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Movie Series: A Great Awakening
Movie Review: A Great Awakening
The history behind the movie
“Arise, O sleeper, awaken!”
This phrase, famously associated with the great evangelical preacher George Whitefield, is featured in his open-air sermon in Philadelphia in the movie A Great Awakening.
“Let us proclaim freedom to the captives. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Arise, O sleeper, awaken!”
This new historical drama, the second film from the Pennsylvania theatre company Sight and Sound Films, is getting great word-of-mouth coverage. A friend of mine said I have to see it.
Is the film historically accurate, does it correctly connect the Great Awakening to the American Revolution, and is it worth seeing?
The Film
While I doubt it will have as wide an audience as the recent blockbuster Project Hail Mary — which I reviewed here — it’s worth seeing. It’s moving, well-acted, powerfully scored, sumptuously filmed, and capably directed — especially considering the need for frequent flashbacks. It’s emotionally stirring and thought-provoking, and even inspirational. And from my perspective, pretty historically accurate. Sure, there were some invented conversations between Benjamin…
