By: debbie lynn elias
Making its world premiere at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival is a film that cries for attention – CONSTANTINE’S SWORD. Directed by Oren Jacoby and written by James Carroll and Oren Jacoby based on Carroll’s 2001 best selling book of the same name, I have to say thanks to LAFF Publicity Coordinator Chandan Kaur for recommending this film to me. It is one of the most historically interesting and impactful films of the year. And while large portions of the 750 page book are not translated to the screen due to time constraints, Jacoby and Carroll succeed in portraying rich historical tapestry that embodies philosophies of historians and theologians alike, arriving at some simple and not so simple answers, some of which have so blatantly affected history for centuries – most wars are fought in the name of religion – be it in Iraq, at the Air Force Academy, rallying against right wing hippocrate Ted Haggard, or even putting one at odds with their own father in Carroll’s case. It was need to find out “why” that sent Carroll on this self-sacrificing journey.
A former priest in the Catholic Church, James Carroll has a deep appreciation and love for his family’s Catholicism and theologic history. Being the son of an Air Force man and the first director of the OSS and right hand intelligence advisor to U.S. Presidents for many years, however, it was a news item about in-your-face evangelistic solicitation to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy that sent him on a spiritual and historical journey all the way back to the Roman Empire and Constantine.
Constantine’s Sword refers to the Christian Cross which Emperor Constantine saw in the sky, causing him to cry out ” In Hoc Signo Vinces” (in this sign, you will conquer). Long a symbol of love and peace, in that one moment, the cross became a sign of war, and as discussed in this film, particularly between the Christians and more prominently, Catholics, and the Jews.
With film footage befitting a world travelogue combined with Carroll’s calming narration, historically accurate and factual information, interviews with theologians, historians, laypersons and victims and relatives of survivors or persecution “in the name of God”, CONSTANTINE’S SWORD brings history and religion together under one roof, filling in and correcting the gaps in each philosophy. Whether humanity chooses to learn from the past, embrace new ideas and come to a meeting of the minds has yet to be seen. CONSTANTINE’S SWORD is a journey that we all should all take and from which we all should learn.
Directed by Oren Jacoby. Written by James Carroll and Oren Jacoby.
