THE PROPHECY: UPRISING
US, 2005, 88 minutes, Colour.
John Light, Sean Pertwee, Kari Wuhrer, Jason London, Doug Bradley, Stephen Billington.
Directed by Joel Soisson.
In 1995, writer-director, Gregory Widen, made the first of The Prophecy series. It was one of those films which speculated about the incarnation of Satan on earth, taking over the world, his rebellion against God and rebellion against him. It had a strong cast of human and angel characters, led by Christopher Walken.
With the popularity of the first film, there was a series of sequels, the latter sequels made for straight-to-video and DVD, which capitalised on variations on the theme of angels, evil, confrontations with humans.
This particular film is the fourth in the series, focusing on a mysterious book which writes its own letters in flames, is sought after by a Romanian Orthodox priest who dies, is taken by a young woman who works in the church, who tries to discover more about the book and the incarnation of the rebel angel against Satan, Belial.
The film was shot in Romania, in the city of Bucharest, very effective in its visualising of the city, its public buildings, as well as its slum areas. Since the book is hidden in a monastery in Romania, there are a number of people in the cast from that country but the cast is led by Sean Pertwee as a corrupt police officer who harasses drug dealers and takes their money and who betrayed his parents to the comments regime in the past. Kari Wuhrer is his sister, the woman who is found the book. Also in the cast, in this film and its sequel, is John Light, an English actor who portrays Satan incarnate.
The film and its alleged theology are all in the vein of using Scriptures and ancient texts for some angelic and satanic hocus-pocus, or presented quite seriously. The film was directed by Joel Soissons, who wrote a number of the Prophecy films as well as some of the Dracula series.
1. The Prophecy series, origins, the developments of sequels? The sequel to this film?
2. Production values, Romanian locations, the city of Bucharest, the views, buildings, churches and monasteries, resorts, squalid areas, slums, police precincts? The atmospheric use of the locations? The musical score?
3. The religious presuppositions? The role of Satan, rebellion against God, incarnate in the world? Belial and his revolt against Satan? Also incarnate? Conflict on earth? The nature of the angels, Simon only in light and in voice, not incarnate? The nature of incarnation, Belial transitioning from one body to another, killing the previous character, removing the heart?
4. Ancient books, the Book of Revelation, allegedly unfinished, for God to dictate more, about the end of the world, the burning letters appearing in the book? Its power, the protection of the cross? In the monastery, the priest, his prayer, going to the basement, with the pick, the wall, gaining the book, the letters appearing, his fear, his pills, his death? Allison and her work in the church, finding the dead man, taking the book?
5. The background of the Communist regime, the terror, the secret police, the torture mansion, the flashbacks and the killings, Dani and Allison, their parents, betrayal, torture and death? The massacres and the torturer killing himself?
6. Dani, police, threatening the vagrant in the street, the pursuit, the threat with the knife, taking the money? Later discovering the body, with no heart, the police investigation, John Reigert arriving, Interpol, the fact that he had killed the vagrant?
7. The further deaths, the priest, the woman in the park and her being taken over, the undertaker, the religious trainee and his being interrogated, the detective, Laurel, and his becoming Belial?
8. Dani, his role in the police, edgy personality, living in London, return home, with the detectives, Laurel and Hardy, with John, the clashes, his anger, and becoming more mysterious, his disappearance and not going to his home?
9. John, Satan incarnate, Interpol? Searching for the book? Belial and his revolt against him? The police work, with Dani, the antagonism, Dani realising the truth? His killing the vagrant? His wanting to find Allison? To protect the book?
10. Allison, the background, the death of her parents, alienation from Dani? Working in the church, finding the dead priest, finding the book, taking it, her being apprehensive, phoning her friend for information about Belial? Her sketching the mansion facade? The taxi ride? The pursuit by Belial in Laurel’s form? The pursuit by Dani and John?
11. The confrontation in the mansion, Allison and hallucinations? The confrontation by Laurel/Belial, Dani shooting him, unable to shoot himself, Allison shooting them both?
12. Allison and the book, Satan satisfied, the destruction of Belial? Open to a sequel?
