★Via Eric Holmberg [a dear Christian bro & the Producer & Host of: Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism Documentary] >>Please pray for the new movie UNBROKEN (in theaters on Christmas day) - as well as for its director Angelina Jolie. I saw the trailer for this new film in a theater the other day and was goose-bumped stunned! Riveting, looks to be very well done and clearly pro-Christian/redemption. (Google the Christian testimony of its protagonist, Louis Zamperini. Wow!) And then was equally stunned to see that it was directed and championed by Angelina Jolie. As many of you may know, her father - Oscar-winner (Best Actor) John Voight (sadly estranged from Angela) - sincerely reconnected to his Catholic faith and roots years ago and has since become something of a champion for a number of Christian and very contra-Hollywood causes. I have wondered how that may have impacted his daughter - who has been moving away from her wild child past and instead engaging in some wonderfully humanitarian causes. Ive wondered if the Holy Spirit was moving over the surface of her hearts waters and whether the world could be watching a conversion take place in slow-motion. And then I saw this! Heres one thing she said about her involvement with the movie: She described Unbroken as the hardest thing Ive ever done in a US television interview, describing a huge responsibility to get it right... I love [Zamperini] so much and he’s helped me so much in my life. After researching the film and pitching my butt off to get it made, Jolie discovered that Zamperini lived just across a Los Angeleno valley from her house. I imagine that for the last 10-something years, [Zamperini has] been sitting there having a coffee in the morning and wondering whos going to make this movie, Jolie said And Ive been sitting in my room laying there thinking, What am I supposed to be doing with my life? I wanna do something important ... I need some help. I need some guidance. Where is it? And it was right outside my window. Wow again! But work still needs to be done in her heart - as witnessed in the following interview she did recently with Tom Brokaw. Please pray for her and that this movie and Zamperinis testimony (Rev. 12:11) are used for the glory of God and the furtherance of the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Exciting to see a hero who is both a Christian and a manly, giant-slaying, stare-down-the-enemy man. WOW!!) NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw recently interviewed 97-year-old Louis Zamperini and Angelina Jolie, director of the upcoming film about the World War II veterans life, Unbroken. Louis Zamperini tied the World Record for the 5,000 meter run in the Olympic trials of 1936. Though he did not medal at the Games in Berlin, Zamperini was requested to meet Adolph Hitler after finishing his race with a 56-second lap. The boy with the fast finish, Hitler said to the Olympian, touching his hand. Zamperini later became a pilot in the United States Air Corps, and his plane crashed during World War II. After drifting at sea for over one month, Zamperini was captured by an enemy ship and became a prisoner of war for two years in Japan. He was tortured, but left alive. After returning home as a hero, Zamperini struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and drank heavily to relieve his pain. Zamperini came to Christ after hearing Billy Graham preach in Los Angeles, and later became a missionary to Japan; he has lead an incredible life of perseverance, hope, and forgiveness. Angelina Jolie says she had been searching for another film to direct, and knew that she wanted to film Unbroken after learning of Zamperinis amazing spirit. [The script] had to be something I would love and care about, because [directing] takes much more time away from your family and much more effort than acting, she told Brokaw in the interview. The movies script is based on the New York Times Bestseller book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. I was so moved by Louie Zamperinis heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film, Jolie said. After receiving word that Universal Pictures wanted her to direct the film, Jolie set out to meet Zamperini in person. As it would turn out, he lives in her same Hollywood neighborhood. Jolie laughs that all the while she had been pondering, What am I supposed to be doing with my life, I want to do something important ... I want to connect, I need some help, I need some guidance, and little did she know, Zamperini was right outside her window. The two have since become quite close, and Jolie says that her role as a director has become much more personal. Jolie says she feels she has Such a huge responsibility to get [the story] right, because I love [Zamperini] so much, and because hes helped me so much in my life. When asked what she hopes the audience will take away from the film, Jolie said, For my children and for everybody in the room, I want to be able to say, It can seem dark and it can seem hopeless and it can seem very overwhelming, but the resilience and the strength of the human spirit is an extraordinary thing. Zamperinis testimony exalts Jesus Christ for saving him from his sins and for giving him a living hope. While Jolie has not said much about her religion, it was reported that the actress response to the question, Is there a God? was: For some people. I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesnt need to be a God for me. Theres something in people thats spiritual, thats godlike. I dont feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also dont really know if its better to just not believe in anything, either. Jolie is reportedly raising her Cambodian son Maddox Buddhist, though her personal beliefs are not widely known. Hopefully Jolie will come to Christ as she witnesses Louis testimony and character firsthand. Unbroken is scheduled to be released in theatres on Christmas Day 2014. [End of quote from Eric Holmberg]
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 19:15:48 +0000
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