At church today we skipped Sunday School and watched a 30 minute "how the movie was made" movie about The End of the Spear. It was filmed in Panama, with indians from the Northern Emberá language group. It was logistically impossible to film it in the
Waorani area, but there were Waoranis there to teach the actors how to act like Waorani and to get the makeup right.
The most interesting thing I heard this morning was when Steve Saint, son of one of the slain missionaries, first asked the Waorani for permission to make this movie, they said no. Then Steve was able to persuade them to change their minds after telling them about Columbine. “Oh, that's just like how we used to act, killing for no reason,” they said, and then gave permission. (This society was one of the most warlike societies known to anthropology, with a homicide rate exceeding 60 percent as a result of warfare and raiding.)
So far, I've only found one theater that will be showing it this coming weekend, but I hope to get some friends together and go.
2 comments:
It is an amazing, inspiring story, but did you know there is a controversy brewing about the actor hired to play Jim Elliot? You can read the whole story at http://www.sharperiron.org/showthread.php?t=2244
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on it and if your pastor mentioned it.
Blessings to you,
GrammaMack
I had briefly seen the forum you mention and just now have taken a bit more time to read it (today's a holiday). It will be interesting to see how this controversy plays out. Personally, I would have prefered using a straight actor, but that isn't going to stop me from going to see it. I will say that I appreciate the casting company's efforts to choose an actor who auditioned well. I can't blame them for wanting to use an actor who could, well--, act.
I wonder if we can look at it like this: If a Christian owns a film company and wants to make Christian films, does he have to use only Christian actors (and maybe only Christian distributers, editors, etc. etc.)? If the answer to that question is yes, then Chad Allen was a bad choice. If the answer to that question is no, then it doesn't matter that Chad Allen was cast--his sins are no different from the sins of any other unbeliever.* In other words, if it is OK to use unbelieving actors at all, then it doesn't really matter that this actor is gay. (I'm just trying to be consistent.)
Our pastor made no mention of this. Whether he knew anything about it, I don't know.
*The specific sins of unbelievers are really no concern to me--that is what we expect from unbelievers, that is their nature.
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