Rating: 
Summary: A Spectacular Movie on Jesus the Christ
Review: Franco Zeffirelli's made for TV movie is still the standard by which to judge all Jesus movies. This pitcure is beautifully filmed with large landscapes and authentic looking scenery. Though not completely accurate, he does an earnest job in trying to intertwine the different gospel accounts into one telling story on the life of Christ. Jesus is portrayed by actor Robert Powell. Powell does a commendable interpretation on Jesus. Olivia Hussey (from Zeffirelli's Romeo and Julliet) is great as Mary. There are probably too many "well known actors" which sometimes gets in the way of the film as many of them are making quick cameo appearances, however, Anne Bancroft is excellent as Mary Magdalene. This movie was made for TV so it is not in a letterbox format which is disappointing coonsidering the wonderful location in which the movie was filmed. The disciples are portrayed in spectacular fashion. This is a good movie that is refreshing to watch especially when one considers all the other "Jesus" films.
Rating: 
Summary: UNA SUPERPRODUCCIÓN ÉPICA
Review: Magistralmente dirigida por Franco Zeffirelli y talentosamente interpretada por Robert Powell, esta miniserie para la televisión es uno de los mejores materiales audiovisuales acerca de la vida de Jesús. Filmada como si se hubiera tratado de un largo metraje de elevado presupuesto, esta miniserie épica es una deslumbrante y majestuosa combinación de intensa narración y extraordinaria precisión religiosa e histórica aclamada por la crítica y el público internacionalmente. Lo anterior se refleja en la gran aceptación que esta producción ha tenido mundialmente habiendo sido vista por mas de medio billón de personas desde su estreno.
Cuenta la leyenda que, en una de sus audiencias privadas en el Vaticano, el productor Sir Lew Grade recibió la petición del Papa Pablo VI de filmar un material cinematográfico acerca de la vida de Jesús de Nazareth. Grade dejó gestando la idea durante años pero gracias a su esposa, una Cristiana comprometida, finalmente accedió. Su primer movimiento fue avocarse al director italiano Franco Zeffirelli que ya había logrado reconocimiento internacional al dirigir a Elizabeth Taylor y Richard Burton en la aclamada "The Taming of the Shrew" de 1967, para posteriormente en 1968 dirigir su mejor película, "Romeo y Julieta" cinta con la que obtendría una nominación de la Academia como Mejor Director. El talento de Zeffirelli daría como resultado lo que muchos han llamado "la mejor producción acerca de la vida de Cristo de todos los tiempos" apoyada por un elenco de actores y actrices aclamados, cuya fortaleza era su habilidad de actuación y no su condición de celebridades, y una poderosa banda sonora compuesta por Maurice Jarre, esta miniserie ha dado a conocer detalladamente la historia de El Hijo del Hombre, su nacimiento, su pasión, su bautismo, su vida, sus seguidores, sus enemigos y su legado a la humanidad.
Es lamentable ver los comentarios de personas ateas y/o de una pobreza espiritual tal, que no les permite ver la belleza de este tipo de producciones.
Rating:
Summary: A marvelous movie that is humbling to watch
Review: There are a number of Biblical inaccuracies but the experience is too overpowering for those small details to matter. I know that I am not alone when I say that when I close my eyes to picture Jesus, Robert Powell's portrayal is what I picture. It kind of threw me a little bit when I saw Powell in Shaka Zulu, but that's a different story. This movie cannot by any stretch of any imagination replace the Biblical account of Jesus but it is an excellent accompanyment which obviously helps to bring the Bible alive in a different way.
Rating:
Summary: TOP MOVIE EVER MADE! BEYOND HUMAN DIRECTOR
Review: I cannot believe this movies is rarely on air. i am not vary religious but this movie makes you believe!
Rating:
Summary: THE DEFINITIVE FILM ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST!
Review: After more than two decades, JESUS OF NAZARETH remains the greatest motion picture on the life of Jesus Christ -unsurpassed and second-to-none. Beautifully directed by Franco Zeffirelli (best known for his 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet) and featuring a constellation of the greatest international actors: Sir Lawrence Olivier, Rod Steiger, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Anthony Quinn (among others, oh my!), this six-hour magnum opus has given flesh and humanity to the people and events of the Gospel narratives like no other movie before or since. The film begins with the events prior to the Anunciation and Nativity, through the life of Christ, leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection, from Joseph's betrothal to Mary (played by Olivia Hussey, best known for her role as Juliet in the aforementioned film.) to the Empty Tomb on Easter Sunday. First-rate production allows us to observe with great detail the customs and daily life in first-century Judaea. The backdrop of Roman oppression and Jewish discontent is masterfully shown and successfully correlated to Jesus' ministry, in particular the political maneuvering of the cunning Herod (wondrously played by Peter Ustinov) and its effects on messianic expectation. Many persons mentioned only in passing or alluded to in the gospels such as Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate are portrayed with great credibility, allowing us to understand the historical figures' motives and intentions more fully. Among the numerous superlative performances, surely the most notable is that of Robert Powell in his role as the Nazarene, whose performance subtly captures the humanity of the Son of God, neither adding human weakness where none is present (vis-a-vis The Last Temptation of Christ), nor resorting to docetic immutability (Greatest Story Ever Told). Indeed, one senses that Jesus is fully aware of who He is in this film. In terms of scope, detail and production, this film is a must-see, setting a standard of excellence which unfortunately has not been met since. JESUS OF NAZARETH makes for great viewing not only for the seasoned Christian but for seekers and those interested in an intelligent approach to the life of Christ. SUPERB.
Rating: 
Summary: Good in some respects, but lacking in others.
Review: Robert Powell's perfomance as Jesus is exceptionally good. Talk about perfect casting! He's under-used, sadly, because this movie spends much more time on the framework and incidentals of the gospels than it does on "documenting" the teachings, parables, and miracles of Jesus, so much of that important gospel material is left out. Lots of attention is given to King Herod and his wife, the discussions of the Sanhedrin, the events leading up to the nativity, etc.. It's too bad, really, given that they had such a long movie to fill up! Another problem is that the audio is slightly out of sync with the video in sections, which was really annoying. I didn't find the coloration 'problem' to be as disconcerting as some other reviewers did.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Movie Ever!
Review: I think that this is the best movie ever! I love it so much! It tells the story of Jesus's life so good and doesn't skip on anything and I think the performances given by the actors were outstanding, espicially Robert Powell who played Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: MASTERful
Review: "Jesus of Nazareth" is, without a doubt, the best-acted and best-produced of all of its kind. I appreciate especially the fact that, all throughout His ministry, Jesus is aware of His identity as the Son of God and the Messiah. I think that this film underscores the Jewishness of Christ and the culture of the people with whom He dealt and interacted. Particularly effective is the way in which the actor (Robert Powell) delivers his words in a very deliberate manner, as if he knows what effect they will have on the listeners. Character and story development are also excellent, underscoring the contrast between the socio-political agenda of many of the people and the spiritual mission of Christ, as is observed by Simon the Zealot.
A difference I have with some reviewers concerns the emotional expression by the players, particularly the role of Christ. I see a lot of genuine emotion and caring when He speaks to people, even people opposed to Him, e.g. Barabbas, Judas, Pilate, and the Sanhedrin.
The scenery, costumes, and other effects looked very realistic. I appreciate the fact that they made Jesus' hair look so natural and even slightly oily; not "wig-gy", in other words.
This is the film to which I react with the most emotion; it is very personal and intense.
The only reasons for a 4-star, not a 5-star, rating are 1) some of the important scenes are much too abbreviated, e.g. Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, and others are added which are not recorded in Scripture, e.g. Barabbas having an audience with Jesus, and 2) certain Scriptural or historical inaccuracies are present, e.g. nailing through Christ's hands instead of His wrists, the interchanging of Mary Magdalene with the person of the woman who anoints Christ at the house of Simon the Pharisee, and the rainstorm at the time of Jesus' death.
Otherwise, I have been spoiled by this production. It is excellent, reverent, and passionate. Most important, it portrays Jesus of Nazareth as the Person He was and is - the Son of God and my Redeemer.
Rating:
Summary: "Long, Reverent & Probably the Best on this Subject to Date"
Review: I find myself in agreement with most of the other reviewers on this one--it's probably the best life of Christ filmed to date. While the most anticipated scenes such as the crucifixion, Last Supper, resurrection, etc., seem to be given inordinately short coverage, the film captures Jesus without the typical Hollywood-actor trappings, and this to the director's credit. As with other reviewers, I am miffed that Jesus is played in such a stoic manner. The Christ of Scripture was surely vibrant and loving. Not so this Jesus. At times (without meaning irreverence) the actor seems to be spaced out, but still, it's a great (though long) film. One would think that by the time this film was made, such inaccuracies as Christ being nailed through the hands, and thunderstorms at the crucifixion would have been corrected. Nevertheless, until a better version comes along (and one hasn't as of 2002) you can't capture the broad spectrum of Jesus of Nazareth much better than is done here.
Rating:
Summary: Best Portrayal of Christ on Film
Review: I have watched this DVD over and over and over again. So much so that my copy is wearing down! One of the major reasons I watch it is because Powell has captured the spirit of Christ and Zefirelli has made an extremely reverant film. What is even more astounding is that when this film first aired on NBC in 1977, it was considered "controversial". It was the first portrayal of Christ as human. Ironically, the more human side also shows His divine nature even greater. James Farentino's performance is also greatly underappreciated as is Ian Holm's. Farentino's portrayal as the impetuous Peter is on target: He was a man who was passionate and in his passion made some mistakes. One of my favorite scenes is when the other Apostles are encouraging him to talk to Jesus about going to Matthew's house. Here we can see how torn he is about staying in the life he knows, and doing the right thing, which is following Christ. Zefirelli has some masterful scenes, one of which is the parable of the Prodigal Son. Here we see not only Powell telling the story, but we see it actually being played out by Peter and Matthew. And let's not forget Rod Steiger's incredible performance as Pilate. The scenes between Powell and Steiger are some of the most riveting! The transfer to DVD is disappointing, but don't let that deter you from purchasing the movie. It truly is a masterpiece.
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