by revelife crewLast night, we screened a copy of
Billy: The Early Years provided to us by
Landis Entertainment. The film follows a young Billy Graham and the path he took to start both his family and his world-renowned evangelistic ministry.
We've had mixed luck with faith-based films. However, we found Billy: The Early Years to be quite pleasing. The production value and acting were impressive. A few moments in the story were a little hokey (for lack of a better word), but in the light of the good production, along with strong presentation of the 1930s and 40s, they were merely bumps in the road.
The film is lighthearted with a clear message about the hope found in Jesus. Plus, hearing Mac Powell's gritty baritone lead a soundtrack is always reassuring. This is a well-made film that may help you get to know one of the most influential figures in modern Christianity.
Billy: The Early Years opens tonight in 300 theaters in select cities. Find out if it's playing near you at
the film's website.
Have you heard about
Billy: The Early Years? Do you plan to see it?
Comments (5)
Never heard of it. I imagine at some point when it's out on DVD, I'll watch it.
Thanks for the review. I saw the preview, and I wondered if it was going to be good. I will probably check it out next week.
I have seen the trailers and we do intend to see it. If not in the theater then we will catch on DVD.
I hope they didn't leave out the part about Graham preaching about the Godliness of the New World Order.
Like some kind of Illuminati wierdo.
I had very low expectations based on the trailers and pre-release scenes so I was completely surprised at how well the film was made. It stayed true to the characters portrayed for the most part, but didn't let the facts ruin a good story or scene. It was well-acted, beautifully shot and edited with great symbolism and foreshadowing. It honored the lives of those involved, had a decent score and soundtrack AND most importantly it clearly presented the Gospel. I have no complaints - I can't say I'd do anything differently.
There were a few hokey moments, but the pacing and editing made up for it. Of course they played up Templeton to build conflict (what's a good story without conflict?) but believe it or not his story is pretty factual as well. You just can't make this stuff up sometimes. The filmmakers still left his fate pretty open ended which I appreciate. Some events or dialogue happened earlier or later or not at all - but hey that's film.
I give it an A-. Did you catch Scott Hamilton in the scene where Templeton was all in Billy's face?