Originally, religion was the mother of ethics and technology. First of all, religion was a torrential spring flowing from hidden depths, ethics a life carrying river, and technology with the help of artistic channels, carried the water from this river into all the arteries of man’s life.
God announced to man the law of faith, the law of behavior, and the knowledge of technology.
By the directions of God, Noah built a boat that traveled one of the longest journeys in the history of navigation.
By God’s inspiration Bezalel was filled with wisdom in understanding, in knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. (Exodus 31:1-11)
"For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14).
"Our citizenship is in the heavens" (Philip. 3:20).
Because, however, we are also citizens of the earth, and of this country, when the time comes for us to go to the polls, we should not be attached to situations or parties or people. No party expresses us. Every time, then, we should think what is the least evil for our country. We are to do this according to circumstances. Sometimes it could be one thing, another time it could be something else. We should vote with the principle: "Choose the lesser of two evils."
L'Agonie de Byzance or The Agony of Byzantium is a 1913 production that is counted as one of the best French films of the silent era. Made on the eve of World War I, it is an ambitious and lavish depiction of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in the mid-15th century. The task of directing this mammoth production (even though the film runs to just 30 minutes, it counts as a superproduction for its time) went to Gaumont's (a major French film studio) most prolific director, Louis Feuillade.
Where L'Agonie de Byzance distinguishes itself most is with its impressively staged battle scenes, which are among the most ambitious depicted in cinema up until this time. Even though the camera is rigidly static and most scenes consist of long takes with minimal editing, there is a dynamic quality to the action sequences that really does convey a sense of the fury and frenzy of battle. The static set-up actually works to the film's advantage, making the spectator feel that he is standing on the periphery of the drama, watching history unfold from a privileged vantage point. It only falls down in the scene where the hoards swarming towards the camera end up having to split into two, taking a left or right turn to avoid crashing into an very expensive piece of filmmaking apparatus.
The quality of the set and costume design is also worth commenting on, since this is the most obvious sign of Gaumont's commitment to raising the bar by several furlongs. Although there are a few scenes where Feuillade had to make do with what is obviously a painted backdrop, most of the sets are remarkably solid and detailed, with false perspective used to great effect in several scenes. For a film that was entirely shot in the studio, L'Agonie de Byzance has a surprising realism about it that is rarely found in historical films of this time - you could easily think that at least part of it was filmed on location. Such is the visual impact of some scenes - for example, the one in which an army of sword-waving Ottomans surge through the city gates - that you can favourably compare them with what we find in more recent films, such as Kurosawa's Samurai films. L'Agonie de Byzance is shameless spectacle all the way, one of Louis Feuillade's main achievements.
Below is the French and English versions of the film:
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol was born in 1809 in the Ukraine. His father was an amateur playwright who had a small estate with a number of serfs. From the ages of 12 to 19, young Gogol attended a boarding school where he became known for his sharp wit and ability to amuse his classmates. After school he worked as a government clerk.
He soon began writing memories of his childhood. His quaint depictions of the Ukrainian countryside marked his style and helped to make him famous. Gogol quickly gained fame and formed a friendship with the influential poet, Aleksandr Pushkin.
Uncle Milios never spoke a truer word, when he said the good Christians living outside the town might end up having to celebrate Easter that year without a liturgy. In fact no prophecy was ever closer to fulfillment, for it almost came true twice — but happily God made the authorities see the light, and in the end the poor villagers, local shepherd-farmers, were judged worthy to hear the Word of God and eat the festive eggs.
The cause of all this was the busy little coaster that (supposedly) linked those unhappy islands to the inhospitable shore opposite, and which twice a year, when the season changed in spring or autumn, would almost invariably sink, and as often as not take the whole crew down with it. They would then put the post of captain up for auction, and each time some poor wretch, undaunted by the fate of his predecessor, was found to undertake this most perilous task. And on this occasion, at the end of March, as winter was taking its leave, the coaster had gone down again.
