40 Nights

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.

40 Nights Excellent script about an unknown subject matter. When you try to imagine what was said in the historical situation it is difficult not to step on someone's toes compared with their views of the subject. The dialogue maneuvered very comfortably through these deep waters. Even a stiff neck Christian would appreciate the clever way it was portrayed what Christ might have went through. It was very believable that it could happen that way. The accuracy with Scripture was very pleasing. This allowed me as a viewer to trust the script to take me in any direction. The story line inspires the viewer to think about what could have happened with an open mind. A truly beautiful film. The shooting location looked like right out of the holy land. The cinematography is first-class. The editing of the film was so smooth it was hardly even noticed. You certainly have a great crew working with you. I would give it five stars and encourage all believers to view it. Good job!

There are several things I enjoy about this original Biblical drama movie. One is that no one has ever focused before on imagining the true test Jesus was put to in the desert for 40 days and nights tempted by Satan. An account of the search for the faith and strength that lies within him. In this movie, we see the human side of Christ and flashbacks of his past as he sets off on his journey of fasting to prepare his soul for sacrifice. I like that the movie's style of dialogue and visual style are consistent with each other. Biblical dramas in the 50s and 60s had more of the "European painting" and theatrical look to them, and dialogue that was theatrically stilted, because they were more like large-scale pageants. In this movie, the dialogue is not poetic or theatrical at all, but more realistic, in keeping with the gritty visual look. It was filmed in Yuma AZ desert and though it was impossible to show the largeness of Jerusalem, I didn't feel cheated out of anything worthwhile. The scenery and panoramic shots took my breath away. There also were many special affects that enhanced the realism and powers of Satan and the Angels. I like that the movie doesn't show anything except what Jesus Christ experiences. His interactions, memories and personal internal battles. Some people might call it a suspenseful mystery, but it seemed more to me like a character-focused drama where Jesus must make choices based on the knowledge given to him. A film that will inspire, whether a believer or not. It is thought provoking and challenging. DJ Perry is superb as Jesus. Perfect Lenten material as one reflects upon his or her relationship with Jesus. It's a pretty interesting movie. I loved it.

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.

There are at least 6 or 7 sermons I could write off of this movie alone. First, the cinematography was beautiful. Wow. The actor who portrays the devil, made me mad and that could only mean he performed this role very well. The portrayal of Jesus Christ is effortlessly genuine and comforting to both watch and hear. The lamb was adorable. So representative of how we stray away so easily. It's something how most want to only portray the crucifixion, when very little emphasis is put on all the moments before. I plan to watch this again. But, after just one time watching it my spirit is left in gratitude and awe of my Lord and Saviors sacrifice on my behalf. It's a showing of how capable our spirit really is over our flesh, if we are willing. This film is anointed from start to finish. That means it's favored to win souls. I thought the portrayal of decreasing in strength, an actors ability to play hunger and the extreme effects there off was quite accurate. The way the enemy comes at us in our weaknesses in times of weaknesses. For example, the scene involving the lust and the woman who wasn't a woman at first. Clever. The different voices were chilling and scary and just what I would've imagined. Wow. I can't say enough good things. I ask that you please continue to write and produce stories rarely touched, out of the bible. Since, you do them so well. I plan to order to add to my collection! Good work.