Gesù di Nazareth

I have seen Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" with other members of my church, and came away recommending that they now see "Jesus of Nazareth". It is truly my favorite movie. I first saw it when I was 14 years old, and remember being so completely moved by the whole experience. The difference between these two movies is that you have to rely on your knowledge of the bible for "The Passion". Jesus of Nazareth allows you to truly become emotionally attached to the actual person of Jesus. I insist that my two teenage children and husband watch it with me every Easter. We are always moved to tears by the end. I am always disappointed that the networks choose to show "The Ten Commandments" every Easter, and not "Jesus of Nazareth". Isn't the story of Jesus the reason for the season of Easter?

I have watched this film for many years with my family. Each year we follow the life of Jesus through Holy Week and Easter Sunday. The director has made this a film that is understandable for all ages and makes the realism unique. I would highly recommend this film for families. Even though I loved "The Passion of the Christ," I found this film easier to view for the family. Maybe we'll watch in earnest when the kids are a little older, teens perhaps. All in all this film takes you through an understanding of life as it would have been seen through the eyes of the common person. Perhaps it is this reality that allows people to gravitate toward a love for the film and a commitment to making the viewing of it each year and family tradition. Looking for a great family movie to help teach the faith, this is it.

I recently watched this movie meticulously as I had the job of transcribing most of it to paper for a later production translation. I had seen this movie when it was originally broadcast in the 70's. Being a visually oriented learner, creative type and fundamental but immature in my Christian faith...I was distracted by the handsomeness of Powell and his blue eyes and aforementioned preoccupation of my own perceptions.

That said, I would say that this is the best movie made about the life of Christ that I have seen and I've seen numerous. Robert Powell does make the character of Jesus very human and believable...and also gives the viewer a sense of the divine...Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. In short, a viewer can look forward to meeting this Jesus and not feel condemned...and can walk away forgiven.

But there are people in this world who are fundamental and want to see a Jesus as described in The Bible as accurately as possible for a human to portray. Personally, I believe that God can inspire a man to play the role of Jesus to a certain extent. It's my opinion that Powell was inspired...not totally, but to a certain extent. BTW doesn't God want all of us to act like little Jesus'? Obviously, no man can portray the character of Jesus fully...there is only one Jesus.

I would still like to see a Jesus that matches the biblical description: - he was not handsome according to the prophet Isaiah. - he was so beat up during his passion that he was not able to be recognized to be a man...again the prophet Isaiah. - His beard was torn out...again, I believe that's Isaiah.

In my opinion, "The Passion" surpasses "Jesus of Nazereth" in that part of the story...but it too falls short of the points above.

All in all, Jesus of Nazereth is an excellent road sign to point men to the truth.

It has been 27 years since this TV mini-series aired. I watch it around Easter time every year. Robert Powell has played the best Jesus to date. Can you imagine how more awesome "The Passion" would have been if Powell played the part again. This movie was very believable.Does anyone know whatever became of Robert Powell? The other cast members played their parts well. I also noticed the good messages that were given that if more people watched it that they would get a better understanding of what God wants us to do. As a Roman Catholic I found this movie to be worth other Catholics to see. It also enhanced my faith since the first time I saw it at 13 years old.

With Franco Zeffirelli's 1977 made for television masterpiece and Anthony Burgess' screenplay, religious film simply does not get any better than this. Much as I admire Mel Gibson's monumental depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus' life in "The Passion of the Christ", I still believe that the yardstick by which all 'passion play' genre films will be judged in future generations will be "Jesus of Nazareth".

After completing "Brother Son, Sister Moon", Zeffirelli turned (the Jewish) Sir Lew Grade down flat for this project, stubbornly refusing to engage on the project for a year and a half. As his other stage and screen projects turned to dust, however, he finally accepted the task. What finally convinced him was his conviction that the film could be compassionate towards the Jews, and thus could help undo some of the past hatred for which Christianity was renowned.

Burgess and Zeffirelli was a match made in heaven: Burgess turned in a script that took great liberties with the sacred text. Zeffirelli was uneasy with his liberalism, and sought to bring the script back to a more faithful rendition; yet Burgess' awesomely effective dramatic structure remains. Interestingly, Ingmar Bergman had already been asked to turn in a treatment, apparently before Zeffirelli was ever approached. However, the Roman Catholics who had been the original driving force for the project strongly objected to Bergman's idea of a series of mini lives of Jesus, as seen from the viewpoint of different characters.

Bergman was dismissive of the final Zeffirelli project, and it is certain that it would have been an entirely different film had he been asked to direct. While there is much to respect about Bergman, he would have been totally incapable of producing the beauty, purity and meaning in the hidden text that is so apparent in the final film.

Less than seven years later, Zeffirelli estimated that 750,000 people had seen the film. I saw the original transmission on American television in 1977, (it was aired nationwide at least twice in two years), and I also have an original and ageing VHS (PAL) copy. I plan a London revival of the series during Lent 2007, to mark the film's 30th anniversary. Back in 1977, it was the talk of the nation - in St. Louis, I heard of one lady who was instantly healed of cancer as she watched the crucifixion scene.

Interestingly, the resurrection scene nearly never got filmed. In fact, what we do see on screen is simply screen test material rescued from the editing bin at the final hour! The information above is documented in Franco Zeffirelli book, "Jesus: a Spiritual Diary" (1984: NY. Harper & Row) and Ingmar Bergman's "The Magic Lantern" (1988: London: Hamish Hamilton). However, there is no substitute for watching this masterpiece: in a word, it's awesome!