Jesus of Nazareth (1977) ★★★★★

Length:  382 minutes.  MPAA Rating: Not rated.  USCCB Rating: Not rated. For family viewing, though some scenes might be a little too intense for very young children. Director:  Franco Zeffirelli

Made originally as a mini-series for television, this six-hour epic re-telling of the life of Christ is quite possibly the best of its kind that has ever been done.  Helmed by famed opera and film director Franco Zeffirelli, Jesus of Nazareth has notable music by famous film composer Maurice Jarre and beautiful cinematography. It is also the product of thorough research; the production team brought in consultants from the Vatican, a noted Rabbinic school, and even a Moroccan Koranic school. 

Most importantly, and what takes this film to the level of a masterpiece, is the superb acting.  To say that this work “features an all-star cast” would be a gross understatement and would entirely miss the significance of this unprecedented assemblage of talent.  Though unknown to many of today’s young people, the men and women who star in this film represent the height of mid-20th Century cinema.  Just about every actor and actress, even those in bit parts, commanded top billing in other films with many reaching the status of legend.

The first hired, it is said, was Sir Laurence Olivier.  Famous star of stage and screen and knighted by King George VI, this legendary director and actor of Shakespearean films and plays was an old man when approached for this miniseries.  He asked simply to be given something “small, like Nicodemus”.  He was given that role, and then it became easy to attract other notable legends to the project. Claudia Cardinale, the best-known Italian actress of the time and star in Fellini’s 81/2, was cast in the tiny part of the adulterous woman (with only a single scripted line for her to say).  Yorgo Voyagis, famous actor hailing from Athens, Greece, took on the role of St. Joseph.  Sir Ralph Richardson, yet another knighted Shakespearean actor and co-director of the Old Vic company, took on the small but significant role of Simeon.  Others were brought on board – the end result being the most illustrious and talented cast of actors and actresses ever assembled for a single film – an astonishing list of acting excellence that has never been matched, before or since. 

This list also includes Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, Donald Pleasance, James Farentino, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Michael York, Olivia Hussey as Mary, and Robert Powell as Jesus. 

The last actor, Powell, was a virtual unknown and the last to be cast.  Other possibilities for the role, such as Dustin Hoffman, were quickly set aside in favor of this thin, Lancashire-born man with the distinctive voice.  It is considered to be one of the best portrayals of Jesus ever put on film. 

Just as gulping a fine wine causes one to miss the delicate flavors, so, too, “binge watching” this mini-series ruins the appreciation of the often-subtle acting and directing.  I would advise against it.  It is best to view this fine cinematic wine a little at a time – for example, one hour a day for six days, in order to truly appreciate its artistry and to leave time for reflection.  A cinematic triumph that is not to be missed.

WARNING:  The Artisan DVD version is complete.  The Shout Factory version and some other DVD and Blu-ray versions (as well as some streaming services) cut out important scenes such as Judas leaving the Last Supper and Peter insisting to Jesus that he would never deny him, and other scenes.  To see the complete, uncut version, view the Artisan DVD version.