The History Channel’s ten-part mini-series, “The Bible,” though met by strong opposition and controversy, has proved to be a successful series that millions of Americans are eager to watch. The ten hour show will cover the entire story of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
Mark Burnett – producer of the extremely popular television show “Survivor” and “The Voice,” tag-teamed with wife Roma Downey, star of “Touched by an Angel,” to produce the miniseries. Burnett and Downey pair dramatic dialogue and stunning videography in order to accurately capture the most important scenes and stories from the Holy Bible.
The series begins with the Creation story and “The Fall” of humanity. Intense music is combined with flashes of fantastic, computer generated images of the galaxies and Earth being formed. The scantily clad duo, Adam and Eve, bring about the sins of the human race by eating the forbidden fruit from “The Tree of Good and Evil,” while powerful instrumentals resonate in the background.
Throughout the show, God speaks to some of the most important biblical characters, such as Abraham and Moses, in a deep booming voice. Because of the series’ limited time frame, the stories are very action packed. Adam and Eve eat the fruit, ensuing the fall of mortals on Earth; Moses parts the tumultuous Red Sea by striking it with his staff; Lot and his family are rescued from terrible danger by two angels protected by body armor and armed with huge swords and a lot of warfare expertise. However, understandably, the plot of “The Bible” leaves out a number of details due to time restrictions. For example, it is not noted that Abraham was once named Abram, and that God renamed him. The character of Sampson has been a big topic for debate as well, because he is depicted as an African-American.
Though the series may stray from including some details and explanations, “The Bible” manages to cram a lot of important information into ten hours. There is no way that a television show could ever do the Bible complete justice without reiterating the entire text word-for-word. For all kinds of viewers, this progression of biblical accounts has proved to be intriguing. The series is even interesting enough for people to come back for more. The dramatic scenes are necessary in order to draw curiosity from the public sphere. An impressive crowd of 13.1 million viewers saw the first episode.
The History Channel should be commended for airing something as extraordinary as this series. After all, I would much rather be hearing an enlightening story about the Bible than watching some trashy reality TV show. “The Bible” airs every Sunday evening at 8p.m., and the story will wrap-up on Easter Sunday.
Eastern University News