Rod's Review of 2014 Movie "Noah"

Essay on Movie Noah 4-26-14 (Helps if you've seen it.)

Best religion movie I've seen since "The Robe" starring Richard Burton as the evil centurion, or "Ben Hur" starring Charlton Heston as the invincible slave, or "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (also with Charlton Heston), and Max von Sydow as Jesus; that is, portraying Jesus. Portraying is the key word in all these films, since seeing them decades ago they were so well done they were believable, hence also changing Bible stories just like 2014's "Noah." We tend strongly to believe what we see, and movies are even more unforgettable than words for most of us, since we (most of us) haven't read the "Book" word-for-word. Especially these days. Well don't believe that either. The universal themes of God (the God within us, or "Good"), triumphing over Evil still rings true and always will.

The movie explains how early man after Adam and Eve became evil, from Cain and his "bad" descendents as differentiated from the  good line from Seth, to ten generations later with Methusaleh still alive, (said to be 900 years old in the Bible), Noah's grandfather, onto Noah's visions. The story of His acceptance the knowledge of the deluge and His defined Mission as a divine Manifestation of God on earth. I thought this blood line of the manifestations was symbolized by the eerieily glowing snakeskin that plays a prominent role as reminder of His inheritance. His Mandate to save two of all living creatures in the first parts of the movie, so well done with today's incredible special Fx.  I could see where the snakeskin symbolized genes being passed along in the blood. 

The evil Rock Creatures, later we find out, actually fallen angels. Ultimately are convinced by Noah's please and sincerity as to the veracity of what he's saying about saving the planet, and they completely accede to Him. A key element in understanding how on earth one man and His small family could build a gigantic Ark 300 cubits long by 50 cubits high by 300 wide. Each cubit estimated to be 20".  So the Rock Men who'd also gotten corrupt and had misjudged their true mission (to build goodness), ended up (after a change in heart),  helping to build it.  

Power hungry mankind (symbolized by evil soldier men only) had obeyed their mantra to "Build in God's (false) Image!" for generations, and so dominated all creatures and the earth, and built an industrial polluting civilization threatening the world's destruction. (Sound familiar to today yet?) This age-old scenario indicative of 'Abdu'l-Baha'is quotation that there have been ancient civilizations just as great but we've lost all traces of them, which keeps with the theme of the Flood destroying all.... 

And his son Ham leaves, the desires and wants of an earthly attachment heart after feeling temptation of girl he saved form bad men's camp, from their corpse pit. How Noah had gone sometime before, wandered thru camp, saw hundreds of people behind fences, enslaved by the evil dictator, and making warriors and swords and pikes and their cannons emitting shooting fireworks to kill stone men (all men?).  How Noah found him and girl heading back, she trapped by a human/animal steel trap, Ham trying to save her, Noah shouts leave and Ham does thinking Noah will save her, but He turns His back as crowds of desperate people overwhelm Him. Knowing, knowing, Men bring this evil upon themselves.

How Janet said this yesterday to me as chief motive for "Man's" evils (thinking we are "God"). How Noah saw/"interpreted" God's last signs, how a spring of water flowing from Metheusalah's "seed" (get it?) had circled the earth's mass, attracting all animals in pairs to its source, water growing the forest for wood, how the ark was for them.  In the later part Noah misinterprets his mission, in which he thinks God Wants ALL Mankind To Die, even His offspring (epitomized by almost murdering Lla's twins, a boy and girl, (symbolic again of Adam & Eve).

How could any human think God wants us to die without recognizing Him first? How can we think that God causes evil to befall us, or accidents to cause our loved ones deaths from the Titanics and tornadoes and drunk drivers?

The sign as the rain stopped at same time finding out Emma Watson is pregnant (yeah, they had pregnancy tests back then, why not?), because it finally dawned on Him about God's everlasting love for mankind, and He looked upon those pure tiny beings and knew His love, what God really wanted. Life. A life without evil.

How he finally sees final sign rainbow and glowing shooting as last sign he found truth finally, and to go back to his wife and family from drunkenness and nakedness (symbolism), and Ham leaves all behind…to start and populate a new world? A metaphor for homosexuality's Great Frustration, not having children? And the new garden of paradise planted by Jennifer Connolly brings Noah back to the human plane?

The upshot? Like all the movies about the Messengers of God, whether the Son Christ, or Noah or even the Apostle Muhammad, undepicted in Muhammed the Messenger of God starring Anthony Quinn as His right hand man Hamza, that I saw so very long ago in 1976. All Are essentially God in men's clothing, yet not God, a station unique unto Themselves, far from Man's inner desires and in touch with God's Plan. They have their own mortal yet immortsal desires, which I think resolves itself into one Mission: Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Men.

Just an opinion. 

PS. The cast, as in so many movies these days, was perfect.

Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

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