"Paul, Apostle of Christ" - A Review of the Film Opening This Weekend
Along with one of the priests of the SSPX, Angelus Press has screened the film in order to provide a review and guide for those faithful who may have interest in the story.
The director of the film, Andrew Hyatt, made strides to not only bring to life the historical accuracy of Rome during the time of the persecutions of Nero, but to portray the truth that Paul spent his life preaching. A Catholic himself, Hyatt spoke in a recent interview that he succumbed to the pull of making the film "as ecumenical as possible," but did not shy away from the true message of the Acts of the Apostles, which were the cornerstone of the movie.
While a sad reality of the "need" for marketing the film to a wider audience, Hyatt's approach did not seem to water down the story of St. Paul, explaining, "I don’t think I could ever say that those things didn’t shape me or form me, growing up in the Catholic tradition."
The opening scene of the film is powerful, with Father commenting during the movie, "Wow. A fantastic opening." The viewer is immersed into the gritty, desolate world of Nero's Roman insanity in 67 AD.
Christians were forced into hiding - those who were captured were immediately sentenced to brutal deaths in the Roman Circus, or doused in oil and set alight as lamps to light the city at dark. It was this latter depiction - done with reality but not an exaggerated, gratuitous violence, that sets the tone for the film.
