Jesus of Nazareth

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: This Is my favorite movie on the life of christ.It Is even better than the 'passion' which tended to beat you over the head at times.It was well produced and captured the gospel story very well.Robert Powell potrayed Jesus better than anyone has protrayed him on film to date, but I am sorry he does not look like the actual Jesus of history who was first century Jew(and much darker) and did not look north European Like he has been portrayed In art.But putting that aside, this still an excellent film and should be seen by anyone with an Interest In the Life of Christ.

Rating:
Summary: ONE STAR -- MAX
Review: It is hard to respect a film treatment of Christ that seeks to overwhelm above all else, and that irreverently strips away the supernatural with wild abandon and with no appreciable benefit.

And Robert Powell as the charismatic Messiah! Not by a wide margin believable.

The movie is tedious; it is almost offensive in its theatricality; it is mediocre at best. Shame on Zefirelli for this gaudy production. I had hoped for better.

Rating:
Summary: As Much the Discople's Story as Jesus' Story
Review: Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" is a pleasant surprise every time I see it. I've been watching it yearly for the past 5 years or so, and with each viewing I find new details which keep me coming back for more. While the film could have spent less time on King Herod's exotic lifestyle and more time on Jesus' teachings and miracles, it nonetheless stands as the best depiction of Christ's life ever commited to film. And it also contains some wonderful, stunningly visual cinematic moments, such as the scene when Mary visits Elizabeth to tell her the good news. The real strength of this film, however, comes from the handful of disciples it chooses to focus on. Peter, in particular, keeps the film incredibly human, and therefore believable. To me, his spiritual journey is every bit as compelling as Jesus'. You will get caught up in Jesus' actions and words, but you will also notice the care Zeffirelli places on the Disciples and their subsequent reactions to Jesus' teachings and miracles. The interaction between Jesus and his Disciples is also well managed, but the interaction amongst the Disciples themselves is even more compelling. Zeffirelli's Jesus is deliberate in every word, action and reaction...exactly as I would imagine the real Jesus to have been. In the film, Jesus purposely lets his Disciples figure things out for themselves, which makes their story just as powerful. Even the portrayal of Judas and his betrayal is handled with great care.

While Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" has rendered all other crucifixion depictions as obsolete and cartoonish, the crucifixion scene in "Jesus of Nazareth" still packs a punch for its cold, brutal efficiency. And because Zeffirelli has intertwined the Disciple's stories into the film, the Resurrection scenes, though scant, have more potency. In the end, the film's focus on the assorted characters who came in contact with Jesus is the real strength of the movie and will leave the longest lasting impact.

Rating:
Summary: Robert Powell
Review: When Robert Powell speaks in this film he is believable. I like him. Almost without exception you think of him as Christ except for the improperly filmed in my opinion 'To the end of time' final sequence that tries to imitate a newsroom desk atmosphere for TV newscasters. I cannot say the same for the other actors. With them I think often about their for real personalities or their lines relating in their way exactly true or not to the Bible instead of the for real Bible personalities. It's good though that Robert Powell is the best actor in this film mainly about Jesus. I recommend anyone who owns a DVD player to purchase the DVD instead of the VHS if you want to avoid the push the record button mentality of the Passion of Christ. I haven't even seen that film to know that's true. For my own reasons that others 'might' share I don't like seeing Jesus die on the cross by actors. I prefer to think of when Jesus really did die on the cross in my mind through faith through reading the Bible, proper Catechism schooling (in my case Lutheran) or sermons. I like mass too. I don't really feel it is appropriate or necessary to think about 'how much' Jesus bleeds on the cross. I don't like it when I get a cut let alone look at a movie bleeding Christ. I got a thumb cut today this Easter Sunday changing my tire that got shredded. I stopped the car for that in the middle of a bridge on the Saint Maries, Idaho River.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!!!
Review: Jesus of Nazareth is my favorite movie about Jesus, it was originally a Television mini series that aired on TV when I was eleven years old but I didn't see it until it was rerun on TV in the lates 80s and then I bought the video when I saw it in a store and I will be buying the DVD! This is a wonderful inspirational movie and the cast is outstanding. I haven't seen Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ yet but of the Jesus movies that I have seen Robert Powell is my favorite actor to play Jesus and the rest of the cast is outstanding too, including Michael York as John the Baptist and Olivia Hussey as Mary, mother of Jesus. Of the Jesus movies that I have seen this is my favorite and it wows me and I find the movie very uplifting and moving and I very greatly recommend Jesus of Nazareth. I see that there is some question of the aspect ration of this movie and that this movie should be in widescreen but this was a made for television miniseries in 1977 and TV shows and made for television movies and miniseries were filmed in fullscreen then so I believe that fullscreen is the correct aspect ratio for Jesus of Nazareth!

Rating:
Summary: TASTELESS
Review: I never thought much of Jesus of Nazareth, which almost seemed deliberately attempting to be brassy in, I suppose, an effort to superdazzle. No "less is more" theories here.

The convoluted and pointless subplots; the fanatical acting on almost everyone's part (screaming was in vogue); the ostentatious sets and costumes; the invented story lines; the utterly colorless scene of the Resurrection ... the movie was more a tribute to Zefirelli's directorial egomania than an attempt to allow the story of Christ to tell itself.

I give it one star.

Rating:
Summary: classic portrayal of the wonderful truth
Review: I love this 7 hour epic mini-series. It was one of the first dvd's I ever bought. Great treatment of the Gospels, very impressed with the actors and the realism portrayed. Robert Powell made a great Jesus, although far too anglo saxon!

I especially love the way Mary was portrayed, being a protestant type (who does not like that label) it's good to see her treated with respect, us protestant tend to me disrepectful of her unfortunatley.

As a note to a previous reviewer Biji Thomas, check out Charlton Heston in "the greatest story ever told", he did a great John the Baptist as well, I think you'd love it.

God bless.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Jesus movies.
Review: The Passion of the Christ, The Miracle Maker and Jesus of Nazareth are my favorite Jesus movies. Watching them helps me to come to repentance and trying to live a life that is Christ like. I want to point out that Jesus of Nazareth is the only movie that I feel that properly portrays John the Baptist played by Michael York. If you check out the other Jesus movies with John the Baptist actors, they have no passion for the role that they play. You hear them saying "repent" but it seems like they had been drugged and any minute will fall asleep. Now compare that with Michael York's performance, he literally screams out to the people to repent and you can see the passion that is upon him.

Now with the huge success of the passion of the Christ, more movie companies will try to put out Biblical movies and most of them will fail because the only thing that they want to do is make money and don't really care about how accurately it is portrayed. Perfect example is the movie Judas, the Jesus character looked like shaggy from Scooby doo. I couldn't believe that Judas and Jesus started wrestling. I turned off the TV after that. If you are interested in the life of Jesus that is portrayed according the gospel I suggest looking at The Passion of the Christ, the miracle maker and Jesus of Nazareth.

Rating:
Summary: greatest story ever told becomes greatest film ever made
Review: What more can be said about this film that hasn't already been said? It remains the most critically-acclaimed film version of Jesus' time on earth (and there have been a lot of Jesus films made since it); Newsweek (rightly) called it "a masterpiece," and TV Guide (rightly) called it "the best miniseries of all time." There are also the many, almost-unanimously favorable reviews of it here and on www.imdb.com. But, most importantly, it seems to have touched people in a way few (if any) other films have.

To call it the greatest "Jesus" film ever is an understatement (and I ought to know: I've seen forty-two films in which Jesus in either the main or one of the main characters, or is a cameo appearance, or treated allegorically). There isn't a scene in it that is better depicted in any other Jesus film; in fact, when I think of Jesus' time on earth, I always think of scenes from this film. Personally, I consider it the greatest work of art of all-time.

It could be said that I'm biased: I'm so in love with the Light and Jesus that I could burst, and this film is a deep part of my heart the way that no other work of art is {and I do know a *little* bit about the arts: (pre-modern) painting; popular music-esp musical theatre/films; architecture; interior decorating and design; furniture; film; television. None of this is to brag at all; it's just to show how high above everything else this film is, at least to me}. But non-believers have praised it as well.

It's because everything, and I mean literally everything, about it is so true, pure, perfect, and right (I don't mean this in a moralistic sense, but spiritually and aesthetically). Yes, they're are a few, and I do mean very few, minor flaws in it, but none of them detract from the overall work (or even from the individual scenes they are in). From casting to concept to execution, it is truly inspired (pun intended). Other reviewers have said of it that it is even "truer than the Gospels," "the greatest work of religious art in the twentieth century," and (my favorite) that it has "a dynamic sense of wonder."

That "dynamic sense of wonder" is apparent in everything from the Annunciation; the shepherds' reaction to the angels' visitation; the reactions to Jesus Himself, His words, and His miracles (esp the scene wherein the man born blind gains sight while washing his eyes at a pool in the Temple; check out the shot with the extra whose mouth is agape-it's so good it's shown twice!); to what I consider the most stunning and brilliant moment in the film: when Jesus, after chasing the moneychangers out of the temple, walks into it and stares at the smoke going up through the open ceiling (offered to God, and that's why He is in awe of it-has any other film ever shown Jesus in awe of anything?). He is utterly transfixed by it, and maintains His gaze on it even while the persnickety Zerah asks Him about His latest action. Just unbelievably perceptive.

Reviewers have remarked that Robert Powell's (breath-taking) performance is "too remote" and "too divine, at the expense of the human." To answer the first charge, this Jesus positively RADIATES love, compassion, forgiveness, and idealism (esp in the scene wherein He forgives Mary Magdalene; when He delivers the Beatitudes; the "Love your enemies" teaching in the temple; and when he asks the now-cured blind man if he "believe(s) in the Son of Man"). As for the second charge, this Jesus cries when born, while being circumcised, when revealing to the Apostles His impending death, when giving the first Communion, and when speaking His last word on the cross. He also eats, drinks, and sleeps (on camera)!

Others have said that the crucifixion is "too tame" (esp in light of the increasingly traumatic treatments of it in such films made since). Well, this Jesus groans in shock when being scourged and when being nailed to the cross (the scenes of Him staggering after the scourging and while being lifted up to the vertical post of the cross are unprecedented). The brutality of it is fully conveyed (what, with the soldiers laughing at Him; the way He, while bearing the crossbeam, is suddenly grabbed from behind and forced to the ground when arriving at the site of execution; plus, the afore-mentioned groans), without ever reverting to gore or gratuitousness. Most importantly, Zeffirelli and Powell convey Jesus' Spiritual agony (as well His physical): He (and the audience) are absolutely heart-broken when He speaks His final word on the cross and sheds that final tear.

It's even been said that the Resurrection sequence is "too fast/short" and is treated as "an afterthought." Are they kidding? It's the longest such sequence in any film. It suspensefully, hauntingly, exquisitely builds up, from the reaction of the women and guards to the empty tomb and the "gardeners"; Mary Magdalene's testimony to the Apostles and their reaction to it and the bit between Peter and Thomas; Zerah's resignation to what has happened; to that final, most tender scene with the Risen Jesus, topped off by that unforgettable close-up and those unforgettable words.

Whew!

P.S: Please also check out director Franco Zeffirelli's memoir of the film, "Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary" available used here on Amazon. It's so simple, so direct, just like the film itself.

Rating:
Summary: An accurate portrayal of our Lord and Savior
Review: This is a great movie, almost as good (if not just as good) as The Passion. The acting on behalf of Robert Powell is nothing less then stunning; he is the common image of Jesus Christ. His birth, death, and ressurection (and many events in between) are accurately portrayed throughout this film. A sincere faithfulness too the Bible, and a must see!

Robert Powell puts so much heart and soul into his acting that you almost believe he is really Jesus. The men who played John the Baptist (Micheal York) and Nicodemous (Laurence Olivier) do an outstanding job as well (as do others). Let's just say that anyone who appreciates great acting, will appreciate this movie. Oscar worthy performances all the way!

This is a powerful film! It will reach deep into your heart and bring tears too your eyes. Like The Passion, I feel it has the power to bring a lost soul closer too God; but unlike the Passion, it's a movie that the whole family can enjoy. If I could give it more then 5 stars I would! A+ all the way!