Um Menino Chamado Jesus

This totally original "biblical" film (actually focusing on extra-biblical events) boasts an incredibly innovative screenplay, subtly and vividly directed with an excellent cast (including Matteo Bellina, Bekim Fehmiu and María del Carmen San Martín) in magnificent settings.

Most surprisingly of all: A Child Called Jesus is never didactic or overblown and totally credible, based on what we do know of that region from biblical archeology (as the Gospels are frequently problematic in this regard).

The challenge here is: How do you tell a story of Jesus (or any religious figure) as a boy without offending fundamentalists. Here they actually address a few of the biblical discrepancies that don't match up with other historical accounts (eg. the so-called Massacre of the Innocents which has never been corroborated by Palestinian history).

Ostensibly, the writers Vittorio Bonicelli, Franco Rossi and Francesco Scardamaglia must have consulted with rabbinical experts to get all the cultural details right. There is a verisimilitude here seldom seen in similar films.

This was actually made just BEFORE The Last Temptation of Christ and there's nothing presented here that would scare off "secular" or non-Christian viewers.

Best of all is the memorable score by the legendary Piero Piccioni. Looking forward to seeing the original Italian version with sub-titles, though they actually did an excellent job on the English-language version!

I am trying for years to get a copy of this film that has been dubbed in english! I saw it before with english voice overs and now I can only get the German version Help!!!!! It was shown on Canadian Broadcast television once and that is where I saw it and began the search about ten or 12 years ago!

This is possibly the greatest movie about Jesus. Just today, I noticed that the movie is divided into two parts: the Wait and the mystery... I always wait for it to come out during Easter and Christmas. I too saw it a long time ago, on TV, but luckily and unluckily I get to see it on TV but, with Spanish dubbing. Someday, when I know it'll come out in Spanish I'll probably have to record it because waiting six months is too long to wait. I'm hoping to get it soon in English or at least with English subtitles. Does anyone know where I can get it on video? I've tried amazon and yahoo...

This is a wonderful movie. I spend a couple of years tracking down who owns the rights to this movie, I eventually found who had the rights to produce a DVD copy of this movie, after several conversations, I finally convinced him to make DVDs. I order a couple and surprised my mother in law with one for Christmas that year. I see it is now available on Amazon. I only wish that I could get an Ultraviolet copy of it.

This is a very touching and moving film. The film is about the childhood life of Jesus from the time he fled to Egypt and his return to Nazareth.

The movie does not have many biblical passages to follow. What the movie does do is show how Joseph and Jesus may have interacted during Jesus childhood.

If you have ever enjoyed religious films you must try to find this and see it. The english version is titled "A Child Called Jesus"

I watched in on satellite a couple of years back, but can not find it in video stores anywhere.

Take care.