Ja well Noah fine...

'I can’t remember the last time such an innocuous movie has created this much controversy!

 

I’m referring, of course, to Darren Aranofsky’s telling of the Noah story.

 

Where most of the controversy is coming from is that Aranofsky’s version of the story is neither historically nor biblically correct or accurate. Now hang on just one second – not even the three major religions that subscribe to Noah as a prophet, namely Islam, Judaism and Christianity can agree on their particular version of this story nor all the other stories from the Old Testament.  

 

Consider the other almost 3 000 Judao/Christian religions which all have their own interpretation of each book and how it affects their belief system – I mean Darren Aranofsky has even been issued a fatwa by Muslim countries that condemn the people who choose to pay money and go and watch the telling of this epic story. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

 

I think it’s just a little too much pressure on the guy.

 

Let’s think about this – he’s a filmmaker, a story teller and as such his job is to access the source material, interpret it and then tell his version of the story. Those guys at Paramount Pictures run a tight ship you know.

 

At the risk of rocking the boat, in this situation even the source material isn’t the most reliable.  There certainly is not a huge amount of detail documented about the Flood!  The Bible gives you precious little detail and in fact, I’m sure that as a good researcher, Aranofsky would have probably researched the book that pre dates the Bible by 1 000 years and tells the story of The Deluge – The Epic of Gilgamesh.  

 

There are some aspects that have to be inserted – some fiction.  For example there is no mention anywhere of the name of Noah’s wife.  How are you going to have a hero in  a movie never referring to his wife by name?

 

Aranofsky kinda had to stick  a name in somewhere.  Otherwise your Hero is constantly referring to the woman he loves  - the woman who gave up her life, her home and her garden to follow the man she loves – as “woman’ or ‘wife’ or ‘wench’. If Darren had Noah doing this then I would understand the ship hitting the fan.

 

No no no no!!! I think in order for Noah’s character to be believable he would definitely have to call his wife by her first name. I would have gone with Mary... HMS Queen Mary.

 

What I’m really looking forward to in the movie (mentioned in both the Bible and the epic of Gilgamesh) – is when the Ark makes landfall and after the Flood, one of Noah’s first actions (after releasing the dove and the raven to find land) is to sacrifice an animal.  This act – to me – is fascinating!

I cannot find reference to which animal it was – so I ask you to remember that there was but ONE pair of each species of animal on the Ark.  Sooo, when Noah sacrificed that one animal he performed the first, man-induced, act of extinction!  And in the New World! 

 

I ask myself – which animal, out of all the species on the Ark, did Noah choose to make extinct?  

 

I’m going with the Unicorn.  I just don’t see Noah being a big fan of the Unicorn. I'm sure that awkward horn was a bone of contention on that makeshift zoo, plus that would also explain why there aren’t any around these days!

 

Of course Aranofsky had to take liberties.  He is telling a story  - he is telling HIS version and sharing HIS interpretation.  So what I am also really looking forward to is the sequel.  Ja, that’s the story I want to see….

 

The story Aranofsky tells about the 600 year old Noah and the 7 other people who, basically, performed the biggest act of voracious in-breeding.  So much so that in only 150 short years after the Flood – they are able to populate the world with enough skilled people to build the Tower of Babel.  That’s the story I want to see!   Noah 2 – The Sequel. Or maybe after all the brouhaha made about this one, the Babel story will be banished to is own ivory tower.

 

So with all these challenges – I really believe that as a great story teller – Aranofsky was more than entitled to take liberties/poetic licence when telling the Noah story.

 

Plus if you are going to tell a story and attempt to keep your audience rapt and engaged for two hours and eighteen minutes, as a Director, you just might have to think out the boat.  I mean – box!' 

 

Take a look at the Noah Trailer here: