Apocalypse!

Although I was worried that this Frontline "eve of the new millennium" report would be D.O.A. (dated on arrival), Apocalypse! turns out to have much more on its fire and brimstone plate than simple Y2K doomsday-baiting. Narrated by PBS stalwart Will Lyman, this co-production from William Cran and Ben Loeterman traces the history of apocalyptic thought from the mark of Zoroastrianism (excuse the Banderas pun; actually, this 6th century B.C. Persian religion is commonly credited with the foundation of "dualism," i.e., the opposition of two forces, such as light and dark, or good and evil), through the detailed prophecies of the Book of Revelation, and on to the noted mistaken end time predictions ranging from Montanus (170 A.D.) to best selling popular authors such as Hal Lindsey. Interviews with scholars and theologians are combined with contemporary footage of Jerusalem (the apocalyptic equivalent of "ground zero") and numerous archival photographs and pictures, as the program examines both the fundamental ideas driving apocalyptic thought (including the interesting reminder that the idea of "the rapture" is found nowhere in the Bible, but dates from the mid-19th century influential doomsayer John Nelson Darby), as well as the long line of Jeanne Dixon wannabes who all share the common trait of watching a Day of Reckoning walk on by without any notable sign. While the program occasionally wanders out where the buses don't ordinarily run (especially in its unconvincing speculation that revolutionary Americans saw George III as the Antichrist and the Stamp Act as a possible sign of the beast from Revelation), this engaging historical romp through the all-too-human folly of End of Days madness is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)