Silence: The Martin Scorsese film opens December 23

Martin Scorsese's long awaited adaptation of SILENCE—Martin Scorsese has had this film in his head for so long, he was at one point sued for not proceeding with the film based on Shusako Endo’s novel—is set for a limited release on December 23. 

Clearly he’s got Oscar voters on his mind. I first got wind of the project in 2012 but Scorsese has been talking about making this movie since the early 1990’s! Starring Liam Neeson, Andrew Garfield, Tadanobu Asano, and Adam Driver, the film follows “two 17th-century Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and spread the gospel of Christianity.” (imdb.com) 

In an interview withVariety, Liam Neeson talked about working with the acclaimed director “[Scorsese] gives 200%. All he requires is that you give 100%. He’s intimidating,” Neeson added that he lost twenty pounds for his role. “He requires absolute silence on the set — if he hears one tiny sound, it shatters it for him.” Interesting. I’ve heard Clint Eastwood likes a quiet set too. 

For Scorsese the novel is deeply personal both for its story and its reflection on how we live as Christians in the world today. It’s not a book I feel drawn to read but if it’s a Martin Scorsese film, I’ll be drawn to watch it. How about you?