Fame, Fortune, Faith, Folly, Forgiveness: “The Song” Has All That

“I have seen all things done under the sun; all of them are meaningless.”

–Ecclesiastes 1:14

    THE SONG, the new film from City on the Hill Productions,  is infused with Scripture–based, as it is, upon Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. It’s a contemporary retelling of Solomon’s life, starring Alan Powell as aspiring singer/ songwriter Jed King.  Jed falls in love with Rose (Ali Faulkner), the daughter of a vineyard owner.  Shortly after their wedding, Jed writes a song expressing his love for Rose–and Rose’s song becomes a hit, catapulting him to stardom.

The biblical king Solomon committed adultery–taking as many as 700 wives and 300 concubines.  Traveling in concert, Jed King faces new opportunities and situations on the road; and like Solomon, he falls under the weight of temptation–entering into an affair with his talaented and beautiful opening act, Shelby Bale (Caitlin Nicol-Thomas). But the infidelity came with a price–nearly costing Jed his marriage and his family.  In the end, he had to make a choice.  In the end, he chose to return to his vows, to his marriage, and the film has a happy ending.

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I had the opportunity to talk recently with the film’s star Alan Powell about the movie and about the faith that guides his career choices.  I came away with a deeper appreciation for the film’s insights and its rich symbolism.

One thing that had caught my attention, as I previewed the movie, was that Jed King’s appearance changed radically.  When we first saw him on screen, he was beardless; in later scenes, he’d have a carefully trimmed beard or, sometimes, even a full, long beard.  I asked Powell about that, and he explained that the beard was a metaphor for Jed King’s life:  that in those times when he was most true to his values, he was beardless, but that as he spiraled farther into sin, his unkempt beard reflected his disorganized and dissatisfied spirit. Besides the insertion of scriptural quotes in the film, there were references that a casual viewer might miss:  At one point, for example, Jed and Rose are tossing stones into a pond.  Jed is able to make the stone skip across the water before it sinks.  Alan Powell reminded me that David, King Solomon’s father, had slain the giant Goliath by throwing a stone. Oh, and Jed’s father was David King–a throwback to Solomon’s father, King David.

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THE SONG opens this weekend in theaters, and I’m challenging you to go to support this great family film.