If you make a film that is successful, as That We Are Dust was, then you are compelled to make a sequel. We did. It was called Bring Forth the Best Robe.
Every good Bible student will recognize where that title comes from. It is in what is probably the most well-known story in the New Testament, the parable Jesus told about the prodigal son.
I took the character Mike had played in the first film and wrote a story about him based on the story of the prodigal son. In my story, Mike’s character goes off to the big city to try to make it on his own, against the advice of parents, girlfriend and youth leader. Of course, he fails, and even strays just a little bit from his Christian principles. I didn’t want him to stray too far, but I wanted to show that Christians, if they are not careful, can stray from the Lord they love.
The big city that Mark’s character went to was Chicago. We spent at least one full day, Mike and I and Ron, who was my cameraman on the shoot, in Chicago. We shot at Buckingham Fountain, the lakefront, and on State Street.
In a very original and brilliant moment of casting, I had Mike’s dad, one of my deacons, play Mike’s character’s dad. He didn’t read his lines very well, but I figured the people at church would love his performance anyway. They did.
Mike’s character even had a girl friend in this film, portrayed by a young lady from our church named Annie. She was named Annie, not our church. Okay. I know. That’s an old joke. A very old joke. And, yes, I know I used it before in this treatise. I’m not senile. Really.
Annie was pretty, which is one of the reasons I chose her for the part. Her face photographed well. She also enjoyed acting. Her performance in the film was very convincing.
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In Chicago, Mike’s character writes home to his parents to let them know how he is doing. The camera focuses on Mike’s character’s mom, brilliantly portrayed by Mike’s real mom, while we hear his voice reading the letter. He tells her he is doing fine. He tells her he is eating regularly. As he says that, we cut to him entering a Burger King restaurant on State Street. But we also see him entering a movie theater. As he enters, the camera pans up to the marquee and zooms in on the letter “R” as the rating for the film.
In one of my favorite shots, I had Mike stand close to the edge of Buckingham Fountain. Then I placed Ron and the camera far away on the opposite side of the fountain. I had Ron zoom very slowly through the sprays of water to Mike’s face, looking down and forlorn. The shot conveys quite a feeling of loneliness and sadness. I am still quite pleased with that shot, done as it was by an amateur actor, an amateur cameraman and an amateur director using amateur equipment.
At the end of the film, of course, Mike’s character returns home wiser and more willing to let the Lord lead him. It is a happy ending, and we even see a friend of Mike’s character get saved. He, too, was a character from the first film, played by Tim, the real life younger brother of Cory, the young man who died in a bicycle accident a few summers earlier.
We showed the film at one of our Family Film Nites. It was as well received as the first film. Would we do a third? We didn't. Not that there weren't many good stories to tell. There were. I just wasn't free to tell them.
