A former Sunset Strip street preacher and "Jesus coffee house" proprietor recalls his spiritual journey carrying an enormous cross around the globe. The time was the late '60s, the streets of Hollywood were filled with radicals, and Arthur Blessitt was determined to wake them up. In order to accomplish this, he opened a Christian coffee house and placed a rather large cross on the wall. Over the course of the next few months, Blessitt regularly carried the cross with him when he would head out
to preach on the streets, never once realizing this was only the beginning of the 40-year journey that would come to define his life. Then, on Christmas Day, 1969, it happened: Jesus called on Blessitt to begin walking across America with the cross in tow. Four decades later, Blessitt had wandered 315 nations, including war-ravaged Northern Ireland and even North Korea. During that time he was arrested 24 times, and even taken before a firing squad for execution. In 2008, having walked an incredible 38,102 miles, Blessitt finally completed his mission. The Cross isn't about one man's journey to convert the world to Christianity, but the way that Blessitt was able to endure sometimes impossible conditions to deliver hope to the destitute, and inspire others to discover God's destiny for their own lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
This wannabe-inspirational docu shares its hero's devotion to preaching the gospel. But the film's emotional manipulations come at the expense of a more complex, illuminating look at the man himself.
It would be nice to be able to call The Cross a mockumentary. But the director's Christian Broadcasting background makes it extremely unlikely that his intention was provide viewers with a good laugh at the expense of the Blessitt Arthur.
A profoundly engrossing and inspirational film that candidly explores Arthur Blessitt's passionate heart, mind and soul, but feels somewhat incomplete without enough insight into his life beyond his courageous journeys around the world.
Heartfelt but pedestrian, so to speak, documentary of an evangelist who for decades carried a 12-foot wooden cross around the globe to spread the gospel.
In telling the story of globe-trotting evangelist Arthur Blessitt, director Matthew Crouch allows Christian priorities to gloss over details that a more objective filmmaker would consider essential.
The Cross opts to be a wan inspirational film that rams its Christian message down your throat -- which is, ironically, the exact opposite of Blessitt's soft sell.
This was a great documentary. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves Jesus. This guy is hardcore~ He has a passion that would inspire most. I give this 5 stars...I am not an official movie critic...but I would recommend this to Youth Group leaders.
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