Analysis of Abraham-Isaac Film Clips, Movie Review Example

I saw two partial clips of the Abraham-Isaac episode, both approximately 15 minutes each.  Both presented Isaac as disinclined to offer his son, I found the second more appealing and more correct to the actual text than the first, and viewers’ response too were more favorable to the second than to the first.

The first (Crown Financial Ministries) depicts a haggard looking Abraham, teeth crooked, wispy beard being comforted by an equally haggard spouse – Sarah – who caresses his face and bides him to follow the voice that he has heard, on the grounds that he has heard that voice in the past and the voice has constantly led him: “You still follow Him not knowing why.” She, therefore encouraged him to do the same now.  The teenage Isaac with sticks on head, persistently asks his father, “where is the lamb?”  Whence his father, once the sticks are laid, solemnly informs his son that he, Isaac, is the lamb and that he has been commanded to sacrifice him. He then feebly starts binding the twine around his son’s hands, whereupon his son resists and breaks free telling him that he will not acquiesce. It is difficult to believe from this film clip that a figure as aged and weak as this character will manage to overwhelm the youthful and swift Isaac, unless Isaac was willing to obey. The film shows otherwise.

The second movie (NEST Entertainment) is more true to the original text. In Disney-like animation form, it commences by showing an aged Abraham arranging the pyre, a curious child asking where the lamb was, and Abraham finally weeping bitterly and gently informing the child that although he did not know why, God chose him Isaac, to be the lamb and that “I must obey not knowing why”.  Isaac hugs his father in return – there is a close embrace, then closes his eyes and climbs on the pyre, lies down, and folds his arms across his chest. Abraham binds his son. At the last minute, Isaac opens his eyes and a tear rolls down his cheek. Reluctantly – and very slowly – Abraham lowers his knife. Just then, a ray penetrates from the sky, a shadow illumines this halo, and the shadow commands Abraham to cease: “Now I know that you are faithful to me,” and the Shadow elaborates on this point. Father and son embrace. End of the clip.

Commentary on both versions demonstrates the first to be more in correct than the second. Sarah was unaware of her husband’s intentions. Most importantly, Isaac, as the narrative clearly informs, acquiesced. It also omits the fact that father and son were accompanied on their journey by  ‘two of his servants’ (22:3), and that he and Isaac traveled there by a donkey rather than walked it. Only for the last stretch of the route did father and son complete it alone: “Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you.” (22:5). Whilst the clip shows Isaac carrying the wood as the text mentions, it does not show Abraham with the firestone and portrayed him without the knife; all he had was his stick.

The second clip, therefore, that starts its opening scene with Abraham kneeling by the pyre, is more accurate to the original text, although one can erroneously believe that it was God, rather than an angel, that spoke to him and it omits mentioning the ram.

The message of the first was, presumably, a revolutionary way of perceiving the text hence the title of the producers:  From the viewer’s response, two out of three were disgusted with the movie, and one of them vociferously with the story. This reaction must have been quite opposite to what producers intended. The second movie, on the other hand, aroused a more sympathetic response. Perhaps, because it was depicted in animation format with a more likeable Abraham and Isaac, both gentler, more compassionate, and their love for each other evident, whereas the first shows Isaac to be distrustful of and alienated from his father even before he was aware of his father’s motives.

Sources

Crown Financial Ministries: Abraham and Isaac – Sample Clip from the God Provides Film Series. Retrieved on 11/30/2010 from: http://www.vimeo.com/4787730

NEST Entertainment. The Story Of Abraham And Isaac Video On Interactive DVD. Retrieved on 11/30/2010 from: http://www.nestentertainment.com/the-story-of-abraham-and-isaac-video-on-interactive-dvd_p42818.aspx

The Holy Scriptures: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew text.  Phil: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985.