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March 24, 2015 newsreel

“Legacy of Faith” edition of Unbroken to restore all the Christianity the original left out

by Nathan Rabin
“Legacy of Faith” edition of Unbroken to restore all the Christianity the original left out

Angelina Jolie came of age as one of Hollywood’s preeminent bad girls, a provocateur who flaunted her sexuality and famously dallied with drugs, self-destruction, and all manner of naughty behavior. But that was a long time ago. These days, Jolie is as well-known for her activism and sprawling family as she is for her acting. It’s a testament to how far Jolie has evolved from her early image that her latest directorial effort, last year’s Unbroken, is being marketed directly to Christians in a special edition emphasizing the protagonist’s Christian faith. 

Unbroken tells the true-life story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who ended up enduring brutal torture and punishment in a Japanese POW camp. The screenplay, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, was co-written by Jewish smartasses the Coen brothers, and the film’s lofty pedigree and triumph-of-the-human-spirit theme would seem to make it a natural for Oscar consideration. Instead, Unbroken got lukewarm reviews, earned decent box office, and made few waves during awards season. 

Apparently, the final third of the book Unbroken details the troubled and hard-drinking Zamperini’s epiphany after attending a Billy Graham sermon, events which are not touched upon in Jolie’s film. The “Legacy of Faith” edition of Unbroken, out today, however, will prominently cover Zamperini’s Christianity and relationship with Graham with new special features and footage of the two men together. According to Yahoo, Universal Pictures seems to have little to do with the new version and was unavailable for comment. Instead, Pure Flix will be distributing the “Legacy of Faith” edition through Christian bookstores.

From this secular heathen’s perspective, Universal’s move is both smart and a little cynical. It allows the company to tap into the lucrative Christian home-video market without looking like it’s pandering to the faithful—a market that has in the past thrown millions at productions one-hundredth the size of Unbroken.

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