Cotton Patch Gospel
Music by Harry Chapin; the life of Christ ... in
Georgia
"Now
all of this happened while Herod was the Governor of Georgia ..." This line of
the film sets off a fantastic musical and linguistic journey through the life of
Christ - well, as it would have happened had he been born in Gainesville,
Georgia, just a short drive from Atlanta. The film has a bluegrass quartet and
a single actor, Tom Key, who plays nearly all of the roles himself. His
southern accent changes with each character so that you can tell where each
person is from - if you know the
South.The music to this play was
written by Harry Chapin, and is well worth listening to. I usually don't like
bluegrass/country music, but this stuff is very well done, and is one of the few
musical experiences my father in law and I can both enjoy together. (As opposed
to listening to Amazing Grace as played by Brentwood Jazz - he really didn't
like it, and couldn't hear the melody after they started to improv, but I
digress.)I think that Clarence
Jordan's rewrite of the gospel message in a modern context can help give us a
new appreciation for the parables and message of Christ, and that's certainly
worthwhile. You probably won't find this film at a rental shop (maybe I'm wrong
...), but perhaps you will be able to find it in the Christian Book Distributors catalog . (VHS only, it
looks like.)Tom Key is still
performing this drama that he co-authored. Read here.
Posted: Sun - June 20, 2004 at 02:13 AM
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