St. John in Exile
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
This 92-minute video is of Dean Jones in a one-man live drama presentation of the Apostle John’s testimony.
Description
From DVD Cover
“Imprisoned, John, the last living disciple of Jesus’ twelve, remains full of humor, strong in spirit, and obstinately spry. Through his eyes we relive the moving events in which Jesus Christ changed the course of human history. Emmy award winning director, Dan Curtis (War and Remembrance) directs ST. JOHN IN EXILE with great skill and awesome power. The author, Don Berrigan, is credited by the Arizona Republic as, “…recapturing the roots of theater itself.” The original stage version was directed by Lory Basham-Jones.”
Considerations
The year is AD 96 and John is being held in a cave on the isle of Patmos. John is presented as spry, strong in spirit, and full of humor. The live crowd is brought into the play as Christian visitors from Ephesus that have been permitted to visit him. The crowd is pulled in by his humor as he shares about his life on Patmos, e.g., his evangelizing techniques and his adoption of cave rats as pets. He moves on to describe for his visitors his meeting of John the Baptist and how he was directed to Jesus. The discussion parallels the Gospel of John as he relates some of Jesus’ miracles, teachings, and times alone with the disciples. John describes himself as Jesus’ friend. The scene becomes more personal and emotional as he describes the Last Supper, the walk to Gethsemane, Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. The play gives an idea of how the disciples may have felt at various times – from laughter and joy to heartache and fear. It ends by describing how these ordinary men and others were empowered by the Holy Spirit to go forth and minister. The costly bride of Christ is presented as people who heard, believed, and were transformed and willing to die horrendous deaths for their faith. It is an inspirational film that will encourage and inspire believers.
Limitations
The humor used to draw the crowd into the play might be hard for some people groups to grasp. Although the script and acting are excellent and fit well with what is known from Scripture, it is only an idea of what John experienced or thought. It is not Scripture itself but a story, based on man’s interpretation of what happened, that ties in with Scripture. This may be difficult for new believers to understand and might lead to confusion. This would likely be best used to encourage and inspire more mature believers. Translation project teams should view and test this film with some people from their language group to learn their reaction and interpretation of the message portrayed before deciding on whether or not to use it.
Guidelines for Use
This is a wonderful tool for encouraging the more mature believers.
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
DJ (Dean Jones) Productions, P.O. Box 570276, Tarzana, CA 91357
Cost
August 2007 price for the DVD is $21.60 and the VHS is $9.99 from amazon.com
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
DJ Productions
Current copyright owner
DJ Productions
Other Information
See review at http://www.christiananswers.net/catalog/john-vs.html
Reviewed by
VMS Staff: Vernon W.
Date
August 2007
