@azog-the-defiler

Sorry, I meant that the old movies had actors with American accents. 

The Chosen used actors who all had to learn a middle-Eastern accent that represents Judea. The non-Judean voices are mostly those of the Roman soldiers, showing they are foreigners. They are American accents. (Some Americans think they have no accent, but the rest of the world hears it as American).

Posted by: @rraym

I do watch the shows, but I do not enjoy it as much as my wife.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out if the characters are doing or saying what is actually in the Gospels and what has been added.

This has been something that I've had to do when watching shows based on the Bible. Flying House was a show I watched as a kid. They always seemed to add stuff which always led to confusion and slight annoyance when I read the actual part of the Bible it was based on.

 

We do need to understand context, but beyond that, not much more is needed.

Cultural context is very important for a film depicting a historical event, or a modern reading of classic works such as Shakespeare's writing.

Posted by: @rraym

I can see the benefits for some people - anything to spread the Gospel cannot be all bad.  So far though, the show has done nothing to strengthen my faith or understanding.

I don't think that a Bible-based film would necessarily help my faith significantly either, at least in comparison to reading the actual writing.

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

It’s super rare for a movie or series based on a Bible story made by Hollywood to be accurate. Though they do get close on occasion. 

That's a real shame.

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

I haven’t watched The Chosen, though I’ve heard good things about it. I even heard how people like to see the Gospels from the Disciple’s perspectives. 

It is interesting to see it from a different perspective, I suppose, though I'm sure that the writers of the Gospels probably depicted it from a point of view that was most beneficial to the audience. 

 "(Some Americans think they have no accent, but the rest of the world hears it as American)."

(Sorry, I was unable to add it as a quote in my edited comment) Lol. Then I assume New Zealanders don't see themselves as having accents either. That's rather interesting that the actors had to learn an accent. I assume that's what they did in The Lord of the Rings because many of the Americans who acted in it had British accents.

Posted by: @rraym

I was sceptical about the concept.  I would enjoy the visually presentation of the Gospels, but was uneasy about the amount of added scenes that would be needed to make the storyteller compelling for television, or rather, a streaming service.

So, my wife and I have stared watching and are currently in the early episodes of season two.  My wife has thoroughly enjoyed the show.  She says the program helps to fill in the "gaps" in the Gospels, helping to form a cohesive story.  I, however, contend the the Gospels include all the we need to know.  We do need to understand context, but beyond that, not much more is needed.

I do watch the shows, but I do not enjoy it as much as my wife.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out if the characters are doing or saying what is actually in the Gospels and what has been added.

I can see the benefits for some people - anything to spread the Gospel cannot be all bad.  So far though, the show has done nothing to strengthen my faith or understanding.

I don't know if this would make you enjoy the show more, but I think your mistake is that you're treating it as something you need for spiritual purposes rather than a piece of entertainment. (I realize that the creators are probably responsible for this mistake on your part with some of their more...pretentious statements.) In my experience, The Chosen works best as an original story that revolves around and interacts with, for the lack of a better term, the story of the gospels, not as a tool for learning about the gospels. I also realize that such an original story is probably offensive to you in itself. You presumably find it offensive to speculate about the personal lives and personalities of historical figures, which are inevitably going to be inaccurate somehow or other. That's a commendable position to take. I'd certainly be embarrassed if someone made a speculative biopic about me. However, I lack your moral resolve for boycotting such biopics. If I did, I would have to give up Cyrano de Bergerac, The Sound of Music and Saving Mr. Banks, which are not just speculative but willfully inaccurate, and I am not prepared to do that since I love them so much.  

@col-klink I think I understand what you are driving at and you make several fair points.

To be clear, I am not boycotting The Chosen - I watch with my wife.  I do know that she enjoys much more than I do.  Nor am I offended by the show.  I just do not get much out of it as a spiritual program or as entertainment.  I have watched a few biopics that I did enjoy, but typically not, largely because of the concerns with accuracy.

I do know the way that I process personal inputs differs for the norm (there are reasons for this, but I do not wish to do details here).  And largely because of my issues and past experiences, I place a high value on accuracy.  This is how I, for better or worse, live my life.  To each their own as best as they are able.

Finally, to be clear, because using words does not convey feelings well, I have no issues with your response or with you personally.  As I said, you made several fair points which I will take to heart.  I wish you well.

@rraym Sorry for using the word, boycott. I guess I was confusing you in my mind with Argoz for some reason.

@azog-the-defiler 

Sorry that I hurried to finish the end of my previous post. 

I was referring to having looked it up online, to check I'd remembered correctly. I found three  comments on the Romans: one said Angel used American and English accents; one said they had American accents; one said they had no accents. 

We've had discussions on here before; people in England are exposed to various accents, and they notice if someone is from a different area. Americans are more used to a general American accent, and many don't realise that how they speak IS an accent. Some are adamant they don't have an accent. 

(Linguistically it's actually a dialect, a set of vowels and some words and expressions used by native English speakers in an area. An accent is the differences we hear in someone whose first language is not English eg a French accent)

Posted by: @coracle

I was referring to having looked it up online, to check I'd remembered correctly.

Ah, okay. I've seen Romans have British accents in other movies that portray the Romans. I suppose it kind of makes sense since both the Romans and Brits ruled most of the world at one point.

Posted by: @coracle

We've had discussions on here before; people in England are exposed to various accents, and they notice if someone is from a different area. Americans are more used to a general American accent, and many don't realise that how they speak IS an accent. Some are adamant they don't have an accent. Qw1

 

I've heard that a Brit can tell what town someone is from by their accent. I can tell a New Yorker from a Southerner for the most part, and I can kind of tell a coastal Southerner from Kentucky or Tennessee, but the differences aren't all that big in the US compared to what I assume they are in the UK. 

@azog-the-defiler yes, especially in the past when tv and radio hadn't introduced voices from other places!

Posted by: @coracle

yes, especially in the past when tv and radio hadn't introduced voices from other places!

It's honestly rather sad that the cultural distinctions that used to define various regions of Britain and America are now obsolete or specific only to older or rural people. (By the way, if you're curious about the history and specifics of America's regional cultures and how they mirror British culture I would recommend Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer)