Jacob – Jan 10
I’m a bit late posting this review, and in writing it. We watched the film on Jan 10th, whereas I’m posting around Feb 23rd. I tend to move through phases of excited interest, with some things remaining constant but still ebbing and flowing. One of those things is Star Wars, which occupies a space of political, religious and escapism for me. The last few weeks I’ve been working through one of the many sub-series in the saga. That, along with living in a capitalist hellscape, kinda took me away from some of this writing.
Without further ado, here is my review of The Bible Collection’s Jacob.
Immediately it is clear that there is a cohesive vision connecting The Bible Collection films, even when they have different writers, directors, and source material. Unlike the previous film, Jacob isn’t directly based on the biblical book of Genesis, rather the Italian novel Giacobbe by Francesco Maria Nappi acts as the source material. While Giacobbe is itself based on the relevant parts of Genesis, the nature of the novel form means that the narrative is more concisely structured and fleshed than the sparse biblical source.
Directed by Peter Hall, a multi-talented British stage and screen director, with a screenplay by Lionel Chetwynd, Jacob never really flounders or struggles to know where it’s going. Similarly to Abraham the creators know what the world they’re creating should feel like to be in, and the actors seem to truly inhabit their roles. Matthew Modine and Sean Bean are delightful in the roles of Jacob and Esau, playing their rivalry in a way that doesn’t feel trite and ensures that it never feels too archetypal.
Laura Flynn Boyal’s turn as Rachel is enthused with joy and love. She plays a Rachel who is deeply in love with Jacob, but also loves her sister Leah (Juliet Aubrey). Both women are depicted as caught under the patriarchal power of their father Laban (Giancarlo Giannini).
When Leah is given to Jacob instead of Rachel, the greed of Laban is highlighted, showing that he’d rather take advantage of Jacob’s herding skills than respect his daughters. Rather than Laban’s manipulation’s putting the girls at odds without each other, the jealousy Rachel feels regarding Leah and Jacob is that of one who is hurt that someone she loves has something she can’t have. I appreciate that the writers avoided the temptation to turn the women against each other, instead Rachel’s animosity is directed entirely to Laban. When he betrays her she wishes that he was dead and “the gods he worships.” As someone with an abusive controlling ex-father I really resonated with her declaration.
One thing I thought was frustrating was the way we’re constantly told about Esau’s fascination with “Canaanite women”, but we never see them in a positive light. The one time the Canaanite women are onscreen they almost seem to be depicted as loose-women. Alongside a comment from Rachel to Laban that her marriage to Jacob “wasn’t a marriage outside the family,” their depiction highlights another aspect of the patriarchal assumptions of the culture. Which is important to note in the world, but having the only positive depictions of women be found among the heroes contributes to the world view of the characters, rather than just depicting it. I would like some critique of the social world of the characters or at least more varied depiction of the people outside the main community.
Jacob isn’t a long movie, and it is well paced, effortless holding the viewers attention with strong performances, realistic dialogue and realistic world.
One of my favorite parts of the film was Jacob wrestling with El/the Angel, which was shown as him wrestling himself. The cinematography was done in a way to allow some interpretation of the supernatural, while clearly connecting it to an inner struggle on Jacob’s part. Which I think is what wrestling with God is in the end.
The climax was way more coherent than the Abraham adaptation, which broke off and didn’t include the end of Abraham’s story. By clearly focusing on a specific narrative, Jacob’s relationship with Rachel and his journey back to the lands of his father, the writers were able to craft a proper conclusion. Jacob and Laban make peace, Jacob and Esau make peace, and Jacob, renamed Israel, sets up his family in a new home.
A viewer familiar with the mythology knows there is more story to come, but nothing feels left out or untold. Jacob doesn’t feel like a cheap setup for the potentially more exciting Joseph story, nor a mere tac-on to Abraham’s narrative. And because of that, Jacob is a good movie.
Once again I recommend this as an enjoyable way to experience the biblical tale.