Director/actor/writer David Leo Schultz is our first repeat guest on the PCR podcast (and it's our 10th episode as well!). This time he is talking about his new film Brennan, which is an intimate character study of the author and speaker Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel, Ruthless Trust). You can read my review of the film here: Brennan Film Review. We get into the frustrations of making films that are not 100% family friendly with American Christian culture, the difficulties of portraying someone as enigmatic as Brennan Manning, and how we are all pretty messed up and desperately in need of God's grace. For more info on Brennan, including show times and places, visit their website: http://www.brennanmanningmovie.com/.
Subscribe to the podcast on itunes You can financially support the film here: https://www.gofundme.com/brennanthemovie
NOTE: follow this link for my interview with David Leo Schultz, Brennan's director.
The weekend I watched Brennan the new biopic about the life of author/speaker Brennan Manning from director/writer/actor David Leo Schultz, was the same weekend we read the "Prodigal Son" passage from Luke 15 in my church. Jesus' parable of the son who squandered his inheritance through sinful and reckless living is a messy story, that ultimately is not about us at all—it is about the vast, unquenchable, and perplexing love of God. As a film, Brennan, starring Hal Alpert in the titular role, is equally as messy, centering around two real life prodigals wandering in the midst of their own journey, sometimes towards and sometimes away from the love of God.
This is a big couple of weeks in both the Rich Mullins and Rich Mullins movie (Ragamuffin) camps. Last week Rich Mullins got inducted into the Gospel Music Associations' hall of fame (see below for the video) and this Tuesday, May 6 the Ragamuffin film is being released onto DVD and BLU-Ray exclusively at Wal-mart. In light of that (and in light of not being able to find someone to publish it!) I'm releasing a print version of the interview I did with David Leo Schultz, the film's director. My original interview was in podcast form and can be listened to here. You can also read my review of the film here. The interview has been shortened just a bit from the actual recording (you can't imagine how long it takes to type out an interview--oh the tedium!)
Chris Marchand: So the name of the film is Ragamuffin with the subtitle "the true story of Rich Mullins." Am I getting that right?...
So on Sunday night February 23rd, Ragamuffin, the biopic about the life of Rich Mullins, came to Peoria, Illinois via Riverside Community Church. About an hour before the screening began David Leo Schultz, the director and co-writer of the film, sat down with me for an interview. What I love about podcasts is that there are not necessarily time constraints; there is no pressure to rush through a conversation. Well, despite having only an hour before the movie started I think our time together was both relaxed and intense, as good conversations should be. I thoroughly enjoyed our talk together and was honored that he gave me his time.
