I missed this movie when it was released, and then forgot about it until finding it favourably mentioned in William Gibson's recent collection of essays, "Distrust that Particular Flavor." The film is short, tightly edited and perfectly paced. The performances are brilliant(Donovan, Ryan and Harvey, in particular. Camera technique and music are perfectly matched to each scene.Despite its brevity, "The Book of Life" manages to work in some quasi-cryptic nuggets of Biblical reference (not that I'm an expert) beyond those dealing with Apocalypse. These feature uncredited (and what seem to be unacknowledged and non-verifiable) performances by actors of note. Obvious, of course, is the opening sequence in which Martin (Jesus) calms the madman at JFK. Then there is the scene in which Jesus needs to phone Satan (Ryan) from a pay phone. He turns to a woman clad in a purplish-red coat and purplish-brown hat. She is carrying a tray filled with cups of coffee (or something). He asks her for a quarter so he can make the call. Without a word, she hands him one. Then she watches and briefly seems to eavesdrop as he speaks with Satan. When the call concludes, the woman hands Jesus one of her cups. He takes it, asking her if she works for "a charity organization" (her clothing reminds one of a mission uniform). She does not. She is, she says quietly, and in a soft and kindly voice that seems as familiar as her face, that she is merely "rich. . .very rich" and walks away. The scene recalls the story, found in the Book of Acts, of Lydia, a merchant of purple cloth and an early convert to Christianity. Watch the movie a couple of times and you may spot another reference or two of this type.A mid-film scene in which Satan discusses the likely future of humanity and Jesus' closing series of futuristic questions demonstrate why "The Book of Life" continues to fascinate those with interests in science, religion and philosophy. This film's "legs" may also be due in part to the fact that it is less technologically dated than many of its contemporaries--despite the pay phone!