San Paolo (2000) (TV)

Director:

Roger Young

Writers:

Gareth Jones (writer)
Gianmario Pagano (story)

Release Date:

3 December 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Biblical epic from the book of Acts and Paul's epistles covering the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and his ministry to the Gentiles now known as Paul...

Plot Keywords:

Jerusalem | Jew | Religion | Miracle | Missionary

Cast

Johannes Brandrup	...	Paul of Tarsus / Saul of Tarsus
Thomas Lockyer	...	Reuben
Barbora Bobulova	...	Dinah
Ennio Fantastichini	...	Peter
G.W. Bailey	...	Barnabas
Giorgio Pasotti	...	John
Franco Nero	...	Gamaliel
Daniela Poggi	...	Mary, Mother of Jesus
Umberto Orsini	...	Tribune
Christian Brendel	...	James
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	King Herod
Ian Ricketts	...	Amos
Jack Hedley	...	High Priest
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Ananias
Riccardo Sardonè	...	Stephen

Also Known As:

Die Bibel - Paulus (Germany)
Paul the Apostle (USA) (DVD title)
Paulus (Germany)
Saint Paul (Australia) (literal English title)
St. Paul (USA)
The Bible: Paul of Tarsos (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:170 min (2 parts)

Country:

Italy | Czech Republic | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Germany:12 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Ceská Televize

Trivia:

Franco Nero's speaking voice is dubbed.

Movie Connections:

Follows Genesi: La creazione e il diluvio (1994) (TV)

It nearly drove me nuts

Not paying attention to the opening credits as I was testing my new 42" plasma HDTV, I was torn between assuming that the lead actor portraying Paul was Richard Chamberlain or a look-alike. I settled for the latter but after looking at the other supporting actors, I changed my mind and decided it was Chamberlain after all beneath that beard. What threw me off? The actress who portrayed Dina. I could have sworn that was my favorite underrated actress Linda Purl. So while there were many Italians in the cast, the lead actors were English-speaking and Linda was there, so the lead must have been Chamberlain.

Bailey, who portrayed Barnabas, is a staple supporting actor in many TV series and so for while he had me puzzled as to whether he was another impish doppleganger. He did a great job as a dedicated and slightly comedic disciple.

How about the actor who portrayed Agrippa, a King of the Herodian line who succeeded Antipas? He had a vague resemblance to Sean Connery but I thought "Naah! Couldn't be." Until I heard him speak with that distinctive Connery voice and lisp as well as that masked Scottish accent. Trouble is, the actor for Herod Agrippa is not in the IMDb cast line up at all. I wouldn't be surprised if Connery dubbed for that movie as a sideline though.

The photography, sets, costuming and location shots are great. I particularly liked that slow zooming shot of Apostle Paul as he was in a prison cell in Caesarea Philippi. For one thing, it didn't look like a cell at all but sort of like a garden architecture with what seemed to be a trellis roof covered with straw with beams of sunlight streaming through. Paul is shown writing and the actor's overdubbed voice is reciting that Apostle's lovely epistle on faith, hope and love.

I completely understand why the screen playwrights had to jumble the characters with roles exchanged (as the dialogue indicated) and added a few extra ones. That must have been for the sake of establishing a connecting storyline for all the events in the apostle's life, for brevity and continuity.

My only complaint is that some of the Roman soldiers were skinny and puny. The Roman infantry was the terror of the classical world and they were made up of wiry, sinewy tough men.

Above all, this movie was faithful in presenting some of the earliest doctrines and practices of the Church pushed forth by Paul and Peter.

Peter spoke of his experience seeing a pagan family imbued, filled with the Holy Spirit and exhibiting the charisms. He told the other disciples of his vision when God explained to him that Gentiles may be included in the community despite their non-Jewish customs "as what God hath made clean, thou shalt not call unclean."

There was the First Ecumenical Council at Jerusalem where it was decided that Gentile converts need not submit to Mosaic Law. Of course, James the bishop of Jerusalem who finally worded the encyclical enjoined converts to refrain from blood and the meat of strangled animals, but that too was later put aside thus entirely liberating the gentiles from kosher dietary laws. The film also showed that while Peter was the leader of the early Christians, he did not rule alone but always in unity with the rest of the apostles. Neither was he free from criticism as Paul called attention somewhat harshly to his off and on conformation to Mosaic Law depending on who were watching.

Christian baptism was shown to be done either by aspersion or by immersion. Paul himself was shown as having been baptized by aspersion as they were in the city of Damascus and far from the River Jordan.

Paul's personal suggestion for disciples not to marry to facilitate their mission was well covered too in a dialogue with Barnabas.

This is a movie that should be shown on the networks during Holy Week instead of the 10 Commandments which after all, is not really about Christianity per se but about Judaism.