Jeremiah (1998)

I really enjoy this one. I thought Patrick Dempsey did a great job. I've been watching some Bible movies lately, and this one did not disappoint. Definitely recommend it.

I remember sitting down with some Christian friends to watch this movie in a lead up to a bible study on Jeremiah and they pretty much hated this film, which surprises me that the film received a relatively high rating on IMDb, and that all of the reviews (all 4 of them, not counting mine, gave it quite a high rating). Personally, I actually quite like this movie, and every time watch it I actually enjoy it. Now, that is not simply because I am a fundamentalist Christian, I am quite the opposite – I would call myself a typical post-modern, however that does not mean that I don't like Christian movies.I guess the reason that I liked this film is because it deals with a part of the Bible that is generally not dealt with by Hollywood. I do note that the same series released a movie based on Moses and one based on David (and I think I have another one as well) however Jeremiah is actually quite an unlikely character to have a movie based upon him. It is not that his life does not make a good action movie, quite the opposite. He lived during the days when the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, he was mocked, scorned, through in prison, and even thrown into a cistern, all of which the movie faithfully portrays.It also deals with the elements of Jeremiah's prophecies, that is the prophecy about the coming destruction of Jerusalem due to the sins of the people. The sin of idolatry is shown in the film, but also the fact that the poor are exploited and that injustice abounds. The character that plays Jeremiah's love interest witnesses her family sold into slavery because the creditor has the ear of the king.Another focus of the film is the struggle that the king has in accepting Jeremiah's prophecies and maintaining his power. However, the catch was that both choices led to his enslavement and Jerusalem's destruction. Unlike a period around two hundred years before where the besieging Assyrian army was wiped out by a disease (as some believe), it is clear that this was not going to happen to the Babylonians. Anyway, God had other plans for Nebucadnezzar.In the end, I really don't care what my old Christian friends have to say. I am quite pleased that such a movie was made, and that it is relatively faithful to the biblical story. However, I am also of the opinion that pretty much any movie about a biblical event, can entice the viewers to look further into what the bible has to say and how it can still influence their lives.

Jeremiah is a TV movie that stars Patrick Dempsey in the title role; Klaus Maria Brandauer as King Nebuchadnezzar;Oliver Reed as General Safan; together with Vincent Regan and Leonor Varela.It was written and directed by Harry Winer.It is a story of the prophet who abandons his family and the woman he loves, in order to relay God's message in Jerusalem.God appears to Jeremiah in different human guises on several occasions, and makes it clear to him that he has been selected to announce God's message to the people of Jerusalem: a mighty ruler from the north will attack the Kingdom of Judah if the people there continue to worship false idols, and fail to remember the One God. Although he is persecuted and branded as a traitor for warning others of the destruction of the Holy City, he continues fearlessly with his mission. When his prophecy is fulfilled, he experiences first-hand Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians. In this TV movie,Dempsey gives an earnest performance.Writer-director Harry Winer spends the first part of the film on Jeremiah's formative years of visions, moving on to his contentious relationship with King Zedekiah, who unfortunately listened to his general rather than the prophet. This bleak film ends with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians and Jeremiah's self-comforting thought that the city will rise again. Parents should be aware of some disturbing violence like Jeremiah's fiancée's murder and when Zedekiah sees his sons fatally stabbed before he is killed.Overall,it is a good Biblical movie that is inspiring and worth watching.

I liked this movie a great deal and wish more from the series would get released on DVD. Patrick Dempsey is quite good as Jeremiah and the films message regarding the temple (stated well as the film draws to a close) makes the whole effort worthwhile. Libraries should purchase this film for their collections and everyone else...open up your Bible and follow along...its a nice visual beginning to the text.No potters wheel...but still worth a rental!