What happens when a famous story is retold to a new audience? The retelling is usually a blend of old and new. Whether done consciously or not, the act of retelling is often also an act of adaptation. Do the transformations inherent in retelling also take place when the famous tale is a Bible story?

In this ten-session course, we will learn how Hollywood retells a Bible story. We will watch five films and analyze them.

In the course of our study, we will note a fascinating synthesis. The biblical original, the long history of biblical engagement by students of different faiths, the conventions of modern-day cinematic storytelling and the creativity of the artists involved in the film all interact to produce a distinctively “modern midrash,” speaking to generations of film audiences, from the 1920’s to the present.