October 2010 – The Scarlet Cord and Hiding Place
Two powerful dance productions from the nation’s first Christian ballet company are now available on DVD. It’s not your ordinary DVD fare, but Ballet Magnificat!’s moving interpretations of stories with biblical and spiritual value prove both entertaining and inspiring.

Hiding Place: Hope in the Midst of Suffering looks into the lives of Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie who are sent to a concentration camp for hiding Jews in their Haarlem, Holland, home during World War II. The sisters face horrific struggles, yet, because of the work of Christ in their hearts, they are able to forgive those responsible for their desperate circumstances. Hiding Place is choreographed by Jiri Sebastian Voborsky, who uses drama, passion, pain, joy and hope to challenge the audience to believe the power of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Talented dancers bring the powerful message to life. Facial expressions, realistic costumes, and inspirational lyrics help tell the story that culminates with a powerful quotation from Corrie ten Boom displayed on screen. Hiding Place can be difficult to follow at times, but it still makes for quality entertainment.

In addition to Hiding Place, Ballet Magnificat! also presents The Scarlet Cord, an analogy based on the biblical account of Rahab. Set in the Soviet Union during the 1970s, it’s a moving drama about a human heart turning to Jesus. It follows the life of a woman named Rahab who is impacted by the testimony of her sister and a missionary couple following the betrayal of her lover – a Communist party official.

Elements of betrayal, love, dedication and sacrifice surface through intriguing ballet talent that is set in motion by a mixture of instrumental, contemporary and gospel music that creates the tone of the story perfectly. There are several powerful scenes in The Scarlet Cord, as well as profound lyrics, such as “Jesus, above all else, give me yourself.” However, it is very helpful to read the synopsis of the story provided in the bonus features – both before and after watching the production.

There is another bonus feature that explains the heart of Ballet Magnificat! and relates the themes in the biblical story of Rahab to the ballet production.

Both productions do contain some mild violence and characters that become angels upon their deaths.

Ballet Magnificat! is an internationally acclaimed company founded by Kathy and Keith Thibodeaux and located in Jackson, Mississippi. Ballet Magnificat! has performed before an estimated 12 million people around the world since its inception in 1986.

For more about Ballet Magnificat!, including other DVD titles, visit www.balletmagnificat.com.
Review by Rebecca G. Davis

Get Low Caution+
Get Low was released in late August by Sony Pictures. It has been hyped to churches and Christian groups because of its surface-level treatment of the themes of forgiveness and redemption. It is, indeed, a captivating story idea with screen legends Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek delivering credible performances.

But the story line moves very slowly and leaves the waters very muddy regarding those ostensible major themes and the necessity of Christ’s role in forgiveness and redemption. Furthermore, Movidguide.com tallied 29 obscenities and 7 profanities, including three uses of GD plus other uses of Jesus and God’s name in vain.

Get Low is the story of Felix Bush (Duvall), a 1930s man who became a hermit after his married lover died in a house fire. He is tormented by his belief that he should have saved her life. Now, nearing the end of life, he arranges for his funeral service while he is still alive to see what people will say. He desires forgiveness and says as much to the crowd gathered for his faux funeral. In effect, he simply “comes clean” about his adulterous affair four decades earlier, and he expresses the hope that everyone can forgive him. End of story. There is no real closure or resolution to Felix’s dilemma.

This watered-down depiction of basic Christian tenets is widely heralded among secular reviewers as an “Oscar-worthy” offering.

It is certainly unfortunate and disappointing that numerous Christian luminaries have sung the praises of this film. AFA is more inclined to agree with reviewer Eric Kohn (www.indiewire.com) who said Duvall’s performance is “the sole redeeming factor in an otherwise insipid product.”
Review by Randall Murphree

I Want Your Money Caution
Ray Griggs’ new documentary I Want Your Money looks at the American dream from two distinct perspectives. One says government should give every person in America everything he needs. The other warns that a government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you need.

The 90-minute film includes humorous computer generated cartoons and straight interviews with Mike Huckabee, John Stossel, Gary Bauer, Star Parker and others.

While the show is entertaining and holds much truth, there are some things to beware of. The film falls into the common media caricature of conservatives that Ronald Reagan did no wrong and Barack Obama does no right.

Unfortunately, there is some objectionable language. However, the film sets out to contrast the successes of capitalism with the historical ineptitude of socialism, and it accomplishes that goal very well.
Review by Teddy James

Mrs. Miracle Caution
The Hallmark Channel should have had a winner with the film Mrs. Miracle, based on Debbie Macomber’s novel Call Me Mrs. Miracle. Macomber, a New York Times best selling author, crafted an appealing Christmas story, but the Hallmark script saw fit to include the use of God’s name in vain.

Another device that might make some parents leery of the film is that the title character, played by Doris Roberts (of Everybody Loves Raymond television fame), is apparently an angel with magical powers which she uses to manipulate the other characters.

The story line follows the paths of protagonists Seth Webster and Reba Maxwell. Webster is haunted by the memory of his late wife and refuses to tell his six-year-old twin sons about her. Maxwell has been estranged from her sister for years because Sis ran away with Maxwell’s fiancé the day before the wedding.

As the Webster-Maxwell love story develops, they challenge each other to break free of the bonds that hold them as victims of their own anger and resentment.
Review by Randall Murphree

Rust Caution
Kipling Film Productions releases Rust on DVD October 5. It is the story of James Moore, a priest who has lost his faith and returns to his small hometown only to reignite a tense relationship with his father and to discover that Travis, a childhood friend, has confessed to arson in a home fire that killed a family of four.

The film was written, directed and produced by Corbin Bernsen, best known for his role in television’s L.A. Law series in the 1990s. The DVD cover calls it the story of a journey home and a faith restored.

Rust has a number of intriguing story lines, the most significant of which is Moore’s digging into Travis’s incarceration in a psychiatric facility. The sole objectionable element is a few casual uses of God’s name in vain.

Suspense builds as Moore launches his personal investigation into Travis’s guilt or innocence and hits a brick wall at every turn – the police chief, also a childhood friend; the neighbor who called 911 when he spotted the fire; Travis’s own confession; the public defender who defended Travis. Even his own father tells Moore to leave it alone.

It’s sinister enough to imply that there’s a veiled conspiracy of silence and perhaps a cover-up. While that doesn’t prove true, Moore’s tenacity eventually leads to a truth that startles most of the townspeople.
Review by Randall Murphree