The Message (30th Anniversary Edition)
Moustapha Akkad$24.97(USD)
Producer-director Moustapha Akkad made a true labor of love out of
The Message, which seeks nothing less than to tell the story of the origins of Islam. Originally released in the U.S. as
Mohammad, Messenger of God, the film has the appeal of most biblical epics: persecuted true believers, a revolutionary prophet scorned by the powers-that-be, and the miraculous triumph of faith. It also has the cheesiness of many biblical epics, with nose-flaring performances and awkward dialogue, but the whole mish-mash is generally entertaining (and informative for those unversed in the "origin stories" of Islam). Akkad had one major hurdle; he couldn't portray the person or voice of Mohammad himself, as such things are traditionally forbidden in Islam. To say the least, this presents an interesting narrative challenge. Akkad tackles it by having characters address the camera-as-Mohammad, or having disciples step out of Mohammad's tent to repeat what the prophet has just said. It's a weird device, but the surprising thing is how often you forget about it. Akkad is aided by some topnotch technicians, including cameraman Jack Hildyard (
The Bridge on the River Kwai) and composer Maurice Jarre (whose score was Oscar-nominated); Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, and Michael Ansara lead the cast.
Also included in the two-disc set is the Arabic-language version of the film, which was shot at the same time with different actors. (It comes without English subtitles.) It runs about 20 minutes longer than the English version; Akkad explains, in a helpful 44-minute making-of documentary, that Arab styles of storytelling (including pacing) and acting are quite different than in the West. Akkad would also make Lion of the Desert and executive-produce the Halloween pictures. He died in the November 2005 terrorist bombings in Jordan. --Robert Horton
The Message Promise Book
Eugene H. Peterson$5.00(USD)
STRESS. MONEY. WORK. SELF-IMAGE. RELATIONSHIPS.
These are issues we deal with in our day-to-day lives. And we're bombarded with messages about how to respond to them. But what does God have to say about how we should face these challenges?
The Message Promise Book arranges verses by topic, making it easy to discover the Bible's wisdom about a wide range of issues. The Message Promise Book will help you see your situation from God's perspective, expressed in everyday language that you can easily understand and apply to your life.
Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival
Murray Lerner$9.98(USD)
This documentary by Murray Lerner (
From Mao to Mozart) was shot in 1970, but for many reasons was not shown to the public until 1995 in Great Britain. In an important way, it is the final chapter in an unofficial trilogy of concert films (along with
Woodstock and
Gimme Shelter) that together paint a picture of the highest and lowest points of Woodstock Nation politics: from mass goodwill to anarchy to outright stupidity. On the one hand,
Message to Love is a rock & roll movie with several performances that are outright revelations (the Who's triumphant show, the Doors' "The End"), some that are awfully good (Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun"), and more than enough that are superfluous (Ten Days After, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Jethro Tull). On the other hand, Lerner's cameras are trained on the increasingly testy relationship between nomadic hippies who travel a long way to see the show but refuse to pay, and concert producers who resort to using guard dogs, cops, and aluminum walls to keep crashers at a distance. Just how bad does the mood become after several days of this? Check out the scene in which Joni Mitchell breaks down in tears after singing her ode to peace and love, "Woodstock," before this lot. In an era when we've become used to extraordinary security and high ticket prices at rock concerts, it's perhaps hard to grasp what the fuss was about at the Isle of Wight. But Lerner's amazing film helps a viewer get a sense of what was really at stake in that period before rock & roll was a corporate matter, and when kids naively thought it was theirs for the taking.
--Tom Keogh
The Message: New Testament With Psalms and Proverbs
Eugene H. Peterson$5.99(USD)
THE POWER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. THE PASSION OF THE PSALMS. THE WISDOM OF THE PROVERBS.
Many people assume that a book about a holy God should sound elevated, stately, and ceremonial. If this is how you've always viewed the Bible, you're about to make a surprising discovery.
The Message brings the life-changing power of the New Testament, the vibrant passion of the Psalms, and the rich, practical wisdom of Proverbs into easy-to-read modern language that echoes the rhythm and idioms of the original Greek and Hebrew. Written in the same kind of language you'd use to talk with friends, write a letter, or discuss politics, The Message preserves the authentic, earthy flavor and the expressive character of the Bible's best-loved books.
Whether you've been reading the Bible for years or are exploring it for the first time, The Message will startle and surprise you. And it will allow you to experience firsthand the same power and directness that motivated its original readers to change the course of history so many centuries ago.
"The Bible must be readable and relevant in all times, to all peoples. Eugene Peterson's language accomplishes this and more: it makes our Holy Scripture also exciting and strong, sweet, sharp, persuasive, painful, personal, contemporary, kind, dramatic-and available to every reader of this age, this society. His love and skill are new blood in the Eternal Story."-Walter Wangerin, Jr., author of The Book of Dun Cow and Mourning into Dancing
"I thank God for The Message. In it Eugene Peterson gives a fresh and authentic voice to the Scripture. I recommend it highly."-Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline
"Time and again I would read a verse and think, 'Oh, that's what it means.' Eugene Peterson has given us the gift of a lifetime."-Rebecca Manley Pippert, author of Out of the Saltshaker and Hope Has Its Reasons
"In this crowded world of Bible versions, Eugene Peterson's blend of accurate scholarship and vivid idiom make this rendering both distinctive and distinguished. The Message catches the logical flow, personal energy, and imaginative overtones of the original very will indeed. It's a landmark and a triumph. Don't miss it!"-J.I. Packer, author of Knowing God and professor of theology, Regent College
