Jesus of Nazareth DVD Review

Originally made for TV in 1977, Jesus of Nazareth is an in-depth version of Jesus’ life that begins before the Nativity and extends through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. It features an all-star cast that includes Robert Powell, Michael York,  Sir Laurence Olivier James Earl Jones, Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Rod Steiger, and Anthony Quinn. The movie is over six hours long and very in-depth, in fact, the first hour is devoted to the birth of Jesus. There are very few landmark events of this most famous story left out by Director Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli provides plenty of background on the sociopolitical background that gave rise to Jesus’ following and the problems belief in him caused for the people of Israel.

 

Robert Powell gives a stellar performance as Jesus. He says so much with his lake-blue eyes without having to say anything. He looks and sounds the way many of imagine Jesus would have looked and sounded. Every actor(ress) in this film give one of  the best performances of their careers. The passages of the Bible are quoted verbatim, the locations have a Palestine-like look that makes you feel as though you are watching a documentary and not a movie. Many of the non-Roman characters (other than the principles) are actually played by Semitic-looking actors which only add to the authenticity of the movie.

I can remember watching this on television in the eighties when I was about eight years old. It used to come on every single Easter and is my all-time favorite Jesus movie. I was very excited to see it on DVD and a little wary because sometimes things aren’t as good as you remember. This was not the case with Jesus of Nazareth, as it was exactly the way I remember it. The DVD makes this movie now more available to all ages even though it no longer comes on during the holiday season. It is the greatest version of the greatest story ever told.