In the first screening of the Christian film, there was no 'Holy Bible' written on the cover of the book read by Tom Hamilton although the moment laid the groundwork for Bethany's recovery.
- Apr 9, 2011
AceShowbiz - By now, theatergoers probably have watched a scene in "Soul Surfer" where Dennis Quaid's Tom Hamilton reads the Holy Bible next to his bed-ridden child, AnnaSophia Robb's Bethany. The particular scene was not what the producers intended to display in raw at the first place.
Tom, whose real-life story is brought on screen in the April 8-released film, said the words "Holy Bible" were digitally removed from the book cover when he was shown the early version of the movie. David Zelon who is an executive at Mandalay Pictures wanted to tone down the Christianity of the film in order to make it appeal to non-Christian audience.
A devoted Catholic, Tom refused to have the words edited out. In the next screening, Tom and his family were pleased with the final version. "I could see the words bright and clear," he said as quoted by THR. "I looked at my wife and whispered, 'Thank you God, they put it back'."
David made no comment on the outcome but Sony which produces the drama said in a statement, "This movie has a strong spiritual core, much like 'The Blind Side', and while one of the versions tested did have the scene in question, it was never unclear that the book was the Bible."
Indeed, "Blind Side" which is starring Sandra Bullock as a Christian, showed to the world how a religious movie can rake in huge number. In the domestic box office alone, "Blind Side" pulled in $256 million. This is also the case of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" where the pop star said in an interview that he prays twice daily and reads Bible every now and then. Paramount earned $30 million in the opening weekend.
