Back in the Laserdisc era there were many classical videos released by RCA, Decca, DGG and others which attempted to move beyond the standard concert hall footage of the performers (and perhaps panning over some appropriate paintings or stained glass) to imaginative and unexpected images that commented on or contrasting with the music. This sort of MTV-for-classical-buffs often had off-the-wall scenarios, such as the conductor stepping up to the guillotine operated by the tympanist for the final movement of Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, or some of the players in bright costumes roller-skating around a large hair salon for Prokofeiv’s Classical Symphony. Ken Russell selected and edited together images mostly from B&W newsreels to accompany the complete Planets by Holst. There has been almost none of this type of material issued on DVD - perhaps the Laserdiscs had poor sales. Messiah is probably closest to Russell’s effort visually. The performance is excellent, and we do get to see the performers here and there thru the presentation, sometimes in extreme closeups as they declaim the dramatic texts of Handel’s work. Though performances of Messiah are often given at Christmastime and recordings of the entire work sell well in this season, I don’t believe this DVD would be an appropriate gift for, say, that devout elderly aunt of yours. Handel’s story of the nativity, passion and resurrection of Jesus is illustrated on the screen with just as many profane images as sacred ones. In fact, many of the religious images might be construed as commenting in a negative fashion on the activities recorded. These include TV evangelists, mass prayer meetings, group baptisms, costumed religious marches in the south of Spain, an amateur staging of Christ’s passion, black churches, etc. A nice touch is the occasional cutting away from Handel’s music to a number from a choir identified with captions as being a reformed addicts group, or a gay & lesbian choir. Less understandable are some of the off-the-wall image choices, such as the extensive coverage of Houston’s annual “Hair Ball,” in which everyone dresses up in Louis XIV-looking outfits with giant wigs. There are also some disturbing shots of prisoners in some sort of war being beaten and worse. (Ken Russell’s clips chosen for “Mars” in the Planets were similar but not nearly so painful.) I realize Las Vegas provides wonderful visual fodder to illustrate a whole world of philosophical points. (As a matter of fact I still have a Super8 reel of such footage I had once intended to use in an experimental film titled “Ersatz/Real.”) But Klein falls back on LV bling too much, especially in the first sections of the film. For example, he uses shots of people winning jackpots at the slot machines to accompany Handel’s text about “good tidings.” The performance and surround sonics are first rate. I had some concern about how the words would be handled - there is no booklet provided. They are emblazoned on the screen in big block letters at the start of most sections, in sync with the music - even getting larger as the volume increases. I probably would not have listened to all of Messiah this season, but now that I have I must say I never dozed a minute! And my good impression of Handel’s masterpiece is maintained. But can’t say the same for Klein’s film.

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of one of Handel’s greatest dramas, seen in Stephen Wadsworth’s 2004 Met premiere production. Rodelinda is faced with an impossible dilemma: With her husband Bertarido believed dead, she either has to marry the despised Grimoaldo (the elegant Joseph Kaiser), who has usurped her husband’s throne, or see him murder her son. But Bertarido (leading countertenor Andreas Scholl) is alive and eventually reclaims both throne and wife—and makes peace with his enemies. Stephanie Blythe is marvelous as Eduige, Bertarido’s sister, who is betrothed to Grimoaldo but turns against him. Baroque authority Harry Bicket conducts.

It tells the story of Enric, who is heavily impacted by a viral video of a Christian pop band made up of five sisters.

Dubbed "the most Catholic of all film directors" by one critic, I guess it was only a matter of time before Roberto Rossellini tackled the life of Christ on celluloid. Ironically, this he did in what proved to be his last feature film which was, in itself, a follow-up to his TV mini-series ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (1969). That earlier work was interesting for treating little-known passages from the New Testament but, with an unhurried pace and a generally unassuming tone, the end result was decidedly meandering. Conversely, THE MESSIAH presents all-too-familiar events – with the overall effect feeling lengthy still, yet distinctly more cinematic. That said, it starts off with the arrival of the Jews in the Promised Land and the appointment of their first king (Saul) before moving on to the life of Christ; actually, this is also one of the few films to show the famous incident in which Jesus is lost in the temple as a boy. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't stray much from the spirit – or word – of the Gospels: even so, in the throes of an agonizing death, Herod The Great (played by Vittorio Caprioli – though his trademark flustered demeanor is downplayed by having his voice dubbed) is seen planning the annihilation of his own subjects akin to the practice of ancient Egyptian rulers! Incidentally, the rich and commanding voice of Christ himself is supplied by Enrico Maria Salerno – a superb actor in his own right who had actually already handled the very same task in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964) – which is effectively contrasted with the inconspicuous appearance of the young man who appears in the role (perhaps best approximating the Lothaire Bluteau of Jesus OF MONTREAL [1989]). This Messiah, then, is far removed from the striking good-looks of Jeffrey Hunter (KING OF KINGS [1961]) and Robert Powell (the Jesus OF NAZARETH [1977] TV mini-series) or the brooding power of Max von Sydow (THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD [1965]) and Willem Dafoe (THE LAST TEMPTATION OF Christ [1988])! Naturally, the bulk of the narrative is devoted to Christ's public life – though no overdue emphasis is placed on the miracles he performed (these are mentioned but rarely seen) – which also provides the film with its essential core…since the latter section, revolving around the more commonly-depicted events of Jesus' trial (where Jean Martin, the French Colonel in THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS [1966], nonetheless makes for a fine Pontius Pilate), crucifixion and eventual resurrection are curiously skimped here! The subplot involving John The Baptist, however, is quite nicely handled; by the way, the only other recognizable face in the cast is that of Tina Aumont (even if her contribution amounts to no more than a few minutes of screen-time!) as the adulteress Christ famously pardons by denouncing her pursuers instead. The score is, once again, by Mario Nascimbene – though it's not as prominent as his work on ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. On the visual side, the film seems closest to the contemporaneous Jesus OF NAZARETH – yet the lyrical style and quiet dignity on display makes of THE MESSIAH a more than worthy companion piece to Pier Paolo Pasolini's aforementioned (and more renowned) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. With this in mind, while perhaps not the definitive film on the subject, it certainly emerges as an underrated achievement – both among the myriad treatments (including those by such great directors as D. W. Griffith, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Cecil B. DeMille and Abel Gance) of Christ's life over the years and in Rossellini's own highly respected canon.

中央情报局官员艾娃·盖勒（米歇尔·莫纳汉饰）发现一名男子（麦赫迪·德比饰）通过扰乱公众秩序而获得国际关注，于是她开始调查这名男子的身份。随着他吸引越来越多的认为他在创造奇迹的追随者，全球媒体越来越痴迷于这位魅力非凡的人物。盖勒必须尽快解开这个谜：他究竟是上帝派来的圣人，还是一个能够瓦解世界地缘政治秩序的骗子。随着故事的展开，多种视角交织在一起，其中包括一名以色列情报官员（托莫·希思黎饰）、一名德克萨斯州传教士（约翰·奥提兹饰）和他的女儿（斯蒂芬妮娅·欧文饰）、一名巴勒斯坦难民（赛义德·埃尔·阿拉米饰）和报道该故事的记者（简·亚当斯饰）。梅琳达·佩吉·汉密尔顿、维尔·特拉维尔、法里斯·兰杜勒西、德蒙特·莫罗尼和博·布里奇斯也参演了该剧集。 Netflix 原创剧集《现代弥赛亚》由迈克尔·彼得罗尼（《偷书贼》）担任创剧人，詹姆斯·麦克特格（《V 字仇杀队》）和凯特·伍兹（《昭雪》）担任导演，彼得罗尼、麦克特格、安德鲁·迪恩（《The Double》）、马克·布奈特和罗玛·唐尼（《圣经故事》《宾虚》）担任监制，是一部发人深省的悬疑惊悚片，探讨社交媒体时代影响和信仰的力量。

中央情报局官员艾娃·盖勒（米歇尔·莫纳汉饰）发现一名男子（麦赫迪·德比饰）通过扰乱公众秩序而获得国际关注，于是她开始调查这名男子的身份。随着他吸引越来越多的认为他在创造奇迹的追随者，全球媒体越来越痴迷于这位魅力非凡的人物。盖勒必须尽快解开这个谜：他究竟是上帝派来的圣人，还是一个能够瓦解世界地缘政治秩序的骗子。随着故事的展开，多种视角交织在一起，其中包括一名以色列情报官员（托莫·希思黎饰）、一名德克萨斯州传教士（约翰·奥提兹饰）和他的女儿（斯蒂芬妮娅·欧文饰）、一名巴勒斯坦难民（赛义德·埃尔·阿拉米饰）和报道该故事的记者（简·亚当斯饰）。梅琳达·佩吉·汉密尔顿、维尔·特拉维尔、法里斯·兰杜勒西、德蒙特·莫罗尼和博·布里奇斯也参演了该剧集。　　Netflix 原创剧集《现代弥赛亚》由迈克尔·彼得罗尼（《偷书贼》）担任创剧人，詹姆斯·麦克特格（《V 字仇杀队》）和凯特·伍兹（《昭雪》）担任导演，彼得罗尼、麦克特格、安德鲁·迪恩（《The Double》）、马克·布奈特和罗玛·唐尼（《圣经故事》《宾虚》）担任监制，是一部发人深省的悬疑惊悚片，探讨社交媒体时代影响和信仰的力量。

A young woman goes searching for her missing artist father. Her journey takes her to a strange Californian seaside town governed by a mysterious undead cult