• Bible Films Blog

    Looking at film interpretations of the stories in the Bible - past, present and future, as well as preparation for a future work on Straub/Huillet's Moses und Aron and a few bits and pieces on biblical studies.


    Name:
    Matt Page

    Location:
    U.K.












    Wednesday, April 16, 2008

    De Oliveira's Film Featuring Job
    Mon Cas/O Meu Caso/My Case (1986)

    My friend Peter Chattaway emailed me to let me know about O Meu Caso - a film by Manoel de Oliveira which features an appearance by Job. O Meu Caso, also known as Mon Cas and translating as simply "My Case" in English is four part film with each segment shot in a different style. The sole IMDb reviewer describes the four parts as follows:
    1) on stage, during a play's rehearsal; 2) as one of those films of the 1910s and 1920s, in which people moved at an accelerated pace; 3) with a chromatically-charged photography and dialogues of a sense of the absurd only equalled by the likes of Beckett or Ionesco ; 4) in a dusky setting, serving as a metaphor to our civilization's current state of affairs, the BOOK OF JOB is recited by biblical characters.
    It seems the film may be doing the rounds at the moment, perhaps in celebration of de Oliveira's 100th birthday year, (and apparently he's still alive and making films!) So Doug C of the new Another Film Board saw it in a double bill with the director's passion play documentary O Acto de Primavera (The Rite of Spring), and it will be screening at the Torino Film Festival on the 21st and 29th November this year.

    I've not managed to find a great deal more out about this one. It seems fairly clear that "Job" only appears in the final segment, but that Job-like themes run throughout the picture, and it's based on plays by José Régio and Beckett. There are some interesting details here, and a couple of Portuguese pages about the film (which I've passed through Google translation) here and here.

    I can't recall any other films about Job, although the IMDb details a 1936 production which it describes as a "Televised Ballet based on Blake's vision of the Book of Job".

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    2 Comments:

    • At 11:07 pm, April 28, 2010, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      There should be a Job movie. One of the most inspirational and revelling stories of the bible. But I guess To show God punishing an innocent man would cause a bit of discomfort.

       
    • At 11:13 pm, January 16, 2011, Anonymous Anonymous said…

      There now is a movie about Job entitled "Where Is My Father?" Visit www.interlakechristianfilms.ca for details. Though not a polished, multi million dollar production it has drawn a strong emotional response from many people.

       

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