The Book of Life (1998 film)

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The Book of Life
The Book of Life (1998 film).jpeg
Directed by Hal Hartley
Written byHal Hartley
Produced by
  • Simon Arnal
  • Caroline Benjo
Starring
Cinematography Jim Denault
Edited bySteve Hamilton
Release date
  • February 25, 1998 (1998-02-25)
Running time
63 minutes
LanguageEnglish

The Book of Life is a 1998 film directed by Hal Hartley. [1] In the film, Jesus returns to earth on the eve of the new millennium planning to bring about the apocalypse, but finds himself surprisingly enamored of humanity. It stars Martin Donovan as Jesus, PJ Harvey as Mary Magdalene, and Thomas Jay Ryan as The Devil. Yo La Tengo appear as a Salvation Army band.

Contents

Plot

On the eve of the year 2000, Jesus Christ (Martin Donovan) returns to Earth, arriving at Kennedy Airport in New York with his mysterious and magnetic assistant Mary Magdalena (PJ Harvey). [2] [3] Sent by his wrathful Father, they retrieve a laptop from a locker and, with a few simple clicks, open the seven seals of the Book of Life, fulfilling the prophecy and setting in motion the Apocalypse and Armageddon. [4] [5] Yet, as he confronts humanity at the brink of a new millennium confused, faithless, and immersed in technology, Jesus begins to doubt the destiny assigned to him. [2] [4]

Meanwhile, in a seedy New York bar, a young gambler (Dave Simonds) and the waitress (Miho Nikaido) secretly in love with him strike up a conversation with a charismatic stranger (Thomas Jay Ryan) - none other than the Devil in disguise. [4] Their stories intertwine as heaven and earth seem to collide, bringing all the characters together in a hotel room to face the end, or the possible rebirth, of the world. [4]

Cast

Production

The film was made for the 2000, Seen By... (2000 vu par...) project, [7] initiated by the French company Haut et Court [8] to produce films depicting the approaching turn of the millennium seen from the perspectives of 10 different countries. [1] [9]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack includes PJ Harvey, Yo La Tengo, David Byrne, Takako Minekawa, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Osnabrucker Jugendchor, Ben Watt and others. [10] [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Yoram Allon, Del Cullen, Hannah Patterson. Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide. Wallflower Press, 2002, p. 367.
  2. 1 2 "The Book of Life". IFFR EN. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Book of Life (1998)". Moria - Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Young, Deborah (1998-06-15). "The Book of Life". Variety. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  5. ↑ "The Book of Life | Cast and Crew | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  6. ↑ "Katreen Hardt Movies List | Rotten Tomatoes | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
  7. ↑ Susan G. Cole, Glenn Sumi, Norman Wilner, John Semley, "TOP 25 TORONTO FILMS," Now , 31 December 2013, URL accessed 15 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "The book of Life". Haut et Court (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  9. ↑ "2000 vu par..." Haut et Court (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  10. ↑ "The Book Of Life Soundtrack - MP3". halhartley.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
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