A fundamental hurdle is that, operating from within a framework of strong religious faith, it's hard to produce a conflict that's dramatically interesting. Intense drama involves temptation and uncertainty; strong faith provides assurance that, at the end of the day, the world is in good hands. So a lot of what passes for "religious drama" is just a reassurance that everything is okay, and we just have to realize that and walk in faith. The message may be true and vital, but that's not an interesting way to convey it.
There are exceptions. Mel Gibson, who obviously has to wrestle with his own personal demons, overwhelmed us with "Passion of the Christ". Richard Dutcher (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0244756/) has created a series of intense dramatic films which are profoundly spiritual at the core. "The Rapture" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102757/) brilliantly portrayed the spirit of a lost woman trying too hard to seek the righteous path...although I'm not sure whether the creators were working from a religious or secular perspective. I'm always looking for more films like these.
The Bible itself -- certainly the Old Testament -- is filled with tales of people making mistakes and doing the wrong things. To pick an example at random...Jacob hijacks the entire legacy of the Jewish people, which rightly belonged to his brother Esau. So he tricked Esau and impersonated him in front of his father, and took for himself the blessing that was supposed to go to Esau. Esau swore revenge and Jacob fled. Years later, Jacob cautiously attempts to reconcile, not knowing whether his brother still intends to kill him. In an eerie reversal of the way Isaac was hoodwinked, Jacob is drawn into a fight with a mysterious stranger, whom he ultimately subdues. He then demands a blessing from this man. The stranger asks his name, and this time Jacob gives his true name...and now it's the stranger who gives him a new name: "Israel", which identifies Jacob as a man who wrestled with God.
The patriarchs were human beings, not saints. This sort of intra-family warring and ultimate closure rings very true. It could be the stuff of powerful drama, if it were undertaken by the right people.
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Rory_Brandybuck
15 years ago
The best versions of Bible stories I've ever seen are the "Testament" series of animations of old testament stories. They are original, dramatic and brilliantly animated. They stand head and shoulders above the vast majority of biblical cartoons.
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darkghost3400
8 years ago
And don't forget that Jacob (a.k.a Israel) was a terrible father. He has some blame on the awful things almost all his sons did (Judah, Joseph, Benjamin and to a lesser extent Reuben were good).
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