Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus

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.

Johnny and June Carter Cash financed this film which is a traditional rendering of the Gospel stories. The music is great, you get a real feel of what the world of Jesus looked like (I've been there too), and June gets into the part of Mary Magdalene with a passion. Cash's narration is good too.

But....

1. The actor who played Jesus was miscast. 2. There is no edge to the story like Cash puts in some of his faith based music. 3. Because it is uncompelling, I doubt we'll see this ever widely distributed again.

I'd love to buy the CD.

Tom Paine Texas, USA

Simplistic look at the coming of the Messiah put to song and music by Cash, Carter, and Kristofferson. I liked the use of the original area in the Mideast for filming but couldn't they have found a more Jewish looking man to portray Christ? Near the end of the picture the cross scene leapt from Calvary to a modern city which was a nice touch depicting Christ's message moving through time giving all a chance at salvation. Obviously not a large budget production: unknown actors, very few money changers to be run off in the temple and even fewer wares to be thrown around, and hardly anyone showed up for the crucifixion. Even so Cash did manage to put forth the promise of salvation through Christ in an easily comprehensible manner.

This movie didn't need a big budget. It had a lot of heart and it shows. I normally don't like particularly sappy depictions of Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar is admittedly one of my favourite film versions) but this was different.

Jesus was portrayed as very human in the midst of his divinity. Some of the best scenes are of him goofing around with his disciples (a side of the group not normally imagined). It might have been a tad cheesy, but I also appreciated the scene where he plays with children on the beach. But this Jesus isn't simply nice; he angrily calls out the hypocrites in the Temple multiple times. He also beautifully captures mourning for John the Baptist, praying for strength and courage to face his upcoming demise, and being bitterly rejected by Jerusalem.

June Carter's Mary Magdalene is also quite good. She puts a lot of passion into the role. My only complaint with her is that she doesn't do much. She's around for maybe four scenes, two in the middle and then two in the end.

Johnny Cash's narration sounds nice. It does often get repetitive. The most notable example is when Jesus heals a blind man and Cash sings, "I see men walking like trees" around six times before saying anything else. It is also rather off-putting to have the narration do almost all of the talking, especially for the protagonist. In fact, the only people who talk at all in the movie besides Johnny are Mary Magdalene and Nicodemus. However it is a style to which one adapts as the movie continues.

This film might not have the best sets or the best wardrobe or even a very full cast, but what it has is gold. Check it out.

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.