A review of a movie that poses the question, what happened to the fourth wise man?
Have some graduations or birthdays coming up and don’t’ know what to get? How about something quirky, away from the norm and inspirational?
The Fourth Wise Man, by Gateway Films,will inspire graduates with its tale of a man who unintentionally creates a life with immeasurable impact.
Although it’s a little over acted and sometimes cheesy, at 72 minutes, the film gives a good perspective and retells an ancient story in a new way.
We all know the story of the three wise men but according to a story by Henry van Dyke, there was a fourth.
It stars Martin Sheen, actor and well-known Catholic activist as Artaban, a Magi from Persia who forsees the birth of Jesus and wants to meet his friends, the other three wise men, and seek Jesus.
We watch him as a young, arrogant magi who has sold all his riches to purchase a few fine jewels to present to the new king to be born. His pride is his downfall as none of the other magi from his group will journey with him to meet the other three.
Alan Arkin, who plays the much put upon servant, provides some comic relief in an otherwise highly dramatic film. It is a story of pursuing success and finding a life full of purpose.
Sheen’s character, Artaban, is distracted during a rest stop by a beggar who needs help. His servant begs him to go on and meet ht others as this man will probably die. Artaban responses “If I leave he will surely die.” Thus begins his new journey.
After the delay, he arrives at the meeting point only to realize the others have left without him. He has run out of money and sells a jewel to buy the means to follow them across the desert.
What’s interesting is how many times he comes close to seeing Jesus, just missing him. These close encounters act as a metaphor: as he helps people, he is helping Jesus by doing His work.
Sheen’s son Charlie makes an appearance in the film as a soldier whom Artaban bribes with yet another jewel to spare a baby from Herod’s killing spree.
They travel from Bethlehem to Egypt and back to Israel in search of Jesus.
His pearl is stolen and he finds a group of lepers behind the theft. He agrees to help in return for his pearl. A woman begs him to stay for “just one more day.”
That one day turns into a lifetime of helping the people in the village, healing them, teaching them to be self-sufficient.
Finally, after decades of this, he has one last chance to see Jesus before he dies. Again, he is too late as Jesus has been arrested before Artaban arrives. He’s down to his last pearl. He doesn’t get to present it to Jesus but what he uses it for is a far better purpose.
Not giving away the ending, suffice it to say Artaban realizes his dream – in a manner of speaking.
