 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|
|
Christian movies San Giovanni - L'apocalisseOriginal title: San Giovanni - L'apocalisse 2000 - Italy, France, Germany, United KingdomTelefilm - drama, biblical   It is 90 AD, and the Roman Empire is being run by the Emperor Domitian, who has declared himself to be God and ruler over heaven and earth. The Christians, who do not recognize his divinity, are a thorn in his side # and he is having them cruelly persecuted. The small village in Asia Minor to which the aged apostle John has withdrawn is also attacked by Roman soldiers. As if by a miracle, John is the only person to escape the slaughter # and he receives divine orders to write down the visions he will have and communicate them to the Christian communities in the Roman provinces of Asia. The voice tells him that they should discover what is and what will happen thereafter. Among the Christians of Asia Minor, who believe that John is dead, everyone is deeply worried about being persecuted. Gaius, the community elder in Smyrna, is concerned that only a few believers still dare come to the ritual supper. Under these circumstances, Christianity can no longer exist! But at this point the young Irene appears at the secret meeting. She is convinced that John, who could give the Christians back their courage, is still alive, because a certain Theophilus, who is being held captive by the Romans on the island of Patmos, is in contact with him and had a letter sent to her. In it, John describes his vision of Heaven: And behold, a throne was set in Heaven, and one sat on the throne...and out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne... and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. ... And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book... that was sealed with seven seals. Neither Gaius nor the other adult believers understand what John means by this. Only a little child among them, also named John, grasps the sense of it: John realizes that the throne belongs to God, and sees the seven lamps of fire as the seven Christian communities of Asia Minor, together with the four elements and the book of seals with the mystery of faith that brings salvation. Yet the letter's mysterious origins make Gaius skeptical. He is only prepared to believe in the integrity of this vision if John really is still alive. Old Theophilus # who in reality is John himself # has been sent to the prison island of Patmos, ruled by the corrupt Roman official Corvus, as a scribe, while the other prisoners have to do hard labor in the mines. Many of them hate Theophilus/John because of the special treatment he is receiving, but above all because he is a Christian. Nevertheless he does succeed in converting some of his fellow-prisoners to Christianity, such as the young scribe Demetrius, who is planning to escape along a secret tunnel. When the shaken John tells his companions about the crucifixion of the Savior, they realize that he was there at the time and is actually John. He falls into a trance and experiences a new vision of Heaven: And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. ...And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes...And he came and took the book .... And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.... Meanwhile, in Smyrna, the young Irene has taken her leave of Valerius, whom she loves with a pure heart. She does not realize that he is not a Christian at all but a spy working for the notoriously brutal Roman general Rufus, who has been ordered by Domitian to persecute Christians in Asia Minor. Valerius is a Roman soldier; born as a slave, he has his foster-father Rufus to thank for everything he has now become. He therefore has to obey when Rufus sends him to Patmos. Disguised as a prisoner, Valerius is told to find out whether John is still alive # because there are incessant rumors that he is, and they are leading to unwelcome solidarity among the Christians. Meanwhile Irene, with the help of her brother Jonicus, who visits Patmos regularly as a trader, gains access to the prison camp there. She recognizes Valerius from a distance and gets very worried about him. She embarked on all these dangers for the sake of John, however; her greatest desire is to see the last living Apostle and to tell everyone about him. John trusts her, and confides in her under the seal of secrecy. She receives his visions in written form and promises to circulate the text among the Christians. Meanwhile on Patmos Valerius tries to gain the trust of the Christian prisoners by defending the old Sostenes against the guards and suffering severe punishment as a result. Bound to a cross, he is left in the burning sunshine, but John is the only one who dares give him any water. And to Valerius's great surprise, he seems to know all about him and Rufus. In the hell of the prison camp, where violence and resentment reign, John often wonders about his mission: why has the Lord trapped him on this island, instead of sending him out into the world to spread the glad tidings? Then, surrounded by his companions, he falls into a trance ... and again he sees himself in Heaven, with the Lamb on the throne. It is being threatened by a heavily armed knight on a red horse who is bringing hatred and war to humanity. Then a black horse appears whose rider is holding a pair of scales: he is the bringer of injustice and selfishness. Meanwhile Rufus has ordered the island's governor Corvus to come and see him to tell him to show more severity, especially toward the Christians. Corvus is worried about losing his lucrative job and so he tells his guards to be even more watchful than before. As a result he notices that Irene has slipped into the camp again with Jonicus, to collect John's latest message. However, Jonicus cleverly manages to talk the guards out of searching either himself or his sister. Johns' visions become increasingly frequent and exhaust his strength. Nevertheless Demetrius is still hoping to be able to get him off the island: the tunnel is ready, and the escape is planned for that evening. But when John supports the maltreated Sostenes he incurs the wrath of the governor. He is imprisoned and the escape plans are scrapped. In his prison cell John has a new vision: the Lamb breaks the fourth seal and again a horse appears # the pale horse that brings death into the world, plagues and famines, accidents and earthquakes. Only the love of God can defeat it. That night numerous prisoners want to use the tunnel to escape, but it is discovered by the guards and the fugitives are slaughtered. For Demetrius, all hope of rescue has now vanished. But John consoles him, telling him that it is God's will that they remain here on the island. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven, Jesus announces to him in the vision. And then he sees a huge number of people in Heaven: They called in a loud voice: Salvation cometh from our God.... The Christians of Asia Minor, all in very great danger, cling to this belief; for the Romans are murdering them all, women and men, young and old alike. Irene and Ionicus put their lives into very great danger and, with the help of a guard, manage to free John and the other Christians from the camp, the Roman spy Valerius among them. A ship is waiting at the harbor! But John is too old and weak to shake off the guards pursuing them. He takes his leave of his companions and hides in a cave together with Valerius, who is transformed by the old man's influence and becomes his helper. In the cave John goes into a prophetic trance and has his last vision: And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven... And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. When the angels blew one after the other into the trumpets, hail, fire and locusts destroyed the earth, the sea turned to blood, darkness covered the earth and the Day of Judgment arrived. ... And I saw a new heaven and a new earth... and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain...: Meanwhile Irene, Jonicus and Demetrius are arrested by Corvus and his men, and Valerius and John are found in their cave # their lives are forfeited. But at this point Rufus arrives, and not only frees his foster son Valerius but also the other captive Christians! It turns out that the Emperor Domitian is dead, and his successor has announced an amnesty # the persecution of the Christians is over. John, his companions and the Christian communities all thank God for their salvation. Freed from his duty toward his foster father, Valerius is finally free to embrace his beloved Irene. Trailer San PaoloOriginal title: San Paolo 2000 - Italy, Czech Republic, GermanyTelefilm - drama, adventure, biblical   Biblical epic from the book of Acts and Paul's epistles covering the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and his ministry to the Gentiles now known as Paul. Pursued by fellow Jew Reuben, who wishes him dead, Paul takes the Gospel of Jesus throughout the known world to Rome. Trailer Gli amici di Gesù - Maria MaddalenaOriginal title: Gli amici di Gesù - Maria Maddalena 2000 - Italy, GermanyTelefilm - drama, history, biblical   When the marriage between AMOS and MARY MAGDALENE turns out to be childless, he casts her out and gets a divorce. Mary has to leave Magdala. She befriends SILVANO, a Roman prefect, who promises her a new life at his side. A few days after her departure Mary meets the prophet JOHN THE BAPTIST, whom Silvano suspects of being a revolutionary. The prefect tells her to cultivate John more intensively. In this way Mary becomes acquainted with the teaching of the coming Messiah, and it begins to interest her. To protect John from the Romans she pretends to Silvano that he is harmless # but when the prefect finds out that how dangerous John is in the eyes of the tetrarch HEROD ANTIPAS, he feels he was wronged and purposely tricked by Mary. He casts her out as well. After a suicide attempt, Mary lowers herself to prostitution. HEROIDAS, the wife of Herod Antipas, invites Mary to come to her because of her knowledge of the healing arts. In this way she gets to know SALOME, who later asks for the Baptist's head. Mary is also drawn into the war for Galilee, in the course of which her home town of Magdala goes up in flames. She tries in vain to save the life of SAMUEL, the son of her friend JOANNA. He dies in her arms. She then takes him to JESUS # who brings him back to life. Mary recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, and becomes one of his disciples. Trailer JeremiahOriginal title: Jeremiah 1998 - Italy, Germany, USATelefilm - drama, biography, history, biblical   The young Jeremiah grows up in a priest's family in the village of Anathoth, near Jerusalem. God appears to Jeremiah in different human guises on several occasions, and makes it clear to him that he has been selected to announce God's message to the people of Jerusalem: a mighty ruler from the north will attack the Kingdom of Judah if the people there continue to worship false idols, and fail to remember the One God. No-one in Anathoth believes Jeremiah's prophecy, however. Instead, he is accused of blasphemy and is physically attacked - and not even his family comes to his aid. Nevertheless, with the help of Baruch, a temple scribe who hears Jeremiah's first sermon and becomes his disciple, Jeremiah succeeds in announcing the word of God. The prophet's message of impending doom incurs only the wrath and rejection of the ruling classes, the priesthood and the King. Jeremiah can find no audience, and lands up in captivity again - but even though he even has to leave his true love for Judith to fate, he still sticks firmly to his mission. It is only when war with the enemy forces from Babylon seems inevitable that the people of Jerusalem start to grow restless, and Jeremiah gradually starts to win support. However the King, who is taking the advice of the false prophet Hananiah, is certain that the country's powerful neighbours, the Egyptians, will come to his assistance. Shortly afterwards, however, the Babylonians lay siege to the Holy City. Although the King now believes Jeremiah, he still finds it impossible to make the decision to surrender the city. Jerusalem goes up in flames, and the people are led off into exile in Babylon. Trailer MosesOriginal title: Moses 1995 - USA, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, SpainTelefilm - drama, adventure, biography, history, biblical   A retelling of the bible story. Pharaoh Ramses decrees the death of all Hebrew children, but Moses, placed in a basket in the Nile by his mother, is taken by a royal princess and raised as the brother of the heir to the throne of Egypt, Memefta. Moses is called by God to lead his people from Egypt to the promised land. A very reluctant prophet, feeling unworthy of the call, Moses accepts the task. After a series of plagues Memefta agrees to let the Hebrews go. With second thoughts, he pursues them to annihilation of his army in the parting of the Red Sea. Starvation is averted by manna from heaven, the ten commandments are given the people through Moses, they go astray with worship of the golden calf. Forty years of wandering in the wilderness, until finally they reach what will be their home (which Moses lives to see but not to enter). Trailer DavidOriginal title: David 1997 - Italy, USA, GermanyTelefilm - drama, adventure, biography, history, biblical   The tribes of Israel need to defeat the superior might of the Philistines: "Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (I Samuel, 8:5). And so the prophet Samuel gives the Hebrews their first king, Saul, a simple farmer, who with God's help becomes a brave and mighty warlord who leads the united tribes of Israel against their enemies. Saul, however, has incessant doubts about his mission. Not trustful enough of divine wisdom, he acts of his own accord and thus sins against the Lord. The influential prophet Samuel turns away from Saul in order to select a new king according to God's will: David. He is still a young boy, tending sheep in the fields, when, secretly Samuel oints him as the next king of the Israelites. When David - as courageous as he is intelligent - emerges victorious from his encounter with Goliath, the Philistines' most powerful warrior, he becomes a hero. His fame arouses the jealousy of King Saul, who senses that David is going to dispute his right to be king - and tries to kill him. David flees from Saul, and finds many supporters and loyal companions who believe that he is destined to be king. In exile, David waits for his time to come, since he does not want to take the place of Saul by violence. He is young and in the prime of his strength, while King Saul is a broken man. When Saul falls upon his sword after losing a battle, David's hour is at hand. The new King David conquers Jerusalem. The magnificent city is to become the royal residence for the glorious hero, who now plans to leave the business of war to others in future and to become a King of Peace. However, this temperamental man, with so many years of battle behind him and still in the bloom of youth, is not predestined for a quiet, orderly life at all. Very soon he plunges into an illicit love affair with Bathsheba, a married woman - an affair that threatens to become the king's undoing when it turns out that she is expecting his child. To conceal his adulterous fatherhood, the king sends Bathsheba's husband Uriah - one of his best and most loyal soldiers - to his death, and then marries her. The prophet and royal adviser Nathan announces to David that his act will result in divine punishment: the Lord will not countenance such an outrage. Violence and evil will continue in David's own family and bring disaster upon the heads of the numerous sons born to David from his wives and concubines. Then the child of David and Bathsheba dies. She gives him another son, Solomon, but very soon David suffers another sharp blow of fate: his grown-up son Absalom kills one of his brothers for the latter's rape of his sister. David is far too mild in response to this: not only does he fail to bring the incestuous seducer to justice, he also leaves the fratricide unpunished. The king does not realise that he is gradually losing control over his family, and that his hold on the people is also growing weaker. For David is obsessed with his plan of building the finest and largest temple in the world in Jerusalem. He demands immense sums from the populace for this project, even though God has commanded him to leave the completion of the building to his successors. David's ambitious son Absalom thus finds it very easy to drum up support for a conspiracy against his father. After a fierce battle, culminating in Absalom's death, David makes it back to Jerusalem. TrailerSolomonOriginal title: Solomon 1997 - United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany, USATelefilm - drama, adventure, biography, history, biblical   David, now an old man, is still king of Israel. Among his sons, the ambitious Adonijah and the clever Solomon. The two young men are fierce rivals, since both are prospective heirs to the throne and only one can be successful. During a hunting expedition, Adonijah challenges his younger brother Solomon to a chariot race. While Solomon, though brave, still retains a modicum of caution, the daredevil Adonijah is eager to win at all costs -- and loses control of his chariot. Solomon takes the seriously injured Adonijah back to Jerusalem. On the way there they meet the attractive Abishag, who despite her youth is versed in the use of healing herbs. She actually succeeds in helping the prince. Adonijah falls in love with Abishag -- but Bathsheba arranges things so that she works for David, hoping that her youth, her beauty and her healing powers will soothe the old king's suffering. Several members of the influential priesthood and also the respected army general Joab, who served David loyally for many years, support Adonijah's claim to the throne-- even though David has still not made any decision with regard to a potential successor. The battle-experienced Joab regards Solomon as an indecisive weakling, under whose leadership the kingdom would soon fall apart. When the prophet Nathan finds out about Adonijah's conspiracy he informs Bathsheba and Solomon, who urge David to take immediate action. And so it comes to pass that preparations to anoint the future king of Israel are made both at the Spring of Enrogel, where Adonijah and his men are encamped, as well as in Jerusalem. The festive procession for Adonijah has already been assembled and the people enticed with delicious delicacies to cheer him on, when the news of Solomon's coronation reaches Enrogel. The people promptly acknowledge the will of King David and stream off to Jerusalem in their hordes to greet Solomon, their future ruler. Adonijah remains behind with a handful of loyal followers. He realizes that he has lost -- for the time being. Humbly he places his life in his brother's hands. Adonijah is forgiven on one condition: that he always remains loyal to his brother Solomon. The great King David is dead, and his son Solomon has succeeded him as the rightful ruler of Israel. Adonijah now has a request to make of Bathsheba: he wants to marry Abishag. Solomon hears about this seemingly innocent wish, and recognizes it as a renewed ploy on behalf of his brother to reclaim the throne -- Adonijah's marriage to the last woman to share King David's bed would strengthen his political position considerably. Solomon knows that he has to act quickly and decisively if he is to secure his own power. He has his brother Adonijah and the latter's closest associate Joab executed. After this radical decision, Solomon withdraws to present sacrifices. In a dream the Lord appears to him and grants him the fulfillment of a wish, whatever it may be. Solomon merely asks for wisdom -- in order to become a good ruler and judge. War with Egypt is looming. To arm his kingdom against the territorial ambitions of its powerful neighbors, Solomon not only introduces several reforms but also decides to marry the daughter of the pharaoh. The Egyptian princess does not remain Solomon's only wife, however: as time goes by the king marries numerous noble women from many different countries for political and economic reasons. In this way he preserves peace for his people, and creates great prosperity. By allowing the women to continue practicing their domestic customs and religious rituals in Jerusalem as well, he comes into regular conflict with the priesthood, who see the foreign religions as endangering Israel's sole covenant with the Lord. The wisdom granted to Solomon by God becomes fully evident when the king sits in judgment. One day two harlots each claim to be mother of the same baby. Solomon's decision seems utterly cruel: he says that the child should be cut in two so that each woman receives half. Solomon can now determine who the real mother is from her reaction: she will not allow her child to be harmed. Solomon hands the child back to its true mother amid cheers of approval. One of the most important tasks handed down to Solomon by his father David is building the great Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. It has to be larger and more magnificent than all other temples in the world, and Solomon now sets about fulfilling his father's wish. He places Jeroboam in charge of the Israelite workers as chief overseer. Seven years later, the work is completed. The expensive construction materials have been brought from far-off lands, and the people of Israel have paid exceedingly high taxes without complaint in order to finance the construction work. The Ark of the Covenant can now finally be taken to the Temple in a triumphant procession. After so many years of wandering, the Israelites' most sacred possession now has a fixed home of its own. People stream to Jerusalem from across the entire country to celebrate the great day. Abishag, now married, comes too and brings her family. Solomon has decided to mingle among the people in disguise, and he and Abishag are overjoyed when they accidentally meet again after so many years. The Temple makes Jerusalem and its king famous throughout the world. Even the dark-skinned Queen of Sheba sets off with a large retinue to visit the wise and cultivated Solomon and admire his magnificent city. The admiration turns out to be mutual: Solomon, captivated by her beauty, falls deeply in love with her. The two of them have a child, Menelik, but one day the Queen of Sheba decides to leave. She does not want Menelik to be deprived of the regal dignity awaiting him in his home country. Solomon stays behind, with a heavy heart. The king has now achieved everything he set his heart on, but with the passing of the years the wise Solomon gradually becomes a melancholy, skeptical old man who regularly questions his very existence. Material things seem to represent the only reality for him. He also refuses to adopt any kind of steady policy, especially in religious matters. With his foreign wives, Solomon sacrifices to foreign gods, and this incurs the wrath of the priesthood. The loyal Jeroboam appeals to his king's conscience, but to no avail. During one of Solomon's sorties in disguise among his people, a simple farmer reminds him of the first of the Ten Commandments revealed by the Lord to Moses: "You shall have no other gods before me." At another decisive moment, God Himself speaks to Solomon and announces the punishment for his sinfulness: the kingdom will collapse after Solomon's death. The king has grown old and weary. He has lost touch with the people of Israel, who are suffering from heavy taxation and forced labor. Solomon has treated his long-standing companion Jeroboam, to whom he entrusted the administration of the northern tribes, with murderous anger ever since a prophet predicted the division of the kingdom to him. The king no longer has the strength to change things -- he just leaves them as they are. The consequences of this become clear shortly after his death. Solomon's son and successor Rehoboam treats the country's leaders with arrogance, and provokes the division of the kingdom into two parts: the only tribe still loyal to him is that of Judah, while all the others unite under Jeroboam. The prophecy has been fulfilled. The kingdom that Solomon received from his father David, and invested with such might and magnificence, is now divided. Trailer | Foreign Best Movies Action Cinema-fiction Comedy comedies Movies about sports Cooking Movies Music and Dance Movies Romantic movies Fairytale movies Domestic Russian Soviet Cartoons Cartoons Christmas Foreign movies Movies domestic Short animat |
