Doomsday

Final Project: THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE

Companion Thoughts
Daniel Cowen

Reading the Revelation of St. John the Divine is like watching an ancient horror film played over and over again in the wee hours of the morning. Between the various animal-hybrids, repetitive references to the number seven, Jesus cutting down nations with a sword protruding from his mouth and “silence in heaven about the space of half an hour,” Revelation is sensorily rampant.

The film decontextualizes these images by removing them from the surrounding body text, their original chronological order and by the variety of visual media used to portray them. The purpose of this hyper-literal approach is to isolate the horror and bizarreness of the text, creating a simultaneously traditional and postmodern reading. Without the title, a viewer could very well have no idea that the images are based in scripture.

I chose the images based on their aesthetic (not symbolic) ripeness and ordered them on the basis of mood and tone, which was often set by the choice of music. Climactic structure was another factor, as with the ending sequence with Jesus. The Kuleshov effect, named after Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov, was also present, as it demonstrates that cutting together images of object and subject can create meaning between two originally disparate images. This occurs in the film when it cuts from the rotting Whore of Babylon to the frightened boy and we interpret the sequence as the rotting whore has frightened the boy.

The film is a traditional reading of Revelation as it draws solely from the text and does not editorialize. It’s understood that any alternate framing whatsoever is already changing the intended meaning, but in that case, how is The Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, any more traditional? Nonetheless, once the images have been isolated, new meanings arise, perhaps even a social critique of the violence and sexism, and the film becomes postmodern.

The one area where a social critique presents itself is with the use of Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda film, The Triumph of the Will (1935). The Triumph of the Will takes place before the Nazi invasion of Poland and my film foreshadows these events by fading-in images of a scorched man over images of celebratory bonfires. The Triumph of the Will was also used to highlight the pivotal role of the Jews in Revelation and to make the obvious parallel between narratives of mass destruction.

As for the ending sequences, it is not intended to be humorous but somehow it can’t help itself. What would have been more serious? Better costumes and more realistic fake blood? Was the music melodramatic? Other cinematic portrayals of Jesus by faith-based groups are not, in my opinion, any less kitsch. Was Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) more solemn solely because of its higher production value?

These questions evoke an abstract problem of whether the film is more my creation or John’s, or from a believer’s perspective, God’s prophesy. Do believers not consider John the “author”? By using a mix of found and fought-for footage, the film elicits this question of authorship.

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Textual Sources for THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE!
Daniel Cowen

[In order of appearance]

John eating the book:
I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book.

He said to me, “Take it, and eat it up. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”

I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. – 10:9-10

Various “7” references:
John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne. – 1:4

“And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write:
“He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars says these things: – 3:1

I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. – 8:2

He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. When he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices. – 10:3

I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God’s wrath is finished. – 15:1

One of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. – 15:7

Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction. – 17:9-11

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.” – 21:9

Fire imagery:
The angel took the censer, and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it on the earth. There followed thunders, sounds, lightnings, and an earthquake. – 8:5

The first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. One third of the earth was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. – 8:7

The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire. – 16:8

Trumpet imagery:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet saying, “What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” – 1:10-11

Imagery of four beasts saying “amen”/“Holy, holy, holy…”:
The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!” – 4:8

The four living beasts said, “Amen!” The elders fell down and worshiped. – 5:14

(Note: In the text the beasts are described as “like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.” The film’s portrayal of the beasts veers away from the literal and depicts their otherworldly nature over their specific attributes.)

Heaven imagery and silence:
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. – 8:1

(Note: I interpreted “heaven” rather loosely.)

Black sun:
The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. – 6:13

1/3 of the sea becoming blood:
The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood, and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed. – 8:8-9

7 golden candlesticks:
I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. – 1:12

Tree of life imagery:
In the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. – 22:2

Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. 22:15

Dragon imagery:
Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon… – 12:3

There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war. They didn’t prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. – 12:7-9

Images of preacher:
They told me, “You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” – 10:11

Whore of Babylon imagery:
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” – 17:4-5

(Note: Though it says she was “dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and
precious stones and pearls,” I decided to portray her nude because the text continues with “in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth,” and decaying as the passage refers to Babylon’s fall.)

Frightened boy:
After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. – 11:11

12 tribes of Israel:
I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:

of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,
of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. – 7:4-8

Having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. – 21:12

Imagery of sword protruding from Jesus’ mouth:
He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest. – 1:16

“To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write:

“He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things: – 2:12

Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. – 2:16

Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. – 19:15

The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh. – 19:21

New Jerusalem:
The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. – 21:18

The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. – 21:23-4

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