You've probably seen the trailers for the new Russell Crowe movie "Noah". I really don't think I'll go see it, at least, not first run. Not because of Russell Crowe. He's a very fine actor and probably does the role credit. But, every time I see the movie referenced, I flash back to the seventies.
The year was 1976. There was a Christian documentary in the theaters: In Search of Noah's Ark (you can see the whole thing at the link, if you like!) They went into great detail about computer models of the seaworthiness of the ark, satellite photos of what might be the ark on what might be Mt. Ararat.
I'd seen it with a few friends and as we were leaving, one of them was most enthusiastic about what we'd seen and what it might mean to the world at large: proof that the Bible was true. I hated to burst his bubble, but I told him it wouldn't make any difference. Even if it could be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Noah existed and the ark was real and even the flood was real (some claim it was localized and not a worldwide flood), and they brought the ark down from the mountain as concrete, verifiable truth, people would still not believe.
Even if Noah's existence could be verified, there would be those who would write him off as some sort of New Age guru or astrologer, or Survivalist*, who somehow sussed out the coming flood, and the Judeo-Christian tradition just incorporated the Noah legend into their "mythology".
So, I would be pleasantly surprised if Russell Crowe's Noah closely adhered to the Biblical one (operative word being "surprised"), but Hollywood doesn't have the greatest track record on Biblical epics. So, if any of you happen to see it, drop me a note. Let me know what you think. (And if Noah's dialogue with God went any better than it did with Bill Cosby!)
*Dude! It was 1976! I didn't use that word!
Cross posted at LCR, Political Clown Parade
Posts
"What's an Ark?" "What's a cubit?"
ReplyDeleteMy fave bit was this exchange
"I can't tell you."
"Gimme a hint!"
" How long can you tread water?"
"Well what ever it is, get it out of my driveway, I gotta go to work"
And he made us laugh without swearing like a sailor! Go figure!
ReplyDeleteabout all he ever used was "Jesus Christ and Dammit"
ReplyDeleteand in "For Adults Only" he talked about cocaine by commenting he'd been told :"It intensifies your personality!"
"What if you're an asshole?"
I must have only heard the early Cosby. Maybe they sanitized him a little before putting him on the records?
ReplyDeleteAdults Only was an HBO special from the 90's, and outside of a comment on ceiling mirrors in his hotel rooms ("I sleep nude, so I wake up and think a naked skydiver is about to land on me") and the bit about Cocaine, he is his normal self and Comedy Central used to play it complete with just the Asshole bleeped.
ReplyDeleteJesus Christ and Dammit is from one of the early albums (I think "To My Brother Russel, With Whom I slept" iirc). His dad would call he and Russel that ...Dammit. stop that! Jesus Christ, don't make me come over there!. Dammit, don't do that! "But Dad ... I'm Jesus Christ"
Well, my memory is what I use to forget with, so, I'll admit that other than Noah and why is there air?, I don't remember much about his other routines.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicken Heart? You gotta remember that one.
ReplyDeleteI like his tale of getting a hotrodded Cobra from Carol Shelby.
I remember them just vaguely. A lot of marbles have rolled into the tube since then and a lot have rolled out!
ReplyDelete