Customer Reviews

St. John in Exile

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I know what you're thinking, "herbie the love bug," right? Well, here Dean Jones is spectacular. When I first bought this, I was expecting a movie based on the last days of the Apostle John and the making of the book of Revelation. What I got instead was much better.

This film is a one man play where DJ takes on the role of the apostles and Jesus and re-enacts John's exile. In this play, DJ starts with the Apostle's work to bring Christianity to the workers at the island and then recounts the life of Jesus through the Apostles' eyes that lead to this moment.

There are times when you will cry with DJ, there are times where you will laugh, there are times you will exult with him in our Lord. I have rarely been as impressed with a one man performance as I was with this one.

The music and production are a bit low quality, but you don't even notice it anymore after the first few minutes. And when you're done with this film, you'll be doing a standing ovation just like the original audience!

As so many others have written, I was at first a reluctant viewer of this video. Now, I'm an enthusiastic reviewer of it--both in the sense of writing this, and in seeing the show again! As a pastor, I'm always a little nervous when people put things on my desk and say, "You HAVE to see this!" So this tape sat there for 2 months before I finally decided I'd better watch. I've been kicking myself for 3 days now for having waited so long! I'm impressed with the script's accuracy, even if it plays a little fast and loose with Biblical quotes. But even more, I'm impressed with Dean Jones. As someone who knew him only from Disney films and the like, I'm overwhelmed with his technical ability on the stage--and even a little jealous of his songwriting ability! Above all else, I'm impressed with the fact that Jones produced this himself. To me, that speaks as strongly as his acting about the integrity of the message he gives: of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; and of the faith, faltering and failings of the disciples, including himself (well, including John...oh, you know what I mean!). I highly recommend this tape for any church's video library, and am glad we have it in ours.

Dean Jones' protrayal of Jesus' deciple John as an old man in exile, is extremely well done. Not only that, I would say it was one of the best performances I have ever seen. I alway's enjoyed Mr. Jones' acting and the movies he has made, so when I saw him interviewed prior to the film being shown on TV, I thought, "Well, I'll see a little bit of it and then go to bed." But 90 minutes later, I knew I had to get a copy for myself, for my son, and for my parents. After watching it once again, I loaned it to a friend and she wants to borrow it again to show her Sunday school class. It is now on loan to a man in my office...and all of this in just 2 weeks. I wish there was some way of saying Thank You to Mr. Jones and the company who put it together, but I guess I will just have to tell others.. BUY THIS VIDEO...SHARE THIS VIDEO...IT IS TREMENDOUS.

God bless you, Mr. Jones.

In a tour-deforce, 92-minute, one-man stage production starring Dean Jones and which was recorded in full color on video and presented to the Christian community by Bridgestone Multimedia, St. John in Exile is the extended monologue by John as he was held captive by the Romans. The last surviving member of Jesus' twelve disciples, John remembers and relives the profound events of Jesus Christ's life which forever changed human history. A powerfully enacted, masterfully written, and utterly unforgettable presentation, St. John In Exile is a superbly produced and highly recommended addition to family, church school, seminary, and ecclesiastical studies video collections.

This rendition of the apostle John's last days is probably the most astounding play/movie I have ever seen. Yes I am a Christian; or I should say I THOUGHT I was, until I saw this. If this does not make the message of Jesus Christ crystal clear to anyone, well-versed in the Bible or not, nothing else will. My son watched it with my husband and I when he was 11 years old. He grew up in a Christian family and even attended a Christian school. We wanted him to have the teachings of the Bible as well as the teachings of the public school system (we were not the type to bad-mouth the public school, we just wanted to fulfill our rights to have our son receive the additional Christian teachings of the Bible). An 11 year old boy, growing up with the stories of the Bible and "Jesus Loves Me", Christmas as Jesus' birthday, Easter as the day Jesus rose from the dead, just as millions of other children have learned over the years going to Sunday school and church. However, after viewing this video, he came crying to us saying "I never knew this! I never knew Jesus sufferred so much FOR ME! I always thought Jesus was protected from all of the pain and sadness because God protected Him. When the Bible says 'Jesus died for ALL of our sins', God meant that! He was suffering for MY sins, he KNEW me when he sufferred, he LOVED me enough to do that so I never have to feel those things! If he had not done that, no matter how 'good' I am for my whole life, I would have had to feel the same pain and being separated from God." That was what an 11 year old boy got out of this awesome portrayal of the last days of John and the story of Jesus. (Awesome is a word I personally reserve for descriptions of things done/said by God Himself and for things done/said in the name of Christ Himself). Some said our son was too young to see "such a scarey portrayal" of the death of Christ. Maybe so for some children, but this is what settled once in for all my son's acception of God's gift; of believing in God and His Word. You can decide when your child is ready after viewing it yourself; don't let others keep you from going with what you know in your heart, and knowing your own children is one thing you have that no one else does.

My TWO videos have been worn completely out and I am now collecting DVD's and VHS' versions to give to friends and even strangers. Yes, it is VERY difficult to get through the beginning of this play, but to ANYONE out there with any doubt, put your doubt aside - I assure you, and I'm sure God approves - YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED, whether you are a Christian or not. PLEASE do yourself a favor and give up an evening for a remarkable journey that just might make a difference in the path your own life is taking. Even if not converted to Christianity, no one would argue with the message from the Apostle John: "And God commands this: Children, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as God has shown how he loves you."

The performance by Dean Jones in this 90 minute monologue is such that he will have you laughing at pulling locust legs from his teeth one moment and only a minute later in tears reliving the martyrdom of the apostles. Everyone I have shown it to has said nearly the same thing when they first realized they were going to watch one actor speak for 90 minutes "This is boring" and within 5 minutes they are glued to the presentation and in need of the intermission just because of the emotional depths they have traversed.

I have a vast range of experience and beliefs about spirituality. When I recommend a product, it is because it touches my soul and makes a difference in people's lives. This production is the finest of it's genre and I share it often with Christians, but especially with non-Christians - because it captures the essense of the EXPERIENCE of Christ's love versus the BELIEF in Christ's teachings - it IS the soul behind the beliefs. It is a glimpse of the profound, lifechanging influence that discovering your heart and knowing that you are unconditionally loved can make in your life and the lives of others. I use this as my witness - there is no need for more. Dean Jones truely allowed his soul to shine through the words and he is absolutely brilliant in his portrayal of St. John. I believe this was Mr. Jones finest performance. I have been blessed to have discovered this tool and this masterpiece.

I was amazed how true to life this play seemed! I saw St. John's exile in a totally new light than I had seen it before. It's one thing to read the Biblical account of St. John directly from Scripture, but when its brought to life by such an excellent actor, words begin to paint vivid pictures that never leave the mind. Dean's drama of Christ's crucifiction within the view point of St. John was more accurate and stirring than any mult-actor movie I've seen. I would strongly recommend this to everyone. This is one video you MUST see!

I recently watched this movie and found it excellent. Dean Jones was very believeable as St. John. He brought passion and humor to the character.
His portrayal of the crucifixion was the best I have ever seen.
I would recommend this movie to anyone,whether Christian or not. It gives a good understanding of why the disciples were so willing to follow Jesus, even to death.

I wasn't sure what I was getting when I bought this, I thought it was a movie, and it turned out to be a one man play.

That being said, this is a great play, and I've already watched it several times. The acting skills of the actor, (who starred in several movies by Disney in the 70s), shine in this production, as he expresses many roles in his rememberences of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm generally leary of fictional recreations of the gospel, but this is based on a rememberance of the apostle John in old age, and is well done. If you've ever despaired that such a thing can be well done, it has been here. It's worth watching.