By Diane Howard, Ph.D.
In recent years, especially beginning with The Passion of the Christ, Biblical movies using Biblical texts or based on or inspired by the Bible have been improving in authenticity in the following: casting, locations, costumes, set pieces, and language. Because characters are central to movies, dialects, which genuinely reflect the culture of characters, enable movies which use them to be more believable and raise them to more artistic, captivating levels. They further honor historic, literary and linguistic contexts of the stories.
Especially when we are using Biblical texts themselves, it is important that we not compromise or misrepresent them. The original languages of scripture are muti-layered, nuanced, and deep. If we misrepresent scriptures we lose eternal value.
Even when we take artistic license with stories that we present as inspired by or based on the Biblical texts or other historic events or documents, we need to honor the cultural context and those who wrote, spoke or were involved with them by researching and seeking to understand and present as well as possible their contexts: cultural, historic, societal, geographical, literary and linguistic.
In The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel intensely portrays Jesus Christ as he speaks in Aramaic, as Jesus did. Sub-titles are used to translate what he is saying. This movie is one of the most powerful and impacting movies of the life of Christ to date.
In the Lumo Project in 4 parts, one for each of the Gospels, word-for word the Gospels are spoken in a voice-over while a strong, non-Western looking Jesus passionately acts out the scenes. In the background audiences hear the other characters speaking in what sounds like non-Western, authentic, believable dialects. These films have great impact as the audiences hear only the Word of God and see it believably presented.
In the House of David, audiences see and hear non-Western looking and sounding characters speaking in believable dialects in believable settings (although there is still room for improvement in details.)
Having served for many years fine actors and Christian/Biblical/redemptive movies as a dialect coach for authentic Western and Non-Western dialects, it is especially my joy currently to coach Hebrew, Aramaic, Galilean Aramaic dialects for a major feature film, A Prophet Like Me (working title). This unique, 2-part movie on the life of Christ with great attention to historical, cultural, textual, linguistic detail and more is the first to use consistent, authentic dialects and Biblical references in the original languages throughout.
May all of us in Christian, Biblical, and redemptive movie making, strive to produce the most excellent work that we can to honor our Lord, who has given His eternal all for us.
God’s ways are not our ways and He often works most unexpectedly.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
II Timothy 2:15
a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Diane Howard, Ph.D. is a dialogue, dialect and voice-over coach, as well as a journalist who writes about the role of faith in movies and in the entertainment field. Her website is dianehoward.com.