Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus

I was surprised to find out how old this film was (came out in 1973) at the time I first watched it with my next-door neighbor (either in October or November of 2014) who checked it out of the library.

Since both Johnny Cash and his wife, June, have been gone for several years, I knew that it wasn't made all that recently, but I was thinking that it was made sometime in the time period of the mid 1980s to sometime early in the 21st Century.

Anyway, I found it to be so moving that I would like to buy my own personal copy of it as soon as I'm able to afford to do so.

This movie makes Jesus very real instead of portraying Him as some kind of one or two dimension paper doll acting out living like a human being without really being one.

This was a blond-haired and blue-eyed Jesus, but that didn't take away from His real-ness, because His actions were so genuine (for example, how He related to kids -- like a little boy in a man's body in some ways while still playing a guiding role to them).

Jesus knew that, more likely than not (by some slim chance that the cup that He was to bear got removed from the direction of His life), He wouldn't live long enough to grow His first gray hair and that how He would die would be horrible, so He put as much life as He could into a short period of time.

I won't spoil it for you by telling you how, but I'm going to say that the message that Jesus died for people who hadn't even been born yet was presented in such a way that -- even as I sit here now -- I can feel goosebumps being raised on me.

This is an entertaining look at the Gospel as presented by Johnny Cash (adorned in black, of course) who sings a lot and narrates a bit also. If you like Johnny Cash, this film is quite enjoyable. Also note the blonde depiction of Jesus in this work...just for fun, try to think of five Jewish men who have blonde hair...? Anyway, its a fun presentation of the greatest and most important story of all.

I read about this movie in one of Michael Medved's Golden Turkeys books years ago, but I never got a chance to see the full production until very recently.

There aren't a whole bunch of real actors in this, and that's actually a good thing. I think Johnny Cash hired the first Jesus looking guy he ran into, and it was his friend, Bob Elfstrom.

If you can get past the blonde, blue eyed Christ and a bunch of apostles that look like the Grateful Dead, you'll find a very honest and personal telling of the Gospel with some Cash music I'm thinking few people have ever heard. John Denver, Larry Gatlin and Joe South all got songwriting credits in this film.

Some might call it dated, and maybe it is a little bit. It's a very early '70s looking low budget film, but I think it was the proper way to make this movie at that time. Glitzy star power and glossy production just take away from the Word. I was surprised when this showed up on cable recently. It'll probably be a long time before it shows up again.

I'm not a religious person but I am a fan of Johnny Cash. Recently watched this movie on television one day from start to end and I enjoyed it. While it didn't convert me, I could appreciate the passion that Cash and others had for the project and respect them for it. Certainly found it more enjoyable than The Passion of the Christ. The fact that the lead was blonde did not matter to me as it does to some people here. If Jesus existed, its irrelevant what he looked like and only his message should matter. If you have an interest in Johnny Cash, then I think you owe it to yourself to give the movie a go, just to see what gave him strength in this life.

In all of the films I have seen, this has to be the single most beautiful rendition of the story of Jesus I have ever witnessed. If you can look past the bad wardrobe, effects and the Scandinavian Jesus, you will see a portrait of a man sent straight from heaven to give life to a fallen world. The music is touching, the narration is humble and moving, and the old King James translation of the Bible comes to life in the land of Israel.

Modern audiences might not be able to see the wonder of the story in such a low-budget rendering, but again I'd encourage anyone, believers and atheists, to watch it with a child's eyes. If a person can suspend his or her disbelief for a while, I think this movie has the power to change a person's life.