Even If HE Did Drink Coke, Don't Get Us Mixed Up in It

Okay, I'm doing to plug the site which I think is great. I've used film in Bible classes and adult religious education classes. I even included the Exorcist in one of them... The Italian film is on my list, needless to say.

[Okay, go ahead and say it, "You're a cretin for trying to make Jesus "relevant," as Quentin Skinner has sneered in another context. How else are you get people to come to a church these days? My most successful single class was when I packed a classroom at the church with 20-something college students. Now that's success!]

Matt writes:

Nevertheless, it appears that the film is about a man who (physically) meets Jesus on a road near Emmaus. Initially the man doesn't believe it when Jesus reveals who he is. Ultimately however, Jesus explains that he said he would return and he sets the man three challenges. This would seem to be the main point of the plot, so it appears that the role of Jesus is at the very least pivotal, but may also be fairly substantial.

However, what really caused controversy, was the scene where the man offers Jesus a drink of Coke. Despite at least one Vatican insider seeming happy with it (Krystov Zanussi was part of a film festival jury that actually approved it), the soft drinks firm baulked at the inclusion of their product. They requested the scene be cut, and so the release of 7km was delayed at short notice in order to make the relevant cuts.