''Apocalypse'' or ''The Apocalypse'' (known in Australia as ''Revelation'', the original title is ''San Giovanni – L'apocalisse'') is a biblical

telefilm A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

produced for European television released in 2002 starring

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

(in one of his final film roles) and co-starring

Bruce Payne Bruce Martyn Payne (born 22 November 1958) is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, film director and theatre director. Payne is best known for portraying villains, such as Charles Rane in '' Passenger 57'', Jacob Kell in '' Highlander: En ...

Plot

The film is set in 90 AD and concerns

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

's last surviving apostle,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, and his writings and visions from the Apocalypse of John.

Emperor Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...

declares himself to be

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

and ruler over heaven and earth. The

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

do not recognize his

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

and face persecution from the God-Emperor. John has been banished to the island of

Patmos Patmos ( el, Πάτμος, ) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where John of Patmos received the visions found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. One of the northern ...

, a Roman

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

, with many others. The film follows

Victorinus of Pettau Saint Victorinus of Pettau (also Ptuj or Poetovio; died 303 or 304) was an Early Christian ecclesiastical writer who flourished about 270, and who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. A Bishop of Poetovio (modern Ptuj in ...

's descriptions of the harsh conditions that John endured working in the mines on the island of

. He writes out messages of his visions and sends the "Revelation of God" to the seven churches of Greek Asia Minor. The Christian church in Ephesus sends Irene to make sure John is alive and to confer with him in person. The movie depicts scenes from the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...

and links them to events happening to the church in Asia.

Biblical scenes portrayed

:Revelation 1, Jesus among the Candlesticks :Revelation 4, The Throne Scene :Revelation 5, The Crisis of Sealed Scroll :Revelation 6, The Seals Opened and Related Events :Revelation 7, The Great Multitude :Revelation 8, The Trumpets :Revelation 12, The Woman, the Child and the Dragon :Revelation 21–22, A New Heaven & A New Earth, Jesus Returns

Historical events portrayed

The movie ''Apocalypse'' includes these historical events: # The Life and Reign of Domitian with his proclamation of divine status and persecution of Christians. # Patmos as a penal colony Apocalypse events mentioned in early Christian literature:

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...

, in

Ecclesiastical History __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

3:18–20 :3:17 – Domitian conducted a reign of terror :3:18–1 – During this time, John was exiled to Patmos. :3:18–3 – Irenaeus wrote that John lived during the reign of Domitian. :3:20–10 – Domitian died and Nerva took over. Nerva tried to undo some of the results of Domitian's cruelty. :3:20 – John returned to Ephesus at this time.

Cast

John the Apostle John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebede ...

Vittoria Belvedere Vittoria Belvedere (born 17 January 1972) is an Italian actress from Vibo Valentia in Calabria, southern Italy. She has appeared in several films but most of her work is television based. Career In 1992, she made her debut in the film ''In came ...

as Irene *

Benjamin Sadler Benjamin Sadler (born Benjamin Klimaschewski; 12 February 1971) is a German actor. Biography Sadler was born in Toronto, Canada, the son of a German graphic designer and a British teacher. He lived in Canada until he was five. In 1976 he move ...

as Valerius *

Christian Kohlund Christian Kohlund (born 17 August 1950 in Basel, Switzerland) is a Swiss actor and director. Selected filmography * '' The Cheese Factory in the Hamlet'' (1958), as School boy * ''The Pedestrian'' (1973), as Erwin Gotz * ' (1975), as Oberfeld ...

as Quintus Maximus, a general *

Erol Sander Erol Sander (born 9 November 1968 as Urçun Salihoğlu) is a Turkish-German actor. Filmography * 1990: '' Two's a Crowd'' (TV series) - Jannicke Guigue * 1997: ' (TV series) - Philippe Roussel * 2000: ''Zwei Leben nach dem Tod'' * 2001: '' Th ...

Ionicus Joshua Charles Armitage (26 September 1913 – 29 January 1998) was an English illustrator under the pen name Ionicus. Ionicus may be known best for illustrating the covers of Penguin paperback editions of books by P. G. Wodehouse, though he ...

* Ian Duncan as

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumi ...

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

Production

The TV movie was the last of the many movies based on Bible stories produced by Lux Vide. The films that Lux Vide had produced prior to it included '' Genesis: The Creation and the Flood'', ''

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

'', ''

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

'', '' Moses'', ''

Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...

'', ''

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

'', '' Solomon'', ''

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

'', ''

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

'' and ''

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

''.

Reception

The TV movie received mixed reviews. Luisa Sandrone of ''Famiglia Cristiana'' wrote that Harris gave a "masterful performance" in the film. Marcus Jäntsch of peplumania.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. Peter T. Chattaway of patheos.com gave the film 2 out of 4 stars.

References

External links

''Apocalypse, The Bible Collection'' Amazon website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apocalypse 2002 television films 2002 films Films based on the New Testament Films about Christianity Religious epic films Bible Collection Cultural depictions of Domitian 2000s English-language films