Review: First Fruits DVD

First Fruits is a movie made by Vision Video in 1982, covering the story of Moravian missionaries to the West Indies in the 1730s. Throughout the film, there are narrations that seem to come from the journal of one of the Moravians, and the focal character, Leonard Dober.

The story begins in Hernhut, Germany. In a meeting, Count Zinzendorf shares his meeting with a Christian brother in another city, who was a slave. The Count shares the slave’s story of being separated from his family at the Island of St. Thomas, his sufferings, and his deep desire that his family back home hear the Gospel. Two of the young Moravian men become greatly burdened for the slaves in St. Thomas, and when the burden continues, they seek counsel with the Count, who encourages them. Eventually, they meet the Christian slave, Anthony, who informs them more and asserts that the mission will be a true challenge. The men continue to seek the counsel of the other Christian leadership, who surprisingly discourage them. For one year, the men wait, until, after a turn of some events, they get the green light. After much time and hardship, rejection by slaves and whites, and dealing with sickness, finally, Leonard watches the first people confess faith in Christ. Soon afterward, he receives word that his home church in Hernhut has called him back to join the church leadership, while others come to take his place in St. Thomas. The ultimate climax is when after many years of labor, the precious first fruits, the first believers among the slaves of St. Thomas, emerge, and how the work of these first two Moravians started a ripple effect of many more missionaries going out from their church to nations all over the world.

This film is a re-enacted story, like a narrated docu-drama, not so much a feature film– a movie. It is not at all dramatized or hyped, just represented. The story was incredible and well represented– that is the credit of this film. Not great cinemetography, intriguing plot packed with adventure and excitement, mystery and suspense, music, or acting. The script was more history than story, like most feature films are. So while this presentation was unique, it was indeed enjoyable and worthwhile, one I would recommend to Christian circles of any kind.