| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of the Bible and its reception |
| Subtitle of host publication | Lectionary – Lots |
| Editors | Christine Helmer, Steven L. McKenzie, Thomas Römer, Jens Schröter, Barry Dov Walfish, Eric Ziolkowski |
| Place of Publication | Berlin |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter |
| Pages | 979-984 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-11-031333-8 |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Abstract
Locusts are an amorphous aggregation of mature grasshoppers in a frenetic swarm typically devoted to devouring crops. Within biblical films, swarming locusts are briefly depicted in the telemovie Moses (dir. Roger Young, 1995, CZ/UK/FR/IT/DE/ES/US) and the animated features Testament: The Bible in Animation: Moses (dir. Gary Hurst, 1996, UK) and The Prince of Egypt (dir. Brenda Chapman/Steve Hickner/Simon Wells, 1998, US), but they are more prominently displayed within Exodus: Gods and Kings (dir. Ridley Scott, 2014, UK/ES/US) wherein “more than 10 million square cubits of crops” are lost. Disappointingly, locust scenes were omitted from both versions of The Ten Commandments (dir. Cecil B. DeMille, 1923 and 1956, US), whilst in King of Kings (dir. Nicholas Ray, 1961, US) the offscreen narrator likens the Roman legions to “a scourge of locusts … laying waste to the land of Canaan and the Kingdom of Judea.” A locust appears in closeup in the South African film Son of Man (dir. Mark Dornford-May, 2006) just before the film’s initial
wilderness temptation scene and again just prior to the massacre of the innocents.
wilderness temptation scene and again just prior to the massacre of the innocents.
Keywords
- Religion and film
- Locusts