Fans of the 1976 cult classic film "The Omen" about the birth of the anti-Christ (that is, the devil) will probably like the new, enhanced version that opened world-wide on June 6 (6.6.06), a date that coincides with the calendar's numerical line-up and commemorates the anniversary of the original film's release.
Apocalyptic-centric screenwriter David Seltzer (who also penned last year's miniseries Revelations) derives the premise for "The Omen" on a literal and contemporary interpretation of the book of Revelation, especially Chapter 13: 11-18:
Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six" (NRSV).
Cinematic schlock
"The Omen" is cinematic schlock built on a dispensational theological premise of the end times that a relative minority of evangelical Christians believe. Though the end of the world didn't occur in 1976 when the original film was released or at the turn of the century in 2000, not to worry; there's still time.
In line with pop culture theology, "The Omen" gathers its visuals from the Catholic Church and its theology and religious dialogue from the Plymouth Brethren, a fringe evangelical Protestant denomination. The Plymouth Brethren began in Ireland in the late 1820's and migrated to the UK soon after. The Plymouth Brethren's faith system is driven by the proximate coming of the end times and is essentially non-creedal. The most well known films and books of this genre are the "Left Behind" franchise (The Tidings, Nov. 25, 2005; http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/1125/behindside.htm).
The Father Brennan character wants to marry Catholicism and dispensational Protestantism when he yells at beleaguered dad Robert Thorn: "You must accept Jesus as your personal savior and eat his body and drink his blood to be saved." But there is no personal life transformation involved in this formula; there is no charity, no sign of a benevolent God anywhere. There is only the crucifix, thousands of them, as the magic wand that may rid Thorn --- and the world --- of the devil and the apocalypse.
Believing in the devil
The one thing "The Omen" may do for audiences is to convince them that the devil exists; Seltzer certainly dishes up enough evidence for this throughout the film. Other films have certainly tried to help us believe in the devil and perhaps scare us into being good: "The Exorcist," last year's annoying "Constantine" and last year's more thoughtful "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (see "Beat the Devil: Exorcism and Hollywood," The Tidings, Sept. 9, 2005; http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0909/movieside.htm).
The problem with Seltzer's devil is that he is blamed for all the evils in the world leading to the apocalypse. There is not even a hint of personal or social responsibility for wars or the natural disasters, such as global warming which may be attributed to how humans abuse the earth. No one is in control of Seltzer's universe, not diplomats or politicians, not individuals, not the priests (only Catholic clergy are presented to us and they are either evil or ineffectual) and certainly not God --- just the devil.
The allusion to the death of Pope John Paul II at the end seemed very distasteful to me, as did the strong insinuation that the Catholic Church is just plain superstitious.
6.6.6
I was called May 31 by a reporter with Florida newspaper asking if I had heard any rumblings of fear among Catholics about the coming date of June 6, 2006 (6.6.06), cited in the book of Revelation as a recipe for disaster. To date, I have not.
The reporter wanted to know if there is any Catholic teaching on these numbers. I think I disappointed her when I explained that the book of Revelation was written for the Christian community almost 2,000 years ago to give them courage during times of persecution and trial --- and that Catholics do not interpret the Scriptures literally. The book of Revelation is of the biblical apocalyptic genre (see the book of Daniel), and is interpreted accordingly.
After the screening, one guest filmmaker observed that the film had no suspense, only a series of jolts, albeit very effective ones. A suicide, a beheading, and a murder make for grisly viewing.
People go to films like "The Omen" because they are already scared, horror-meister Wes Craven said a few years ago during an interview with Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") at the City of Angels Film Festival. I think Craven is correct.
Rich visuals, rampant clichés
And if people want to assuage their fears about terrifying world events maybe they can do so with this contemporary remake of "The Omen." This version is very close to the original that starred Gregory Peck as Thorn and Lee Remick as Katherine, though some new features have been carefully added. I thought Seltzer (or the director) was winking at us by casting Mia Farrow from "Rosemary's Baby" as the Mary Poppins from hell. She was truly effective.
The film is rich visually with high production values. The patterns added to the feeling of beauty or order, but we find out soon enough that these are visual illusions. The colors, tones and hues lend themselves very well to creating creepiness and fear. The whiteness (some psychoanalytic film theorists believe this means madness) and dream sequences create the psychological dimension of fear.
Yet there are so many clichés: too much rain and lightening, the lights not working, people moving around in the dark, black dogs and watering flowers in high heels while standing on a chair over a precipice. The snowy terrain near Rome in the month of June did offer a glimpse of Dante's version of the lowest pit of hell which is frozen. Some of "The Omen's" original iconic scenes have endured and reappear here, as they did in 1999's "End of Days."
Split-pea soup not-with-standing, I think "The Exorcist" is the best devil film out there. "The Omen," instead, is a pop culture icon and 6.6.06 is providing a marketing dream-come-true for Twentieth Century Fox.
As with "The Da Vinci Code," most people will agree that "The Omen" "is just a movie." Yet movies influence us on many levels and they deserve to be talked about, questioned and critiqued by each person in the audience. The questions we can ask are: In whose interest was the film made, what kind of reality does it construct, and whose point of view prevails?
Thirty years on, "The Omen" is searching for a new audience to devour it, and they probably will.
'The Omen': Another view From the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting:
Effective remake of the 1976 supernatural thriller about an American diplomat (Liev Schreiber) and his wife (Julia Stiles) whose adopted son (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) turns out to be the Antichrist. Slickly crafted and well-acted with a fair amount of suspense, director John Moore's virtual scene-by-scene update is a hodgepodge of Christian symbolism, biblical prophecies, non-Scriptural inventions and occult mumbo jumbo, resulting in the sort of silly pop-religious junk food that should not be taken too seriously.
Some disturbing scenes of violence, including an impaling, a decapitation, a dog mauling, a hanging suicide and a person getting hit by an automobile; a misrepresentation of Catholic doctrine; an instance of rough language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L (limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling). The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R (restricted; under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Daughter of St. Paul Sister Rose Pacatte is director of Pauline Books and Media in Culver City, and co-author of the "Lights, Camera, Faith!" Film Lectionary Series. |