Author Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code
has captivated millions of readers since publication, and its big
screen adaptation, starring Tom Hanks, stands poised to do the same
this summer. But The Watchword Bible seeks to tap into an even bigger and more dedicated community: a Christian constituency looking for some faith-based Da Vinci Code counter-programming.
The Bible
was written over a period of many hundreds of years, by more than 30
different authors. Standing in starkest contrast to some of the
theoretical postulations of The Da Vinci Code is the Book of Acts, scripted by Luke circa 63 A.D. The Watchword Bible
is spread out over 10 separate discs, but it’s this book that most
centrally examines the days following the crucifixion and death of
Jesus of Nazareth.
Narrated by Don Wadsworth, The Watchword Bible is, in
reality, an interesting act of straddling the line between
proselytizing and entertainment. Simply put, it offers forth a sort of
picture-book realization of the Scripture. Large-type white text —
alternating with the color yellow, which indicates spoken quotes within
the passages — unfolds serenely over thematically linked pastoral and
historical city shots. There are no Unsolved Mystery-style dramatic reenactments or desultory silent acting. Indeed, The Watchword Bible
doesn’t personalize Caiaphas, John, Peter or Alexander, and it
generally eschews humans entirely in favor of more scenic and
picturesque environments.
The end result is oddly both emotionally distancing and
slightly fascinating and mesmerizing, just because of how different an
experience it is. For those who chafe at reading and find Biblical
texts particularly taxing on their focus or attention, The Watchword Bible
and its convenient chapter stops allow for viewing in bite-sized
morsels. Viewed in this manner, or even wholesale, the stories have an
extra layer of magnitude when you allow them to be dictated to you. For
those hungry for more information about the apostles secret meetings
after Jesus’ death and other mysteries of that era, The Watchword Bible offers an interesting new way to explore and grapple with these age-old questions.
Though not yet available at traditional retailers, The Watchword Bible
comes housed in regular Amray cases like other DVD releases, and is
presented in full screen with an English mono audio track, though there
are unfortunately no supplemental extras. A more mainstream commercial
release may be timed to The Da Vinci Code’s own DVD bow later this fall. B- (Movie) C- (Disc)