Meet Joe Black (Conocen a Joe Black?) [NTSC/REGION 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

I've been thinking about this film, and comparing it to my Christian beliefs lately. The film is well made in that it addresses some deeper issues in life, whereas a lot of films are filled with mindless action, and stray from discussing anything of eternity all together. However, despite the film's doing this, it seems to hold erroneous conclusions, which, maybe makes it worse than had it not broached the issues at all.There is a lot of Christian symbolism, but, sadly, twisted. From the start we see a man who is in a sort of loose friendship with the world - Mr. Parrish (which, could be a homophone for the word perish). He's basically a man who is spiritually perishing; he has spent his life amassing a worldly fortune, alienating his family while doing so, growing in pride and arrogance, and, ultimately, he was just about to sell out whatever integrity his business had left for a last minute profit. At the young age of 65, due perhaps to over indulgence in eating, he's going to be dying sort of early, with neither a belief in Christ nor any eternal thoughts, and having also poorly governed his own house as it pertains to his daughter's spiritual futures.The character does experience some reformative transformations, but, these seem very limited in the scope of the film. These transformations come about when some timeless and eternal other-worldly being steps onto the stage of his life, and is about to kill him. It is hard from the original description to understand whether the being is the devil or death, but it is sort of clarified later that this being is not the devil, so presumably, he's supposed to be part of God's heavenly kingdom. I think that is where the blurring and issues start to occur - because of this confusing portrayal of one of God's angels acting in ways that seem to somehow pollute our impression of God, or at least confuse it.The sold-out-to-the-world business leader Mr. Parrish, rather than having any true repentance in the face of his impending death, strikes a "deal" with this angelic being, who has killed someone and taken over their host body (the romantic love interest of his eldest daughter). This is sort of weird when you think about how Christ came to Earth as a new born baby, and certainly did not kill some innocent 30 year old to assume an earthly host body. It has this strange implication that God would allow the random killing off of someone simply to have one of his angels inhabit one of their host bodies. This is obviously unbiblical, but we are told that demons enter into people, so it's somewhat offensive if we think about how Christ deigned to come into a human form to save us. Here, we have something different - an angel who leaves his post at whatever he is doing for God (presumably here killing people, rather than helping them to eternal life), and who leaves his duties out of an idle curiosity about human life. " The natural curiosity of me the most lasting and significant element in existence has come to see you." We immediately see that this being is prideful, an attribute assigned to devils, not to godly beings. Though of superior intelligence, he apparently is not above flattering the ego of Mr. Parrish in that he needs a human guide to show him around this world - which, pushes the bounds of suspended belief. One gets the uneasy feeling that the Death character is lying about his identity, and is basically just a demon in disguise, with whom this fool has made a "deal" with, rather than repenting before His Lord and Maker with a broken, contrite heart.The angel-to-human-convert seems to then go about curiously engaging in various earthly lusts and pleasures, like eating peanut butter, over which he becomes obsessed. He also goes around mocking subtlety the sins of the people around him. In the Bible we know Satan is our accuser and adversary, and that he is constantly accusing us before the throne of God. In this movie, the Joe Black character is sort of the same - but, he seems to be dispassionately noting everyone's moral failures - but at times he does encourage them to repent. At times, he doesn't. This again is wishy washy, and not what we find in the Bible. In the Bible we definitely have an adversary who is continually trying to get us to sin, and through Christ we are able to crucify the flesh and overcome him and his snares. Here, it seems that no such battle is going on.A dying woman in the hospital explains to the angel, even after seeing heaven presumably, that she knows the angel is lonely in heaven (no such concept in the Bible) - but that he might be lonely here too. However, he can get in some good "pictures". I understand sort of that this is supposed to encourage people about what "really matters" - but then, there are so many contradictions as to just what that is in the film. For example, the Joe Black gains the confidence of the eldest daughter through pretense and deceit. Sadly, he is sort of lying about himself the entire movie. It was sort of shocking rewatching this as a Christian to note how many times this supposedly angelic being is found to be outright lying about himself.Repenting to a Christian God in all areas of one's life is sort of missing, which leads to some sort of very limited, questionable repentance. His daughter, for example, though a hard working and selfless doctor, rather than repenting to marriage, seems to be led by this angel into fornication. Basically, we are supposed to suspend belief that this on-God's-side being basically came to earth for a one night stand. This is sort of really offensive if we furthermore think about how Christ came to Earth to die for our sins, not to help us engage in them, at the high cost of his life. That turns an idle movie into something completely offensive - because in this area, one of God's commandments about sexual purity before marriage is openly violated, and an otherwise decent character is degraded actually. In the Bible we are told "all who hate God love death"; this sort of actually fits with the movie theme, and turns it genuinely dark and sinister: the man, who has failed to repent towards Christ, achieves only a false repentance, and furthermore, both of his children are dying "lost" - to use the words ascribed to the elder daughter in the film - even when they mistakenly believe they have arrived at some eternal truths. The elder daughter winds up more defiled than she started, and the younger daughter is not corrected from her disastrously shallow life course.There are only three positive corrections that seem to happen: one, Mr. Parrish decides to stand up for integrity for the preservation of his company, and two, a straw man character Drew, who is overtly evil and sold out to worldly gain, is thwarted; lastly Mr. Parrish becomes more sensitive to his estranged daughter, and corrects his elder daughter that excitement and "levitation" are not the top goals for human love. This is all good, but, again what is not said and condoned speaks volumes here too. Ironically, to use a line from the film "It's not what you say about Drew, it's what you don't say."One of the most interesting parts of the film is where Mr. Parrish is repenting of his evil dealings with the world, as personified by the merger Drew wants - and he is confronted by Drew (the world). Everyone demands to know why he is suddenly deferring to Joe Black, and letting him lead his life. We are told in the Bible all who confess Christ He will confess before the Father, and all who deny Him He will deny. Strangely, here, though supposedly Mr. Parrish has given his heart to other-worldly leading, he maintains "secrets" - again - an unbiblical perversion - and does not openly profess his faith, as though he were ashamed of it, and because he fears dying immediately. Contrast this to the martyrs who died for their faith so that many would be saved. The whole thing is a bizarre twisting to say the least.We also find this angelic representative doing things that flatter Mr. Parrish's pride - right up till his death. It is presumed he is going to heaven, but, it is this presumption that I wanted to challenge here.As Mr. Parrish goes over to his death, we find the angelic host openly flattering the already high ego of the man saying absurd and outlandish things in response as to whether he should fear judgement: "not a man like you". This seems to go with his insane closing speech on his life - which was not lived for Christ largely - in that he has "no regrets" - despite the fact this his conversion was only in the last few days of his life, and his daughters are both in a state of spiritual defilement. We are supposed to believe some sad but implausible summaries, exchanged complete with curse words - that dominate the end of the film: where Death thanks Mr. Parrish for the time he spent in his service, almost like a perverse twisting of Christ's telling His faithful servants "well done my good and faithful servant." "Would you mind if I expressed my gratitude? For you, for the time you've given me, for the person you are."I guess I feel like these statements can only be sarcastic in this case, if one careful scrutinizes "the person William Perish is." Consider his daughter just had an adulterous affair with some demonic being, and, for her defilement he expresses thanks? "Now that we have a moment, would you mind if I expressed my gratitude for what you did for Susan? I've never heard her speak of any man as she spoke of you." This is sort of wrong when we consider that he is basically condoning some extra marital affair with a demon, that isn't going to any sort of marriage, and that basically makes one wonder "why doesn't Susan save those sentiments for her life lived out in Christ, in holiness?" Holiness is reduced to a one night lewdness, and by all indications Susan was better off before the entire ordeal happened, and is only the spiritually worse for the occurrences.But to this, the rest of his life is added. An enormous birthday party (self serving party) is given in his honor on his 65th birthday. He knows he's about to die, but does not cancel the event, or correct his daughter about the unwise expenditure. He does not renounce his worldly riches. He does not concern himself with mercy to the poor, or any renunciation of the pleasures of the world, neither does he make an attempt to correct those he loves around him. It is true that Paul talked about being content with whatever one has, but his is described as a life of excess, and yet he says he wishes for other to have what he has: "That you would have a life as lucky as mine, where you can wake up, one morning and say, 'I don't want anything more.'" Remember that his fallen daughter earlier just told him about this yearly self-serving party: "There's more to come. Lots of excess, like you love." Not lots of excess, like *I* love, but lots of excess like you - Bill Parrish - love.So consider that this man who is about to die is standing there, before masses of fallen people, who are applauding in his honor (Jesus tells us we will be hated by the world, and that all godly will be persecuted), and, sitting in what he knows to be extreme excess, and looking back on a life of excess, and knowing that the Lord says "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep." Knowing all this his statement is that he wishes others were as content as he were?I agree the Bible tells us to be content, but that contentment is supposed to come from a striving to enter the "narrow way", through much suffering and tribulation, and abdicating friendship with the world, and worldly lusts. So the ending is actually rather a huge letdown, with a possible fearful end for his daughter Susan. We are left with this ominous feeling as one would probably feel for the relatives of those in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is in torments, and is dying for someone to go back and warn the others about what torments await him, and he most desires to warn his family. Here, we see a man losing just such an opportunity to do so. He doesn't realize that they, and not just Drew, are all on the brink of entering a place where "you will not be counting the days or the months or the years, but millenniums in a place with no doors." The film fails to mention the one "door" that would actually help him to be saved Jesus, who said "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”So very strangely the one thing needful is omitted. The characters continue on in self righteous blindness simply because they are not as noticeably bad as Drew. I'm thinking about Romans 10:3 "“For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” I also thought about what God said to Job, when Job had gone on a long time about all the righteous things that he had done in his life, God warns him that all who are the children of pride are of the devil, and extolls His more perfect comprehension of the situation concluding that only when Job can do the things God can that "then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee."But what we have at the end of the movie is the character standing on somewhat equal, bantering grounds with divine beings, and where these beings are praising his goodness, rather than Mr. Parrish praising the goodness and mercy of God that has brought him to salvation. This is again something completely omitted.Of course, there is still something good in this film. There is this quote in the Bible "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." Those who are in Christ and conform to His image bear the spiritual fruit of righteousness. The original character of Susan may have conformed to this image as she was selflessly serving others in a hospital. She also wanted to be in as loving marriage as a supportive helper we are to understand from the coffee shop. Bill Parrish, for whatever else his other moral failings were, did love his family and try to steer his business with integrity at personal loss.However, it was just very incomplete. It was a sort of righteousness that only pertained to one small area of life, rather than a total conformance. His mind is sort of renewed, but, only partially. This never seemed to happen: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." This was seemingly forgotten by the wayside: "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 6:9-10). We even see this so called angel, rather than being honest, lying about being an IRS agent. "Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."The high standard of abdicating all of these evil ways is not upheld, creating a confusing admixture of sinfulness and a call to holier living. We have the admixture of holiness with premarital adultery. We have the admixture of renouncing worldly riches, with somehow still celebrating and not openly repenting of excesses. We have a father who thanks the adulterer that his eldest daughter was defiled by, possibly through witchcraft and his own dealings with the devil. We have a drunken orgy that is not repented of. We have un-repented of lying right up to the closing scene. And we have a man who at no point confessed his belief in Christ.Therefore, this cannot be a truly good film.

"Joe Black" is a film that digs deep into the human soul, examining the delicate intricacies of life, death, love, and familial bonds. While its script is layered with powerful sentiments, the film's true strength lies in its star-studded cast, led by none other than the exceptional Sir Anthony Hopkins.Hopkins, known for his riveting portrayals, takes the reins as Bill Parrish in this thought-provoking drama. A testament to Hopkins' extraordinary talent, his performance in "Joe Black" is nothing short of a masterclass in acting.Bill Parrish is a character teeming with complex emotions – a man standing at the precipice of life, gazing into the abyss of the unknown. It takes an actor of Hopkins' caliber to fully convey this depth of emotion. The mastery he displays, particularly in his scenes with his daughters, is raw, powerful, and profoundly affecting.His voice alone is a spectacle to behold. There's an irreplaceable resonance to it - authoritative yet tender, echoing with wisdom, love, and a certain vulnerability. Hopkins’ voice brings a unique musicality to the dialogues, that transcends mere words and seeps into our hearts.Not to be overlooked are his gestures – meticulously crafted, subtly executed, and laden with meaning. Hopkins ensures that every glance, every nod, every tear speaks volumes about Parrish's emotional journey. These minute details, invisible to the untrained eye, give Hopkins' character a touch of humanity, making his portrayal of Parrish not just believable, but incredibly real.One cannot help but be drawn in by the teary-eyed moments shared between Parrish and the other characters, particularly his daughters. These scenes are not just about the lines being spoken - they are about the poignant silences, the raw emotion, the unspoken understanding, and the familial love that holds them together. They tug at the heartstrings and make you appreciate the precious moments you share with your loved ones.Watching Anthony Hopkins as Bill Parrish, we are not merely spectators to his journey – we are fellow travelers, experiencing every wave of emotion that sweeps over him. We mourn his losses, share in his joy, feel his love, and learn from his wisdom. His performance has not just entertained us; it has touched us, leaving an indelible mark on our hearts."Joe Black" is a film that has enriched our understanding of love, family, and life. It's a soul-stirring experience that lingers long after the credits have rolled, urging us to cherish the moments that make life worth living.All credit goes to the sensational Sir Anthony Hopkins. His portrayal of Bill Parrish has breathed life into the character, made us laugh and cry with him, and stirred in us a deep appreciation for the ephemeral beauty of life.This film is a testament to Hopkins' enduring talent and an unequivocal reminder of why he is one of the most respected actors in the history of cinema. With "Joe Black", Anthony Hopkins has once again proven that he is truly a master of his craft. This film is not to be missed.

Lovely film. Looks at death. Very watchable. UPDATE - having watched this several times down rated from 5 star (outstanding/excellent) to 4 star (very good/good). Still recommended.

I used this DVD for entertainment--after all, it's a movie. "Meet Joe Black" is an older film but well worth watching. Death, love, taxes, family, and an interesting ending. A nice addition to my growing collection of excellent movies.

great movie .. excellent acting .. plot keeps you watching right to the end ...

This video was not useable in Canada. It would be nice to have that info before purchasing it.

This movie didn't get the best reviews when it came out, but in my opinion it's well done. I like it very much.