Jesus of Nazareth
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Movie Reviews of Jesus of Nazareth
Movie Review: Robert Powell as Jesus for the win!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are few people who are not familiar, at least to some degree, with the story of Jesus of Nazareth, from birth to death. It's a story which has been portrayed in books, in songs, in verse, as well as in the cinema and on the small screen many times, not to mention it has a prominent place in the New Testament. In 1977, acclaimed filmmaker Franco Zeferelli filmed his own version of the story, which was broadcast as a TV mini series of more than six hours' duration (probably a lot more than that by the time commercials were thrown in). I admit that it took me a while to get around to watching this version because I was put off by the choice for the lead role of Jesus Christ. I had only seen Robert Powell in one thing prior to this, and that was the rock opera Tommy, where he played Tommy's father. I could not see him, based on that one performance, as Jesus Christ, so I didn't try. And I was skeptical when I heard of his powerful performance in the role. I stuck with old familiars, such as King of Kings, with Jeffrey Hunter, and two versions of Jesus Christ Superstar. Until I finally got around to seeing this version.
I was totally wrong, and very remiss for not having watched it sooner. This film delves in great depth into the life of Jesus, beginning even before his conception. Robert Powell is magnificent as Jesus. He completely brings him to life, and makes him real in a way that I think few can ever match (I admit I haven't seen all Jesus films, of course). Even despite the blue-eyed thing and the fact that he doesn't even look Jewish, which of course Jesus was. But putting that aside as a cosmetic difference, he has a definite presence and an appeal and his eyes are truly haunting in their intensity. One of the reasons for this is that Zefferelli had him not blink, an effective method of creating an otherwordly presence when among men. The notes I read said he only blinked once, and that includes the portrayals of him at all ages, so I must conclude that the one scene is the one at the very end; at least it's the one I noticed.
As I said, the story begins before his conception, with Mary (Olivia Hussey) and Joseph, and a lot of time is spent with them. In fact, after an hour into the film, we are still dealing with an infant, which is pretty drawn out by anybody's reckoning. I admit, the beginning is rather slow, but not uninteresting. Olivia Hussey is an unusual choice to portray His mother. She had worked with Zefferelli prior to this in Romeo and Juliet, in 1968. At the time Jesus was done, she was 26, but certainly doesn't look it. I can't honestly say she added anything to the character, but she wasn't bad either. Kudos to the film for dealing with what must have been a difficult subject between herself and Joseph, who is asked to take on the role of father to a child he knows for a fact can't be his - a difficult task for any man. But he rises to the occasion, and helps to provide Jesus and his mother with the home and stability that they need, despite the difficulties they must go through along the way.
The cast of Jesus of Nazareth is a stellar one by anyone's standards, and whereas sometimes that's a great and wonderful thing, it can also be a deterrent in some ways, especially if the actor or actor involved is very well known outside of the part. I don't know about others, but I found having Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Donald Pleasance and Ben Gazarra as the three magi was a bit offputting. Michael York made an interesting John the Baptist, lacking perhaps a bit of the fire and brimstone to be found in Robert Ryan's portrayal in King of Kings (and a whole lot of the crazy). What I found interesting in my reading (a novel called Pilate's Wife by Antoinette May), was that Jesus and John were cousins, a fact that I'd never heard before, which is hinted at here if you pay attention. Make of that what you will, I'm just throwing it out there. Christopher Plummer acquitted himself well as Herod Antipas, dealing with a nagging wife whom he loved, despite her shrewishness, and a nymphetic stepdaughter, who inflamed his lust. You can feel his sympathy with and liking for John the Baptist; he finds him harmless, and is loath to do anything against him, until driven to it by a rash promise to his wife. Also very interesting casting is Ian McShane as Judas Iscariot, one of the more sympathetic portrayals of him I have seen, not resorting to automatic bad guy status. He plays him as sincere and earnest, believing he is doing what is best for Jesus, not realizing he is being used as a pawn by Zerah (Ian Holm). Other members of the cast, which is too numerous to list in its entirety, include Rod Steiger, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Stacy Keach (as Barabbas), Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, and many more.
Without giving a blow by blow account of a well-known story, I'd like to mention two scenes which stand out in my memory. The first involves Ernest Borgnine as a Roman centurion, who approaches Jesus to ask for his help. He has a servant that is ill, and the man is more a friend than a servant, and he is very concerned about him, will Jesus please help him? Although many of those around him protest at the centurion even being there, because of his being Roman and all, naturally Jesus does not listen to words of hate, but instead to words of need. He says he will come with the centurion, who then protests that he does not expect that, he does not wish to trouble him. He goes on to say that he just need say it is done, that then it will be done, he understands how that works. As a soldier, he gives the order and it is obeyed, without him having to be there. Thus it is with Jesus. He trusts that if Jesus says it will be, then it will be. Jesus is very touched by the faith in him that the Roman evidences, and tells his followers that this man has got it right, that he understands better than they do. That is a very heartwrenching tearful moment, especially when the news arrives that the Centurion's servant is well once more.
The second moment comes on the night of his arrest, prior to Judas' arrival, as Jesus waits in the garden of Gethsemane, his disciples sleeping around him. He is apprehensive and a bit fearful, naturally so, of what is going to happen. And for a moment he is filled with doubt, and he has some introspection going on, and this is one of Robert Powell's finest scenes, I do believe. I was very very touched, and wept myself.
Yes, six hours is a long film to watch. I don't pretend to have watched it in one sitting, or two or three. But I'm very glad I did. This is one of the best versions of this story I've ever seen, and I highly recommend it. I don't think you'll be sorry if you take the time to watch it.
Movie Review: A Note About Editions
Summary: 5 Stars
Whole books have been written about the film versions of the life of Jesus. The enormous number of personal reviews attached to the Zeffirelli DVDs in the Amazon website, covering all manner of topics, attests to what can be said. The purpose of my review is to clarify some points about timings, and to urge that some sort of deluxe edition should be marketed in America.
First, let me address timings. The American Edition of Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth, the product under review here and timed at 382 minutes, is indeed the longest edition available.
When the miniseries was first transferred to VHS on 3 tapes on the CBS label in 1986, it was 6 minutes shorter in duration, i.e., 376 minutes long. What was left out were a few short snippets of footage, notably the scene where the child Jesus, hearing Joseph expound on how a ladder can reach up to heaven, climbs up a ladder and looks out over the village from the vantage of the roof. Artisan added in the 6 minutes when it produced its own 3 tape VHS version in 1993, and it is this longer version which was transferred to 2 DVDs in 2000, and that has been reissued since then.
Oddly, when the miniseries found its way on to DVD in Europe, it was not in this complete version. Initially, the British issuance (270 minutes) truncated about 30% of the footage. Eventually, the British produced what they referred to as a Complete Edition, but which actually runs at 372 minutes. There is discussion out there about how the difference between NTSC (American TV format) and PAL (European TV format) causes a difference in running time. However, that is not the issue here. The British Edition is shorter because of scene cuts. Notably, the scene, in which Zerah meets with Judas a second time to convince him to hand Jesus over to the Sanhedrin, is missing, along with small snippets from the Last Supper scene. I've seen the Dutch edition on DVD which purports to be an Extended Version at 399 minutes, but it adds nothing that is not in the American edition at 382 minutes. Finally, I've seen the 5 Disc Deluxe edition that recently came out in Italy; the main feature runs 376 minutes, omitting the Zerah and Last Supper scenes mentioned above.
THEREFORE, THE AMERICAN EDITION OF ZEFFIRELLI'S JESUS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ANYONE WHO SERIOUSLY WANTS AS COMPLETE A FEATURE AS IS AVAILABLE.
So why even mention the European editions if the American one is already the most complete? Because as a fanatic fan of Zeffirelli's Jesus, I have always wanted a Deluxe Edition. You know the kind I mean, with restored picture, color, and sound, and extra discs for deleted scenes, interviews, and all the rest. The industry gives this kind of treatment to all sorts of contemporary films, no matter whether the film deserves such treatment or not. Yet, for such a magnificent accomplishment as Zeffirelli's Jesus, nothing.
Well no, I take that back. Nothing in America, but in Italy they've taken a different tack. I recently acquired the 5 Disc Deluxe Italian Edition that I mentioned above (Gesu di Nazareth, Mondo Home Entertainment, EAN 8032442217816). True, the feature is shorter in the Italian than in the American, but then the Judas scenes are included among the Deleted Scenes on the Extras Discs. The package also includes interviews with Zeffirelli and others who participated in production, as well as production stills, and genuine TV Trailers (albeit British TV Trailers, not American TV Trailers, but at least not the faux trailer that Artisan's DVD American Edition included), etc. My problem is that my Italian leaves a lot to be desired, and the Italian Deluxe Edition does not give English subtitles for the interviews, which are naturally spoken in Italian.
SO I AM LEFT TO HOPE FOR A DELUXE AMERICAN EDITION TO COME ALONG THAT WILL INCLUDE THE FEATURE AT 382 MINUTES, BUT THAT WILL ALSO CLEAN UP THE PICTURE AND SOUND, AND INCLUDE OTHER DELETED SCENES, GENUINE TV TRAILERS, INTERVIEWS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES, AND OTHER EXTRAS.
On the subject of deleted scenes, by the way, I would like to mention a few instances for my fellow fanatics. There is one deleted scene that undoubtedly once existed. That is the scene, following Jesus' baptism but before he announces the Acceptable Year of the Lord in the synagogue, when he goes out into the desert and is tempted by the devil. Zeffirelli mentions the scene in his book "Jesus: A Spiritual Diary", translated into English in 1984. The scene was actually intended to be included in the final cut for airing, but at the last moment Zeffirelli changed his mind. The scene must truly have been a last minute cut because a color still from the scene is included in both William Barclay's book "Jesus of Nazareth", that accompanied the airing of the miniseries in 1977, and the cover materials for the soundtrack album. Unfortunately, this scene is not included among the deleted scenes in the Italian Deluxe Edition. Zeffirelli's book also makes mention of filming the scene of the risen Jesus in a different format, which was never completed, and maybe was left on the cutting room floor. Don't get me wrong. I trust Zeffirelli's judgement in cutting these scenes. I am not advocating that they be reintegrated into the feature if they could be found. I'd just like to see them if they still exist, at least in a Deleted Scenes Section.
Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary
Jesus Of Nazareth
Man of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus of Nazareth (Score)
Movie Review: A Faithful Adaptation...
Summary: 5 Stars
This Franco Zeffirelli directed production from the late 70's is, without doubt, the most faithful telling of the story of the life of Christ, in relation to the four Gospels, yet seen on any screen, big or small. And that, paradoxically, leads to some strange "omissions;" for instance, we have the Raising of Lazarus, but no "Walking on Water," and similarly, we see the Feeding of the Five Thousand, but the "Wedding at Canaan" is conspicuous by its absence. I'm no Biblical Scholar, but I understand that if an event was recorded in two or more of the Gospels it was included, and if it only appears in a single Gospel, then it was left out.
That aside, the emotional and spiritual center of this film is, of course, the portrayal of Jesus Christ by British actor Robert Powell. Solid and reliable, usually seen as a faintly upper-class type, Powell had appeared regularly on British TV and in films for over 10yrs without ever hitting the "A-List;" not the most obvious choice to play the Son of God and Redeemer of Mankind! But in a career defining performance, Powell brings to the part - a part that he must have known would either make or break him as an actor - a humanity, generosity of spirit, and humility, that had never been seen before, nor has been seen since.
Powell gives us a very "human" Jesus; smiling and laughing with children, sharing a self depreciating joke with members of the Sanhedrin, roaring out his anger and disgust at the moneychangers, traders and Pharisees in the temple, showing compassion for the outcasts and rejects of society, the fear and dread at the prospect of his own inevitable death. He also shows us the mystical, Devine, and spiritual aspects of the character to be sure, but it is the "Man" that makes the portrayal believable.
The rest of the cast does similarly sterling work, and reads like a veritable "Who's-Who" of the cream of British and Hollywood acting talent of the time. Standout performances for me include James Farentino as "Simon Peter," with a full-blooded portrayal of an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary events. A simple fisherman who resents being dragged into this "Messiah business," but knowing that his life will never be the same after witnessing the miraculous healing of a cripple, he turns to his friends and sighs, "Why did you have to bring him (Jesus) to me?" Similarly, his denial of Jesus to the mob, and his reaction when he remembers Jesus' words, are equally moving.
Ernest Borgnine as "The Centurion" has a very affecting scene when he asks Jesus to heal his dying servant. As a "man of authority" he doesn't need Jesus to come to his house, but understands that if this strange young Rabbi commands a thing to happen, then it will be so. Michael York as "John the Baptist" chews the scenery with aplomb, but you feel there is truth in the performance.
Rod Steiger is superb as "Pontius Pilate." A world-weary functionary of Imperial Rome, he wants nothing to do with the "Children of Israel" and their religious quarrels; as long as they pay their taxes, keep the peace, and observe the Law, they can do as they please. At one point, after being informed that Jews cannot enter a Roman house on Passover as they will be "defiled," he wonders, "How can one govern such a people?" His bemusement over what to do with the "dangerous" man the Sanhedrin insists he condemns to death also rings true.
Ian Holm as "Zerah," Anne Bancroft as "Mary Magdalene," James Mason as "Joseph of Arimathea," Laurence Olivier as "Nicodemus," Christopher Plummer as "Herod Antipas" and Peter Ustinov as "Herod the Great," all give superb performances in a production that manages to capture the gritty look and feel of the times, without any jarring anachronisms in speech or mannerisms.
In addition to the performances above, very special praise has to go to Ian McShane as "Judas Iscariot." As in Powell's rendition of Jesus, McShane gives us a "man," not a caricature. In a beautifully nuanced and multi-layered performance, we see Judas the Zealot, intent on the violent overthrow of Roman rule, become a True Believer after witnessing the power of Christ. Rejecting the old ways, he tries to convince his fellow Zealots that Jesus is the promised Messiah come to save them. But Judas is still thinking in terms of an Earthly kingdom, and is in turn confused, then appalled by Jesus' apparent deliberate alienation of the Sanhedrin. His final "betrayal" is, in his eyes, a last desperate attempt to force Jesus to face the Temple authorities and prove himself to BE the Messiah. The pain and anguish he displays once he realizes he has been duped by the one member of the Sanhedrin he thought he could trust, is all too believable, and can have only one outcome.
Unfortunately there're huge amounts of blips, scratches, dirt, compression artifacts etc in evidence; the source material is a British TV mini-series from the late 70's, with the overall picture and sound quality being adequate at best. I would have thought that on a production of this importance, some time - and money! - would have been spent on cleaning up and restoring the original elements. Similarly, the "extra's" are perfunctory; a trailer, some cast Bio's, and a "Living in Biblical times" feature. The first half of the liner notes inside the case tell you how "controversial" this program was considered to be - on this side of the Pond at least! - and the rest of the space is used to tell us what a great director Zefferelli is!
This is a very poor way to treat a production of such historical importance - it definitely deserves a full-blown Criterion edition! - however, that being said, please don't let it put you off seeing this excellent, rewarding, and highly recommended series!
Movie Review: Superb acting, directing, and heart-wrenching scenes...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen this movie so many times that I've lost count. In a word, it's magnificent. The party at Matthew's home and Jesus' telling of the story of the Prodigal Son -- bringing Peter and Matthew to embrace each other after several scenes of pent-up anger to a loving conclusion was but one of several *PRICELESS* scenes that every human being should see. When the men who came to stone the adultress, and Christ just calmly writes in the dust while they press their case, well, my breath was taken away with how well this scene was handled. I've never seen another movie capture the very essense of guilt better than this one. After he spoke his words of "let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone" ... followed by the incredible direction of the camera moving over to see the diciple's eyes rise up and stare down the now guilt-ridden men, well, ... I simply can't see how anyone cannot worship this man as THE Son of God.
When Christ was suffering on the cross, seeing the scene with Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus reading from the scroll of Isaiah 53,
"He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
... Born Again!" was again, Priceless and Breathtaking! What a great epiphany that must have been for him to see Prophecy being fulfilled so dramatically!
Finally, the scene of Olivia Hussey as Mary holding her son and crying out loud after his body was taken down off the cross was heart-wrenching and the most realistic presentation of "The Pieta" scene originally made famous by Michelangelo.
See the movie ... experience it ... then seek to know the man Jesus.
I noticed that someone wrote in an earlier review that this was all mythology. I respectfully disagree with that view. My reasoning is the same as that of one of the world's greatest Mathematicians. What would he think of me if I wrote the following about myself...
"500 years from now, in the year 2505, my words will be spoken and published throughout the entire world. Every hour of every day in every nation of the world, my words will be quoted without end."
What would you think of me after hearing me say something like that?
Think about it.
While thinking about it, consider the following...
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." - Jesus (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)
"And the gospel must first be published among all nations." - Jesus (Mark 13:10)
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." - Jesus (Matthew 24:14)
"Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." - Jesus (Matthew 26:13, Mark 14:9)
Why not accept the wisdom of what one of the world's greatest Mathematicians had to say on the subject...
"When I see the blindness and the wretchedness of man, when I regard the whole silent universe and man without light, left to himself and, as it were, lost in this corner of the universe, without knowing who has put him there, what he has come to do, what will become of him at death, and incapable of all knowledge, I become terrified, like a man who should be carried in his sleep to a dreadful desert island and should awake without knowing where he is and without means of escape.
And thereupon I wonder how people in a condition so wretched do not fall into dispair. I see other persons around me of a like nature. I ask them if they are better informed than I am. They tell me that they are not. And thereupon these wretched and lost beings, having looked around them and seen some pleasing objects, have given and attached themselves to them. For my own part, I have not been able to attach myself to them, and, considering how strongly it appears that there is something else than what I see, I have examined whether this God has not left some sign of himself.
I see many contradictory religions, and consequently all false save one. Each wants to be believed on it's own authority, and threatens unbelievers. I do not therefore believe them. Every one can say this; every one can call himself a prophet. But I see that Christian religion wherein prophecies are fulfilled; and that is what every one cannot do."
-- Blaise Pascal, note #693 in section XI of Pensees', which I copied from the "Great Books of the Western World"
There are many other fulfilled prophecies that I can refer to, but I think "Christ's Words" are a sufficiently amazing thing to ponder as one seeks TRUTH in this world.
Movie Review: Beautifully integrated work of art.
Summary: 5 Stars
The cast, writers, composer and musicians, costumers, and other technicians/laborers really pulled together a superb miniseries, originally for British television (six hours, two DVDs), under the direction of Franco Zeffirelli, who apparently got a papal request (from Paul VI) to pull the project together.
Owing to the fact that the work was done in 1977, some technical aspects of the film and soundtrack are noticeably from another era, which won't thrill videophiles with the latest high-end equipment; but for me the vintage accounts for much of what's best here.
I'm a musician/ journalist by trade, so I'll make one specific notation: Last night as I again viewed (and listened to) the second three hours, I was particularly taken with an extended segment in which a delicious cello solo perfectly synched with the dramatic context. How many contemporary feature soundtracks stand on a lengthy cello solo for the lion's share of an entire scene? The dynamics, timbres, and consonance/dissonance absolutely (dare I say it) nailed everything together. Overall, the score--by Maurice Jarre, a three-time Academy Award "Oscar" winner (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Passage To India)--evokes the moods with diverse textures/orchestrations which never dominate but complement or reinforce (Jarre also used silence where he felt that music might be extraneous or distracting.)
Robert Powell carries the toughest acting assignment I can imagine with measured intensity, majesty, and humanity. He had plenty of reserve fire to to be almost frightening in the temple/moneychangers scene. Powell's natural visage and carrriage are hauntingly J-esque. (Could Powell be the time traveler who posed for the Shroud?)
The striking beauty of Olivia Hussey (Mother Mary) is featured in some unforgettable ethereal vignettes. James Farentino admirably portrays the volatile, all-too-human apostle Peter. Michael York is the wild and Spirit-filled John the Baptist.
There were plenty of international notables in the cast. James Mason is great as Joseph of Arimathea. Christopher Plummer is whiney and wily as Herod Antipas. Peter Ustinov plays Herod the Great as the heartless (but very entertaining) cynic. Anthony Quinn does a steely Caiphas. Sir Laurence Olivier is the pensive, open-minded Nicodemus. Anne Bancroft is Mary Magdalene. There are many more in other supporting roles and cameos.
I'll begin my close by saying that I would vote an award to the writers and actor (Yorgo Voyagis) who worked out and carried the necessarily speculative character of Joseph. We get to see much more of Jesus' stepfather in this film than in any other I've viewed (featured from the film's opening through his death-bed scene, when Jesus is just beginnning his public ministry. He nobly handles his betrothed's obviously rounding tummy, even before a heavenly messenger explains the situation. He instructs his older natural sons (and the young Jesus) in his trade, and in their heritage as Jews. It was all very believable even if one regards the Virgin Birth as fiction.
(I was thinking that I'd like to add a scene or two with stories from non-canonized Gnostic sources that would have fit right into the material that shows Joseph tutoring his sons. Since much of the early Jesus material was centered around Joseph teaching his sons his (and their future) trade. One story is about Jesus performing a modest miracle in which he lengthens a piece of wood that they really needed to fill one customer's order. I figure Jesus had to learn slowly how to use his power, and that this story might be real (it's nearly as old as any of the official Gospels).
After thirty years, this magnum opus really should be given all the benefits that modern technology can lend it. Remastering, and extending to three disks (perhaps cramming all that data onto two dvds accounts for the "soft-focus" look, or maybe something else can sharpen it up. And maybe there's some choice material that didn't make the 1977 final cut that can be added or offered as a "bonus feature," along with some retrospective interviews with a few of the principles. And please, a much better case libretto. (I mean, I combed three times through the beginning and end credits and the whimpy flyer inside the case, and I couldn't find out who wrote the score. No trouble finding the caterer's credit; but no Maurice Jarre, anywhere but in outside sources.) I would enthusiastically invest in a much-deserved remastering/repackaging, which could ultimately be a four-dvd box set.
I could go on with more praise, and sure, I could look for other things to point out as shortcomings, but in toto this really is a masterwork, except for the factors cited, which have nothing to do with the artists, and everything to do wiith "the suits" at Artisan, I assume. Accordingly, I would have shaved the fifth star (by one-third to one-half) if that option were available, but I just couldn't cut a full star for something the artists couldn't control.
--Richard Gartner