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Magdalen's Reprieve by Lise Eleanor - Drama - For more than 50 years, discussion about the Dead Sea Scrolls content has centered around the relationship between Mary Magdalen and Jesus. But, the ancient "diary" Margot finds hidden in a bizarre-looking antique table takes that relationship to the highest level of truth - a truth to be talked about for the next millennium! (Based on a mostly true story with full permissions.) - pdf** format.
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If John was Jesus and Jesus was John, then who was the person that baptized Jesus? And when John tells his disciples "behold the lamb of God"(reffering to Jesus) then who is he talking about? Himself?!!!!. No doubt you have the ability to write, but your idea is absolute rubbish! I think that you're reading too many new world order books. Apart from the illogical plot the screenplay is rather dull and monotonous. You're not a bad writer though.
Hello. I respect your questions and thank you for asking. Christ (as in Jesus the Christ) is originally a title - any good dictionary can confirm that. That means more than one person was entitled to it. In the political arena were five primary sects (Zealots, Pharisees, Saduccees, Nazarites and Essenes), each with a "leader", or a "Christ" (chosen; anointed). John (one Jesus - the political forerunner, or "people's choice") was accepting into his arena another "Jesus", one who represented the Pharisees. Which is why John is so surprised. It was kinda like the leader of the Liberals suddenly giving up the gauntlet and joining the Conservatives, which would be a surprise to the Conservatives!
If you look at 1st-century art (catacombs under Rome), you will find much proof that not everything in the man-revised versions of these documents is on the up and up. For example, there were actually only seven people at the last supper, a man and woman at the head table and five others! And you will also find much art depicting John with a lamb - you'd be hard-pressed to find early Christian art depicting John without the lamb! HE was the lamb. Have you never asked yourself: Why didn't John's disciples join with Jesus' if Jesus was "the man"?
What "Magdalen's Reprieve" does is show there is more to the history than we're taught by the reigning dogmas. I was baptized Roman Catholic, raised Jehovah's Witness and attended Protestant school. I've been reading ancient Bibles in five languages since I was seven. And, the day I questioned how it was possible that Cain obtained a wife and was told not to question things I didn't understand, that was the day I began questioning everything.
The most valuable thing I learned was this: Religion is man-made, designed to control and dominate, prejudiced and hateful. Spirituality is God-made, full of freedom and choice, tolerance and love. Who do you trust?
I've always found belief (as in, "I believe . . .") is often confused with knowledge (as in, "I know . . ."). An easy example is the BELIEF in the 1400s that the world was flat even though, 1200 years before that, everyone KNEW it was round. Just because the Dark Ages dogma said the earth was flat, didn't make it so.
Dr. Timothy Leary said, "Think for yourself! Question everything!" Perhaps this is one of those tid-bits of wisdom that hit the cutting-room floor at the Nicean Council of 325 AD!
Havah, there's lots,lots,lots of books out there in the market claiming that Magdalene was Jesus's lover and they had children and they went to live in France, and Jesus never died and....and ..and....The only new thing that your script brings is that John the Baptist was Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ was John the Baptist. I mean what comes next?...that Jesus was gay may be?....or that he was an extra terrestrial? I'm a Greek christian orthodox and as I was a very good student I can read the new testament in the ancient Greek prototype. According to your script all the books that you're taking information from are correct apart from the officially accepted new testament. Anyway there's lots of people out there who hate what is called church and look for big conspiracies because there lives are monotonous and meaningless. So your script could appeal to some people but I can only imagine it as a TV film shown after midnight or at four in the afternoon. Don't take it as me being nasty to you. I wish you all the best because you can surely write and I'm sure that you put a lot of effort writing it.
Nice of you to write again. You are absolutely correct in the volume of data that is surfacing on this issue. And though the script does table one critically new truth on the subject, more importantly, it lays out the facts in A, B, C format so that ANYONE can go to their local library and check it out for themselves. In fact, I deliberately set it up so the majority of facts could be proven with any Bible (considering 95 per cent of world households own one). I thought simple accessiblity provided the easiest burden of proof.
I have been wonderfully surprised at the wide range of favorable interest this script has received. Why, just this afternoon I received communication from a potential, legitimate producer who wants to transit the script to film. I only posted my scripts wide to the industry 15 days ago and the response has been over-whelming! My knees feel like jello!
I never doubted the script would sell. I was more concerned about the message getting around the fast-track - which it is.
Well as I said, I sincerely wish you good luck. Different people have different opinions. I strongly believe that "Scarface " is the best movie of all time. I have a friend who strongly believes that "Jackass the movie" is the best movie of all time. I'm sure that you strongly believe that some other movie is the best movie of all time. With regards to your script I believe that some flashbacks to the time when these things have supposedly happened would be advisable. You'll have to cut other scenes though because your script is already 138 pages long,that means 138 minutes long. I didn't understand the ACT thing. Act 1, Act,2....what's that? At some points I believe that you're bombarding your audience with information and that's just not "cinematic" You shouldn't have numbered the scenes too.
lol . . . you're so sweet . . . I agree that opinion is a matter of personal choice. I humbly concede to that. The reason I am laughing is this:
"Magdalen's Reprieve" was supposed to be a 1,000-page, 6-pitch print book with one hundred glossy color fine art renderings called "The Known, Little-known and Unknown John the Baptist" (you get the idea). One day a friend asked me why I wasn't finishing the book, to which I said it was too dense to realistically be published. "Too many images", I said. Her reply, "Then why don't you write a script?"
So, six months ago, I went to the used bookstore and bought Syd Field's "The Screenwriter's Workbook". Lesson by lesson I followed his book. Ten days later, "Magdalen's Reprieve" (Alpha Trilogy 1) was born. Forteen days after that, "Luz's Key" (Alpha Trilogy 2) was completed. Director Roman Buchok ("Relic Hunter", etc.) was kind enough to review MRep, gave it a major "thumbs up", and I took it from there.
So, I'm laughing because I didn't know NOT to number the scenes! And the "ACT thing" you mention is something else I didn't know I should not include in the structure! Lol. When I asked Roman about it several months ago, all he said was, "You've written a master script".
As you can see, I fully admit I am new to this film industry "norm". I am grateful to people like you who are willing to take the time and tell me what it is I can do to make my work its best.
A-ha!!! Now I know that I'm conversing with a phenomenon!( an ancient Greek word,by the way). Apart from the fact that your script is going to change the history of this planet and massive religious hysteria is going to spread all over the world, I have to praise you for your writting skills also! You must be the first script writer in history who writes her first script in 10 days and that happens to be the FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT! How about some camera angles? You forgot them! When Steven Spielberg starts to direct your script and decides to change the scene numbers, you tell him " NO, don't touch this. This is a "master script". It's my first script and I wrote it in 10 days,so the scene numbers are absolutely correct" . As coherent as your script was!
Actually, Roman told me that the scene numbers just act as a register, kind of. And as the script gets changed (rewrites, etc) the scene numbers will become As, Bs, etc to denote changes to the script. It is easy to write a script that is based on truth. It took me 8 weeks to write "Daughters . . ." because it's fiction. I find it difficult to invent things and keep them consistent and believable, as opposed to writing fact. Don't be surprised that I wrote me first scripts so quickly. I knew the data contained therein so well, I could tell it to you in my sleep. I have had 20 years of hard-core research on this topic to write from.
I read that it is not uncommon for scriptwriters to write a full script, from outline, in about 2 months if they really know their material. I was a journalist for 10 years, writing to deadline, getting the facts, etc. It was phenomenal training!
Please understand, I am really wowed and frightened by this transition. I actually sent my script to ONE place, waited 30 days and was going to send it to ONE more film company. Then Castle-Rock told me I could send it wide. So, this is all very much a learning process for me and I'm trying to take it slow. I'm a "recluse" and the thought of going into crowds, etc, terrifies me. And my agent is aware of all this, as I was very direct with her about it and my intentions in this industry. I am a research writer. That's who I am and that's what I do. I have no interest in selling myself. Let the work stand on its own merit. Roman said it was written well enough to do exactly that, and that was how I originally intended it to be. I guess what I am saying here sounds very naive, but I did not chose to write scripts to get into the film industry. Rather, you could say I chose the film industry to get the story to the public. As Marshall McLuen said, "The message is the medium."
Could you please tell me about the ACTs thing. Is it currently acceptable, or the new norm, not to include them? I'm getting ready to write my 4th script, the final instalment of the Alpha Trilogy. If there is something I should know before I get writing, please advise.
My favorite hobby is reading scripts. I must have read at least 500 produced scripts many of them final shooting scripts. I've never come across the ACT thing. The best way to learn how to write scripts is to read final shooting scripts. It takes only 4 hours to read an 130 page script.
I went to the used book store that specializes in university/academic material. I read quite a number of scripts there, which I followed as a format. But, since I last replied to you here, I've learned that it must be an older-style format. I have also been reading other peoples' scripts and found certain elements that I feel are proper format (ie: keeping ACTION to a minimal description - I realize now that MRep is too wordy). I'm sure that will come up in the topic of "re-write" when I get to that stage. I also get the impression that each studio has its own unique formula as to what they consider a "final script". So, as you can see, I'm learning from my mistakes as I go. I can only hope that the mistakes are forgivable, easy to change and moderately painless.