Noah film flooded with controversy

Photo by: Abby Bellow

American film director Darren Aronofsky is no stranger to controversy, but his latest film “Noah” may be the source of his strongest criticisms yet.

The recent religious controversy over “Noah” has prompted Paramount Pictures to add a disclaimer to its marketing material saying “artistic license has been taken” in telling the story, also adding that the film is “loosely based upon” the classic biblical story of Noah’s Ark.

In the Associated Press article “Russell Crowe calls ‘Noah’ criticism ‘irrational,’” actress Emma Watson, who plays the wife of Noah’s son Shem, explained that the cast and crew weren’t surprised by the controversy the film received.

“To be honest, I expected there to be controversy,” Watson said in the article. “I think all Biblical adaptations carry the weight of that because it is something that is so personal to people.”

While Watson may see “Noah” as a biblical adaptation, others feel the word “adaptation” isn’t the right term for describing the film.

“[The film] is a very fictional account of an otherwise biblical, historical event,” Lynn McMillon, distinguished professor of Bible, said. “For Bible-believing people who have a reverence for Scripture, it is likely to be offensive because it is so divergent from the biblical account.”

Freshman film major Travis Pauley shared McMillon’s view of the film.

“I thought the movie was visually impressive but other than that, as a Christian it is very easy to see the movie and get frustrated because it’s not accurate and it makes no attempts to be accurate,” Pauley said.

One of the film’s biggest criticisms is that there is no reference to God, only to a “creator” during its entirety.

Pauley explains how he feels the lack of God’s involvement is not only a hindrance for the Christian viewpoint, but for the film itself.

“It also bothered me as a Christian and also simply for the story’s sake,” Pauley said. “In the film, God doesn’t give Noah all the information. He doesn’t tell Noah what to do and it results in Noah becoming a crazy person. He literally becomes a lunatic because he doesn’t have all the information from God, so I think that’s frustrating because it doesn’t move the story along, it just confuses it.”

McMillon also addressed the argument of artistic interpretation that “Noah” supporters use to defend the film.

“I realize that there will be many things that are up to interpretation, like what did the ark look like, how did they dress, what kinds of dwellings did they live in,” McMillon said. “Those are the kinds of things open to interpretation, but I much prefer that the main elements of the story be kept true to Scripture.”

So should Christians take offense?

“I’m not offended by the movie and I don’t feel persecuted by the movie; that’s ridiculous,” Pauley said. “What the film is, is annoying.”

McMillon suggests that moviegoers not expect a biblical representation of the original story.

“For people who may not be as concerned about historical accuracy and just want to see a dramatic, action-packed film, then they will probably enjoy it,” McMillon said. “I think everybody has to make their own decision about if they’re going to see it.”

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