Pedro y Pablo

Without the contributions of Peter and Paul to the early Christian church it might very well have gone on to be an obscure offshoot of Judaism and Jesus might have died a lonely and forgotten death. This film, Peter and Paul, is based on their contributions in spreading the gospel.

Robert Foxworth is a rugged Peter, along the lines of Finlay Currie and Howard Keel previous portrayers of St. Peter, who also looks like a man who worked outdoors and with his hands. Anthony Hopkins is the scholarly Saul of Tarsus, rabbi who was charged with the apprehension and elimination of this Jewish sect worshiping a carpenter who allegedly rose from the dead.

To mark his change of mind about this group, Saul changed his name to Paul and his forcible conversion on the road to Damascus is shown here in detail. The bolt of lightning that knocked him off his ride and blinded him and his later restoration to sight changed him 180 degrees. He becomes their champion and their most eloquent spokesperson.

Paul before Peter took the commandment seriously about the new faith being universal. Others of the early Christians wanted to do the work of evangelizing strictly amongst the Jews. Peter was caught between a rock and a hard place on the issue.

Undaunted Paul goes out among all various and sundry folks spreading the word. His travels are recorded in the names of the various books of the New Testament, his letters of commission and instruction to the various churches he founded.

Whatever one's view of Christianity is, for better or worse Paul's probably the guy who did the most to spread it. That is indisputable. Anthony Hopkins combines the intellect with the personal magnetism that the man had to have in order to get as many folks as he did to listen and heed.

You will find some other good performances in Jose Ferrer as Rabbi Gamaliel teacher of Paul who thought that we ought to give the new followers of Jesus a hearing, Raymond Burr as Herod Aggripa, Jon Finch as a worldly St. Luke and John Rhys Davies and Herbert Lom as Paul's traveling companions Silas and Barnabas at different points of his life.

The direction is good, the script is literate without some of the banal lines associated with DeMille productions. Had this been done thirty years earlier, Peter and Paul would have had far more acclaim than it got. Still I think Christians will like it and nonbelievers will find it entertaining and factual in terms of the accounts in Scripture.

This is a great movie. As with any Hollywood film it does glamorize and alter God's word to fit their perception. However, it is very representative of Paul and his encounters with Peter and the other apostles. It is for Christians as well as for NON-christians and yes it does portray Paul in a very accurate representation of his nature based upon the scriptures. As for as I'm concerned ... a great job was done on this film and it is being widely distributed as a study film.

I have never seen Anthony Hopkins act any better than he did in this film. A film worth owning and sharing with others. It gives a true picture of persecution and how Jesus Christ can change a life and use it if it is totally turned over to Him.

This is a great movie for those who want to understand the early decades of the Christian church. Anthony Hopkins as Paul and Robert Foxworth as Peter are fabulous in their acting. Paul is obviously more passionate and the story tends to give him more screen time. The movie tells the story of how and what the disciples did following the Resurrection. In the book of Galatians in the New Testament, Paul is revisiting churches he started which have come under the influence of Judiazers who say that Christians must be Jews, and that Gentiles must be circumsized.

Paul meets with Peter, who has not left the general area of Jerusalem to discuss this problem. His argument is that Jesus came to save all--Jew and Gentile alike, and he has been travelling to Greece and Asia Minor making large numbers of converts. The arguments he makes to Peter, is that salvation is by faith, that Jesus plus nothing is the key to salvation, and that works or previous Jewish religious practices are now irrelevant. Peter eventually is pursuaded, and after about 30 years of doing little, agrees with Paul's arguments. Paul's other journeys are dramatized and his final days seem to drag out the movie, but the performances are top notch!

it is its great virtue. to present a story not only in convincing manner but in the grace of its nuances. story of a fight for faith, it is a remarkable portrait of the two apostles. for the science to explore vulnerabilities, searches and the need to serve the Truth. for the force of words and the trips in the heart of an empire. for the life of the first communities. for the courage to be more than a historical film. for the admirable portraits. and for the roots of the sacrifice. sure, nothing surprising. a great cast, smart script. and the images with the gift to be more than illustration of Christian first steps. a film of questions. useful for rediscover a battle who seems today almost a myth.

This movie is among the more engaging of the TV Biblical films, as well as holding true to scripture, with just a little 'creative license' for areas that are vague. However, when I heard Anthony Hopkins was playing Paul, I was quite leery, at best, yet he did a magnificent job - Magnificent! One of the mysteries of the Bible is the manner in which people spoke and communicated in various scenarios. Did the person express agitation or anger when he/she said this/that? Or were they always full of patience and grace? We must remember that these people were all human beings, just like us. Each movie and play we view that is an adaptation, it is the creators that create the mood and the mode of each scene and conversation. It is simply a guess at best as to how things were spoken or acted out, however, we do know that Paul was a man absolutely full of fire and passion, and had his share of a temper. I believe the execution of Paul's character in this film had greater accuracy then many others, due to this truth that many times is over-looked. And Anthony Hopkins was the man to nail it.

The film really brings us to a greater place of understanding the reality and nature of what took place back then. The cast is filled with actors/actresses that executed their roles just beautifully. Praise God there are players out there that desire to spread the word through their vocation, and to do so with such care.