40 Nights

This was the last film that the iconic actor Dan Haggerty (aka Grizzly Adams) was in. He is heard at the beginning as "the voice of God," which is interesting as he died not long after of January 15th. 2016. Dan was my dear friend and business partner for about 20 years, he was always good with exits, but wow! What a way to go - as the voice of God!

I enjoyed watching the film '40 Nights' and I have to say that it was challenging and encouraging. The film uniquely tells the story of Jesus and the 40 Nights in the wilderness after he was baptized. Beautifully shot in the desert, Jesus is confronted by the enemy. Flashbacks take the viewer back into the life of Jesus and addresses real issues that we all face every day. The film stays true and doesn't try to reshape Biblical truth, it is a glimpse into the lives of those in time of Christ. It portrays the eternal messages in a powerful but simple setting that is enjoyable to watch. It is a film that will build your faith and inspire you as you apply it to your life. The ending is especially direct and challenging. Watch it, you will be glad you did. – Terry Bomar, Minister, speaker, (Former manager to Dan "Grizzly Adams" Haggerty – this was Dan's last movie)

We host a monthly Christian movie night at a local theatre in Navasota, TX. Miller's Theatre donates its space for our movie showings and we are able to show our films without admission charge.

Yesterday, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, we shared 40 Nights, by DJ Perry. Which is the first film of a trilogy, 40 Nights, Chasing the Star and the soon to be released, Christ Slayer. DJ was generous enough to license our showings and to provide background material for our showing.

We had about 40 people in attendance for our showing and we were very pleased with the audience reaction which ended in applause at the close of the film.

40 Nights a is well done telling of Christ's 40 days in the wilderness from an intimate perspective of Christ's experience in building His strength for the coming trials of his ministry and its conclusion in the crucifixion.

We recommend this film to viewers who seek a deeper perspective on Christ's experience at the beginning of His ministry and the challenges met in the wilderness.

A good idea represents the root of this film - to explore the temptations of devil against the Lord in Carantania dessert. And , not ignoring the few serious reserves about cast , dialogues and technical solutions, it is just a decent work. Because, in essence, it is an interogation to viewer. Sure, some parts are not the most inspired and the dialogue with the Archangel or with little shepard are too, too much , but it is a Christian film and its purpose is, not doubts, more than clear. Sure, not the expected Jesus, not the familiar form of temptation, but the voice of Dan Haggerty helps a lot the film.

According to all four gospels in the Christian New Testament, the primary pivotal time in Jesus' life and ministry was his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Before this act, Jesus was just a "face in the crowd" at least outwardly. Possibly he was just another disciple of John, maybe even one so nondescript, he wasn't even worth writing or talking about.

All of this changed when Jesus emerged from the water in John's arms. At this point he had a vision from God. The impact on Jesus was so great , he had to go into the wilderness afterward for 40 days of fasting and praying to help him reflect on and process this experience. What was this vision and its impact on Jesus? The Gospels describe his vision (mainly of a dove descending from heaven) but don't really tell us what was going on in Jesus' mind during this time of radical inward change. What we do know is that after this time was over, Jesus immediately began preaching his (and our) Gospel of love and peace.

So we see this profound outward radicalization of Christ's life but get nothing of his thoughts on the matter, at least from the Gospels. The film "40 Nights" seeks to fill in these gaps during his desert time and speculates on how Jesus realized his calling and decided what to do next. Ingeniously, the film gives us this information by "filling in" Jesus' personal reactions to his subsequent temptations in the desert. The gospels have Jesus react to Satan's temptations by quoting scripture from the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible). What do these quotes mean in their context? Why is Jesus saying these things? What do these reactions say about Jesus' thoughts and feelings about these "mere" scripture verses? Most importantly, what was Jesus thinking while he wasn't encountering Satan.

The Bible is silent on these questions. For centuries Bible scholars, church leaders and theologians have speculated on these questions (and questioned Jesus' personal reactions to other events in his life). In the tradition of such scholarship, "40 Nights" seeks answer these questions simply, by reasonably speculating on what was going on in his mind during this time. Naturally this film uses visual imagery to portray Jesus' thoughts, focusing on his reaction to Satan's attempts to suborn him. You may agree or disagree with what you see and hear, but the results are both moving and at the same time biblical and revealing. How would you react to such "divine" visions and personal revelations? "40 Nights" shows a plausible interpretation of the human side of Christ, the side most of us can best relate to, including Jesus' astonishment at realizing His true message and, most importantly, who he really is. The film's basic story line shows us Christ's baptism and Jesus' subsequent time in the wilderness. This lonely experience brought Jesus to three profound temptations from "the devil." Christians have interpreted these "visions" variously as either real temptations from a real Satan or as metaphors for his inner thoughts and feelings, or both. "40 Nights" chooses to focus on the metaphorical side of the temptations as Jesus journeys through the desert encountering visions of phony "what do I do next" ideas courtesy of Satan himself.

"40 Nights" did a wonderful job of showing Jesus as human, including flashbacks to Jesus' past. Most Christian movies, literature and teaching never do this. Christ's being the son of God was faithfully rendered but not trumpeted. It's good that the film showed what Jesus experienced personally. Instead of trying to turn this tale into a trite "biblical epic," the film focuses on Jesus' interactions, memories and personal internal battles. I especially liked the film's showing that Jesus' temptation in the wilderness was not just a prologue for his ministry but also part of his preparation for death on the cross. In its symbolism, this film's story shows one man's search for faith and God-given strength while he sets off on a journey of fasting to prepare his soul for sacrifice. Of course some artistic license was taken to fill in gaps not shown in the Bible. But hey, the movie is never as good as the book, right? Still, the film was careful to be faithful to the biblical accounts.

In essence, the film boils down to a personal drama, a character study if you like, seeking to reveal Jesus' internal conflicts and struggles. You will either agree with its portrayal or not, but you cannot argue that it doesn't show reverence for its subject. "40 Nights" is a film that inspires, no matter whether the viewer is believer. In essence, it is a thought-provoking and challenging attempt to glimpse the soul of Christ.

Although the "action" is at times a bit slow, I found that some of these moments actually gave me good personal time to reflect on what the film was actually trying to say. I really enjoyed the landscape and scenic shots. I got a profound sense of the natural ruggedness and spiritual solitude of the desert. Certainly DJ Perry does an excellent job portraying Christ. In addition to being entertaining, "40 Nights" is a good study tool for any church Christian education program. Watch it, think about it and enjoy it. Share it with others. Above all, you can use it as a way to help with your own personal journey in Christ.

I am, admittedly, only a little over halfway into this (although it feels like I've been watching for hours), but am doubtful that I will finish it (and that's saying something, since, as a peplum fan, I'm an extremely tolerant viewer), so here is my assessment thus far: Ron Swanson as definitely well over 30 (or 40, for that matter) hippy, new age Jesus, and the villain from an old made-for-TV children's movie as Satan (we used to achieve the same "scary voice" effect playing with a tape recorder as kids in the 80's), in an apparently no-budget "Bible movie" that's really a western, with painfully modern, American non-actors, reciting dialogue that can't decide what century it's being spoken in, and seems to have been written by Tommy Wiseau.