Most attempts to put Jesus on film typically fail in one way or another, which is inevitable. If Jesus can’t be contained by a tomb, then there’s no way the screen can hold him. The gospels give us so many different aspects of Jesus’ character, while filmmakers tend to fall into the trap of emphasising one or two aspects that mean the most to him or her. If the filmmaker wants to get across the fact that Jesus was a charismatic, joyful figure then the actor wanders across the Middle East with a goofy grin on his face in every single scene, while if a gracious, gentle Jesus is preferred then he is expected to make gooey eyes at every single person he meets. It’s no wonder no-one has ever done the role justice.
Despite all this, most attempts to put the life of Christ on film have some redeemable features. I still have a soft spot for Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 epic Jesus of Nazareth, even though it gets a fair few things wrong. For example, it spends far too long on the birth narrative; it’s so sllloooowwww that it’s unwatchable, and even the star power of Darth Vader can’t save it. There are also one or two questionable casting decisions, I think, and Robert Powell’s portrayal of Jesus as a blue-eyed mystic is just creepy at times. However, on the plus side, there are a handful of moments that are so fantastic that every now and then the whole thing is lifted to sublime heights.
There’s one compelling little scene in which Peter is getting ready for bed, muttering under his breath about an argument he’s had with his wife, trying to convince himself that this Jesus thing is just something to do while the fishing is quiet. Matthew interrupts his rant to say something along the lines of, “Peter, stop lying to yourself. Surely you’ve realised by now that none of us are going back to our old lives ever again. In fact, the whole world is never going to be same again.” It’s not in the Bible, of course, but I love it anyway, because it’s such a human moment, and at some point the disciples must have had this whole ‘We’re not in Kansas any more’ conversation.
Another standout moment is the way that the series handles the telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It takes some dramatic license, as filmmakers do, by blending it with the calling of Matthew (and putting Peter front and centre) but there’s still so much that it gets right. I’m not a fan of James Farentino’s attempt at Peter, but after watching this scene you can see exactly how parables had the power to melt hearts or drive people into a fury.
Speaking of fury, another great moment is when Robert Powell finally lets loose, after hours of drifting through Palestine like a stoned hippy, and accuses the scribes and Pharisees of hypocrisy. If you’ve ever struggled to understand exactly why the authorities wanted Jesus dead, watching a couple of minutes of Jesus of Nazareth will demonstrate it perfectly.
It’s no surprise that each individual attempt to portray Jesus will only capture part of the picture. That’s why God deals in communities, I suppose.
You know, I don’t recall ever watching Jesus of Nazareth; well, the whole thing, anyway. But that scene in the second video was pretty captivating.
Yes, not all of it is worth watching, but the bits that are worth watching are worth watching.