nobody seen Pi?

I feel kind of frustrated because I’m huge fan of Aronofsky’s art and none of the Christian community has given a **** about him until Noah…then they hate Noah and don’t really get him as an artist.

I wouldn’t be too frustrated. Noah did better than expected over the weekend. The next week will tell if it’s is going to be a monster box office or just pretty good.

 

[migueltojose]

Christians should buy tickets to ‘Noah’: Column

Ashley McGuire 2:14 p.m. EDT March 28, 2014

Deviation from Bible doesn’t detract from religious essence.

Christians may be tempted to skip or even object to the forthcoming movie Noah over controversies ginned up by those who have not seen the movie. But before you rush to join the Noah haters, consider the beautiful story of how the film came to be.

The film’s director, producer and screenwriter, Darren Aronofsky of Black Swan fame, first encountered the story of Noah as a child. When asked to write a poem about peace as a 13-year-old, he adapted the story of Noah into a poem so beautiful, his teacher entered it into a United Nations poetry contest. It won. Aronofsky speaks of a fascination with the story that has stayed with him ever since, propelling him to finally set the story to the big screen, with his middle school teacher even appearing in a cameo role.

Aronofsky has made it clear; Noah is not a “Biblical movie.” Or as he put it, Noah is “the least Biblical movie ever made.” Or is it?

Aronofsky, as far as I can tell, does not self-describe as a Christian. He doesn’t talk about other aspects of the Bible. Just his fascination with Noah as a man and his epic saga. Yet Aronofsky is by no means ignorant to the essence of the story of Noah. In one interview he says:

You don’t need to be Jewish or Christian or even religious to be familiar with the Noah story or be moved by the idea of a universal flood punishing mankind for our wickedness and threatening to wipe us out for good. That’s part of our cultural heritage. It’s buried deep. And like all deeply ingrained stories it continually gets retold and reinvented with each telling. Hopefully our telling resonates with all sorts of people, Jewish or Christian, atheists or believers.

For a man whose movie is not intended to be religious art, the film is incredibly in-tune with foundational Christian values – love for God’s creation, respect for the sanctity of life, awe for the Divine, prayer and submission to God’s will.

The movie is an artistic feat, drawn with epic scope and soaring with strokes of surrealism and even science fiction. And while there are subplots that are not in the Bible, the key question Christians must ask is this: Do the artistic liberties detract from or enhance the essence of the story? Do they sabotage the religious themes or help to draw them out?

The answer is plain: Aronofsky’s rendering of Noah enhances and sharpens the story’s themes – the resilience of life, the beauty of God’s creation, the redemptive power of female fecundity, the way God works through the free-will assent of his people to advance his master plan.

Christians must be careful not to forget that throughout history, much great religious art was created by artists who were not Christian. These artists were drawn to and honored the beauty of the faith through their work. Even great Christian artists have come under attack. Writers like Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy were criticized and misunderstood because of their grotesque characters, yet their stories powerfully revealed man’s need for redemption. And countless people have come to the faith through religious art. Christians must respond with a generous attitude towards artists of good will who seek after the treasures and mysteries pulsing deep within our stories and traditions.

In his 1999 letter to all the artists of the world, Pope John Paul II reminded Christians that the Second Vatican Council sought to renew in the heart of the faithful a respect for the role of art in the culture. He said that the “religious theme has been among those most frequently treated by artists in every age,” and that:

Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colours, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery.

The Church and art, he says, must have a relationship of “mutual spiritual enrichment.”

Perhaps when Darren Aronofsky said his movie was the least Biblical film ever, he meant what we have come to think of as Biblical movies. Low-quality production with forced storylines and overly obvious messages, propelled by churches and youth groups filling up buses to buy out theaters to prop up for as long as possible what is essentially a mediocre film. Noah comes right on the heels of the latest such Christian flop. If this is what the culture has come to think of when it hears “Biblical movies,” then we must do better. And we can begin by looking at Noah.

Noah in no way empties an essential Judeo-Christian story of its transcendental value or aura of mystery. Rather it fills the viewer with awe for those very things. It’s an effect Christians should model, not reject.

Ashley McGuire is a senior fellow with The Catholic Association.

 

[migueltojose]

Christians should buy tickets to ‘Noah’: Column

Ashley McGuire 2:14 p.m. EDT March 28, 2014

Deviation from Bible doesn’t detract from religious essence.

Christians may be tempted to skip or even object to the forthcoming movie Noah over controversies ginned up by those who have not seen the movie. But before you rush to join the Noah haters, consider the beautiful story of how the film came to be.

The film’s director, producer and screenwriter, Darren Aronofsky of Black Swan fame, first encountered the story of Noah as a child. When asked to write a poem about peace as a 13-year-old, he adapted the story of Noah into a poem so beautiful, his teacher entered it into a United Nations poetry contest. It won. Aronofsky speaks of a fascination with the story that has stayed with him ever since, propelling him to finally set the story to the big screen, with his middle school teacher even appearing in a cameo role.

Aronofsky has made it clear; Noah is not a “Biblical movie.” Or as he put it, Noah is “the least Biblical movie ever made.” Or is it?

Aronofsky, as far as I can tell, does not self-describe as a Christian. He doesn’t talk about other aspects of the Bible. Just his fascination with Noah as a man and his epic saga. Yet Aronofsky is by no means ignorant to the essence of the story of Noah. In one interview he says:

You don’t need to be Jewish or Christian or even religious to be familiar with the Noah story or be moved by the idea of a universal flood punishing mankind for our wickedness and threatening to wipe us out for good. That’s part of our cultural heritage. It’s buried deep. And like all deeply ingrained stories it continually gets retold and reinvented with each telling. Hopefully our telling resonates with all sorts of people, Jewish or Christian, atheists or believers.

For a man whose movie is not intended to be religious art, the film is incredibly in-tune with foundational Christian values – love for God’s creation, respect for the sanctity of life, awe for the Divine, prayer and submission to God’s will.

The movie is an artistic feat, drawn with epic scope and soaring with strokes of surrealism and even science fiction. And while there are subplots that are not in the Bible, the key question Christians must ask is this: Do the artistic liberties detract from or enhance the essence of the story? Do they sabotage the religious themes or help to draw them out?

The answer is plain: Aronofsky’s rendering of Noah enhances and sharpens the story’s themes – the resilience of life, the beauty of God’s creation, the redemptive power of female fecundity, the way God works through the free-will assent of his people to advance his master plan.

Christians must be careful not to forget that throughout history, much great religious art was created by artists who were not Christian. These artists were drawn to and honored the beauty of the faith through their work. Even great Christian artists have come under attack. Writers like Flannery O’Connor and Walker Percy were criticized and misunderstood because of their grotesque characters, yet their stories powerfully revealed man’s need for redemption. And countless people have come to the faith through religious art. Christians must respond with a generous attitude towards artists of good will who seek after the treasures and mysteries pulsing deep within our stories and traditions.

In his 1999 letter to all the artists of the world, Pope John Paul II reminded Christians that the Second Vatican Council sought to renew in the heart of the faithful a respect for the role of art in the culture. He said that the “religious theme has been among those most frequently treated by artists in every age,” and that:

Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colours, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery.

The Church and art, he says, must have a relationship of “mutual spiritual enrichment.”

Perhaps when Darren Aronofsky said his movie was the least Biblical film ever, he meant what we have come to think of as Biblical movies. Low-quality production with forced storylines and overly obvious messages, propelled by churches and youth groups filling up buses to buy out theaters to prop up for as long as possible what is essentially a mediocre film. Noah comes right on the heels of the latest such Christian flop. If this is what the culture has come to think of when it hears “Biblical movies,” then we must do better. And we can begin by looking at Noah.

Noah in no way empties an essential Judeo-Christian story of its transcendental value or aura of mystery. Rather it fills the viewer with awe for those very things. It’s an effect Christians should model, not reject.

Ashley McGuire is a senior fellow with The Catholic Association.

 

[aicirt]

Um…yeah…the fact that he’s merely thinking about it, let alone obsessing over it - to the point of terrifying his family to the point of wanting to flee - pretty much negates the “pro-life” message. And then there’s the whole incest thing…ewww…

According to the Bible, the only humans to survive were Noah and wife, their three sons and their wives. Each son’s offspring would have been a first cousin to his brother’s children. Today, marrying your first cousin is unlawful.

Adam and Eve’s kids had to have married each other. Or were there others on earth?

 

[catholictiger]

According to the Bible, the only humans to survive were Noah and wife, their three sons and their wives. Each son’s offspring would have been a first cousin to his brother’s children. Today, marrying your first cousin is unlawful.

Adam and Eve’s kids had to have married each other. Or were there others on earth?

there are those who would argue that there were non ensouled human beings on earth. This though is off topic and banned on these forums so I will not discuss.

on the Movie itself I have heard some glaring misrepresentations of the Bible. Sure you can expect that but my fear is that many people will think this movie actually portrays what happens in scripture.

can anyone confirm or deny the misrepresentations?

I heard that no animals were killed in the movie, a central element in the Old Testament that is very typological to Christ.
Heavy handed environmentalism?
leaving out the fact that man is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Which is why God never commanded (other than Isaac and Jesus, of human sacrifice.)

others?

 

[catholictiger]

You stayed 10 minutes of a 2 hr. 17 min. film and you have criticism? Excuse me if I find that to be a bit strange.

Maybe you should have watched the whole film before judging it. As it is, your opinion is without value.

There is a priest I know who I will leave nameless for obvious reasons. Who saw a broadway production called the book of mormon, after like 10 to 20 minuets into the show the show was so morally offensive to him that he walked out of the theater. If something is so bad that it turns a view off after 10 minuets I would say that he has a legit opinion that should be listened to.

 

[catholictiger]

Saw the movie yesterday and liked it. I didn’t feel it insulted any of my religious beliefs.

We really don’t know what kind of world it was before the Deluge so maybe they did have some advanced devices, knew how to knit, use buttons, put together a nice waredrobe (love the textiles and visable stitching etc.), had some sort of exploding instruments and glowing coals.

Now the Messengers aka Nephilim (thank you Sr. Rose for that info) look more like our present day toy shop Transformers. I think they could have looked like ordinary angels. These angels were a depressed lot because, according to movie, they had pitied Adam and Eve after the Fall and got punished by God for interfering. God cast them into the earth making them into rock creatures. Along comes Noah and the assorted rock transformers decide to help him out by building the Ark. Okay, I can accept that. Maybe he did have help because that was a huge contract for one guy to fill.

this is all good, I can live with this as this as well. Note: I haven’t seen it but based on your review alone I will give some comments.

Now Noah is a good guy and everyone else, descendants of Cain, is evil. He visits that camp and is totally shocked by their depravity coming away with the idea that even his own family probably harbors evil.

ok that is good

He decides, after the Ark is adrift, that what God, aka The Creator, really wants is to end the era of humans

what? Why would Noah think this, why would God who said “let us create them in our own image” want the human race to end. This is a major error if this is correct and is very problematic to me.

so he declares that if his daughter-in-law gives birth to a male, that child can live to bury the family as they finish their natural lives. But if the child is a female, he, Noah, will kill it immediately. Guess how that ends.

the fact that this is on his mind is horrible, and all of the pro life ideas are destroyed by this one aspect.

Noah tells his adopted daughter, who believes she serves no purpose on this earth, that he first thought of her as a burden and then realized what a treasure she was to him and his family. At that point, Noah really does not know what God has in mind for her and is totally unaware of her destiny. I think the message here was that no child should be destroyed or feel unwanted. I think there’s a message against abortion in the movie.

but Noah considers killing his offspring if it’s a girl? This is problematic.

Yes, Noah is an environmentalist and does not consume meat. However, they all have some really nice boots.

so they forget about one of the central elements of the Old Testament. Animal Sacrifice, which is present through the Pentateuch is one of the central elements of the temple sacrifice. So Noah is a vegetarian? I understand that Noah may have been a vegetarian but Animal sacrifice was present in Noah’s life. They brought 7 birds onto the boat for one purpose, to Sacrifice to God when they reached dry land after the flood. Animal sacrifice is in scripture as early as Abel who is the second son of Adam. From what I have heard and what I read in your review, animals seem to be more important than man himself. This is problematic, yes we are to care for God’s creation, but God also commanded animal sacrifice to every generation of Jews from Abel to the time of Christ.

maybe it’s not horrible but I hope you see the issues I brought up are problems.

 

[Cable]

It’s the duty of Christian parents to educate their children in the faith, which would include basic stuff like the creation story in Genesis. Then their teens, young adults, whatever, go to a movie about a prominent Biblical figure, like Noah, & understand it’s creative, imagination, and they know which parts reflect the actual story.

 

[aicirt]

there are those who would argue that there were non ensouled human beings on earth. This though is off topic and banned on these forums so I will not discuss.

on the Movie itself I have heard some glaring misrepresentations of the Bible. Sure you can expect that but my fear is that many people will think this movie actually portrays what happens in scripture.

can anyone confirm or deny the misrepresentations?

I heard that no animals were killed in the movie, a central element in the Old Testament that is very typological to Christ.
Heavy handed environmentalism?
leaving out the fact that man is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Which is why God never commanded (other than Isaac and Jesus, of human sacrifice.)

others?

Animals are hunted, killed and eaten in the movie. Noah clan doesn’t kill but, apparently, have leather boots…go figure.(Maybe Noah harvested the hides after the animals died a natural death). The descendants of Cain are ruthless. They kill animals, people, engage in rape, disrespect the dead, and all sorts of debauchery that crushes Noah’s spirit. The fact that man is the pinnacle of God’s creation is not left out in the movie. Man is saved. Where here, aren’t we? Mercy is also shown by God.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

It seems to me that the main issue for many here is that Noah is not perfect. For example, he interprets God’s message in a wrong way which leads him to ponder murder. *But he doesn’t do it *in the end. He does the right thing, he understands God’s message eventually.

Is that so horrendous? Isn’t that simply human, to be confused, to not hear God’s voice clearly and to wonder what it all means?

I have not seen the film because it will not be shown in this country, but I definitely would if I could.

 

[aicirt]

this is all good, I can live with this as this as well. Note: I haven’t seen it but based on your review alone I will give some comments.

ok that is good

what? Why would Noah think this, why would God who said “let us create them in our own image” want the human race to end. This is a major error if this is correct and is very problematic to me.

the fact that this is on his mind is horrible, and all of the pro life ideas are destroyed by this one aspect.

but Noah considers killing his offspring if it’s a girl? This is problematic.

so they forget about one of the central elements of the Old Testament. Animal Sacrifice, which is present through the Pentateuch is one of the central elements of the temple sacrifice. So Noah is a vegetarian? I understand that Noah may have been a vegetarian but Animal sacrifice was present in Noah’s life. They brought 7 birds onto the boat for one purpose, to Sacrifice to God when they reached dry land after the flood. Animal sacrifice is in scripture as early as Abel who is the second son of Adam. From what I have heard and what I read in your review, animals seem to be more important than man himself. This is problematic, yes we are to care for God’s creation, but God also commanded animal sacrifice to every generation of Jews from Abel to the time of Christ.

maybe it’s not horrible but I hope you see the issues I brought up are problems.

Noah, like almost all Bibical characters, is flawed. In the Bible, he is drunk and mocked. Here, in this movie, he waffles after much stress. He first reassures his dil that she is a treasure and has a purpose in this life. After seeing the sins being committed by his opposition, he becomes depressed. After they are afloat, he states that he doesn’t feel God wants man to continue and tells his sons each will live to bury the oldest. He does not intend to murder his kids. It is then that his dil tells him she is pregnant and then he gives his ultimatium.

Of course, believing in the Bible, the story of Noah,and that all life was renewed, you have to figure out…did he kill the new born girls or not? Did he regain his equilibrium?

Okay, Cain and Abel offered sacrifice. Noah is not shown doing this. Nor does he have to be portrayed as a vegetarian to show he acts in a responsible way re. the treatment of animals and plants.

 

[aicirt]

It seems to me that the main issue for many here is that Noah is not perfect. For example, he interprets God’s message in a wrong way which leads him to ponder murder. *But he doesn’t do it *in the end. He does the right thing, he understands God’s message eventually.

Is that so horrendous? Isn’t that simply human, to be confused, to not hear God’s voice clearly and to wonder what it all means?

I have not seen the film because it will not be shown in this country, but I definitely would if I could.

What’s the reasons it will not be shown where you are? I know that country is Muslim.

 

[catholictiger]

Animals are hunted, killed and eaten in the movie. Noah clan doesn’t kill but, apparently, have leather boots…go figure.(Maybe Noah harvested the hides after the animals died a natural death). The descendants of Cain are ruthless. They kill animals, people, engage in rape, disrespect the dead, and all sorts of debauchery that crushes Noah’s spirit. The fact that man is the pinnacle of God’s creation is not left out in the movie. Man is saved. Where here, aren’t we? Mercy is also shown by God.

simple question.

Does Noah Sacrifice animals after the flood subsides? (in the movie of course)

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

I’m not questioning the message of the movie or anything but leaves out a very very important aspect of the story of the flood if they don’t show Noah building an alter and sacrificing an altar.

 

[catholictiger]

Noah, like almost all Bibical characters, is flawed. In the Bible, he is drunk and mocked. Here, in this movie, he waffles after much stress.

I’m guessing you are talking about the movie in the Scriptures Noah is a righteous man, blameless in his generation. The only criticism you could give to this guy is that once he was mentioned as being drunk.

He first reassures his dil that she is a treasure and has a purpose in this life. After seeing the sins being committed by his opposition, he becomes depressed. After they are afloat, he states that he doesn’t feel God wants man to continue and tells his sons each will live to bury the oldest. He does not intend to murder his kids. It is then that his dil tells him she is pregnant and then he gives his ultimatium.

If what I’m reading is correct and noah said if it is a female I will kill her if a man I will let him live. How is that pro life?

Of course, believing in the Bible, the story of Noah,and that all life was renewed, you have to figure out…did he kill the new born girls or not? Did he regain his equilibrium?

again, Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. I think we can assume that Noah would not kill new born girls. Think about it, why would a righteous man, blameless in his generation, who walked with God kill new born girls. I understand there is a lot missing from Noah’s life, but it is a stretch to say that he would kill innocent new born girls. No where in scripture does it say that those in the city of God killed children, with the exception of Herem warfare.

Okay, Cain and Abel offered sacrifice. Noah is not shown doing this. Nor does he have to be portrayed as a vegetarian to show he acts in a responsible way re. the treatment of animals and plants.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar

that is the sacrifice of animals. The only ancient Jewish Character that it doesn’t say exclicipty offered sacrifice is Adam, but his sons did, and Cain killed Abel because God was satisfied with Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s.

God said that he would not send the flood to earth again and destroy everything because Noah offered a burnt offering (bloody sacrifice) to the Lord after the flood.

And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

also

Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

Noah after the flood would start eating meat because it was commanded by God.

Note: I haven’t seen this movie and probably won’t see it, but from the word of others and my own reading, it is very clear what problems there are with the movie.