The Biblical epic keeps appearing as if. At the beginning of the last decade, we saw big movie star vehicles based on Old Testament tales in and, and when those didn’t pan out, we still got Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara trying to bring an indie sensibility to Mary Magdalene.Religion can also make for contentious filmmaking: too earnest and the movie feels sanctimonious and dull, too irreverent and you risk making “a holocaust movie that has the power to destroy souls eternally,” as a nun once told Martin Scorsese about his 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ. Here are the top 25 movies about the man we can thank for the enormous amount of chocolate we eat at various intervals throughout the year: 25. Gospel Road: A Story Of Jesus (1973)An enthusiastic convert to Christianity, Johnny Cash dug into his own pockets to make this film on location in Israel. He appears as narrator and his songs provide the soundtrack. The relatively low budget forced some creative solutions to certain scenes: Jesus is never surrounded by crowds, but instead sound effects are used along with the music to produce the right atmosphere.
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Cash’s wife, fellow singer June Carter, plays Mary Magdalene (and is the only actor with lines). The Passover Plot (1976)While The Da Vinci Code popularized the theory that Jesus was married, another conspiracy had emerged decades earlier: what if Jesus “came back to life” because he’d never really died? Based on a 1965 bestseller, the plot centers on a drug which can simulate the appearance of death. Despite his disciples’ warnings of “rusty nails and splintered bones,” Jesus is determined to fulfill the prophecy of a Messiah who rises from the dead. It seems a bit risky to me, but then I’ve always found the most haunting horror films are the ones where pranks go wrong.There are some interesting re-interpretations (Jesus causing a ruckus in the temple as a pre-meditated strike rather than a genuine overflow of indignation, Judas being a friend of Barrabas and trying to combine all the rebels for maximum impact) but the film itself could have done with more polish. (And better casting – John the Baptist is weirdly elderly.) Jesus preaches in the screechy manner of an angry TV evangelist, his message of love at odds with his mean little face. (Sorry, Zalman King.) 23. The Messiah (2007)Even Iranian Muslim Jesus can’t escape being blonde.
Played by Ahmad Soleimani Nia, this is Jesus’ story told from the Islamic perspective. Using stories from the Qur’an and the non-Biblical Gospel of Barnabas, we still get the virgin birth and various miracles, but this time we have an alternative ending where Jesus isn’t crucified. Instead, he is saved from his fate by God, and the unfortunate Judas finds himself changing “amazingly in face and speech to be like Jesus” just in time for the Romans to arrest him. It may not have the highest production values, but it’s certainly a version of the story I haven’t seen on screen before.Not to be confused with Il Messia (1975), the last film Roberto Rossellini directed and a more conventional take on Jesus (played by the lovely Pier Maria Rossi).
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). The bad news? Jesus is a bit awkward. Blessed with a spectacularly nerdy (or perhaps hipster?) haircut, he talks in the kind of slow, sonorous tones that suggest Max von Sydow is trying his best to be reverent.
Unfortunately, the whole effect is rather monotone and lifeless. The rest of the cast has more spark.
My favorite moment is Herod’s inadvertently modern response of “Get out!” when told of miracles. With a star-studded cast, including Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, and John Wayne, it’s a must for movie buffs with long attention spans. Subscribe 21. The Gospel of Us (2012)Michael Sheen returns to his motherland in this ambitious project: an updated passion play filmed in three days in the streets (and beaches) of Port Talbot over Easter 2011. He’s the “teacher” – a man who pops up on a beach, is baptized (read: dunked under the waves without preamble), and gathers quite a following, despite not being able to remember who he is. The area has been taken over by a company called ICU who become increasingly aggressive towards the man leading the town into rebellion and telling the authorities “I make you unnecessary.”Surreal at times, slow-moving, and revelling in the atmosphere of a small town, it’s an avant-garde film that won’t be for everyone, but it has moments of great charm – not least Jesus with a strong Welsh accent referring to the weather as “bootiful.” 20.
The Jesus Film (1979). Visually, it’s bright and fresh. Despite being almost 40 years old it looks as if it could have been shot yesterday. It’s also one of the more culturally accurate films. For instance, the Last Supper takes place on the floor as nature intended rather than being staged like Leonardo’s painting. It’s been translated into over 1000 languages with hundreds more on the way, making it the most translated film in history.19.
The Greatest Story Overtold/The Divine Mr. J /The Thorn (1971/1974)It’s generally not a great sign when a film has multiple names and release dates, but if you like (low-budget) irreverent comedies, this will be right up your street.
Bette Midler is a stereotypical Jewish mother in her first major role – which she later tried to distance herself from, calling it “dreadful.” (Unfortunately for her, it was ingeniously re-named after her Divine Miss M album.)The movie depicts John the Baptist as a flasher in a mac, Joseph as an unsuccessful inventor, and Mary as particularly keen for her son to turn more water into wine. The tone of the film can be summed up by Herod “Antipasto” suggesting that everyone should go to their hometown to be taxed so they’ll all be home “before Christmas.”Religion-based satire was on the increase: 1980 saw the release of Wholly Moses with Dudley Moore, and Marty Feldman’s In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion). And who could forget the Catholic church’s new icon, “Buddy Christ” in Dogma (1999)? The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John (2003)Unrelated to The Visual Bible: Matthew/Acts production, this features narration by Christopher Plummer and Henry Ian Cusick as a boyish Jesus. (The casting of a handsome young dude as the messiah was also used in 2014’s rather wooden Son of God, which received some hilariously scathing reviews despite starring “Hot Jesus” Diogo Morgado.)Basing the movie on the gospel of John means that we get to see some rarely filmed sequences, such as Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (often cut in favor of more bellydancing from Salome). Scripture which is sparse on detail can be interpreted imaginatively, but there is a downside to sticking closely to the source material: it’s difficult to film scenes with the narration “then he breathed on them” without slipping into farce.17. Histoire de Judas / Story of Judas (2015)French-Algerian filmmaker Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche stars as Judas as well as writing, producing, and directing this glossy French production.
His Judas is portrayed not as a miserly backstabber, but as the best friend a chap could have. It’s a revelation that will surprise you if you’ve literally never seen a film about Jesus before, as Judas being a misunderstood good guy isn’t exactly a new trope.In this slightly far-fetched take on the story, the maligned disciple is the victim of a vengeful scribe. However, the film is visually stunning, with ancient ruins and desert scenes galore – and Nabil Djedouani is a thoughtful, understated Jesus. Jesus – The Film (1986)German filmmaker Michael Brynntrup created the concept of the production as well as playing Jesus in this bonkers re-telling of his life, which promises, “Whoever sees this film will be saved!”Shot in black and white, it’s made up of 35 parts, with contributions from 22 different filmmakers.
Each director was given only the details of the shot immediately preceding his segment. In the manner of a silly party game, they could then allow their imaginations to go wild to create the next part of the story. It’s a fairly loose, quirky interpretation.
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For instance, we start by learning Jesus is a twin. (Joseph to the wise men: “You take the little one and we’ll keep the big one.”)In a somewhat similar vein, satirical black comedy De Mantel Der Liefde (directed by Adriaan Ditvvorst in 1978) is also broken up into segments, each based on people failing to follow one of the ten commandments.15. Pilate and Others (1972)Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita has three interwoven stories: Satan, disguised as a smooth-talking magician in 1930s Moscow, infiltrates the world of rich cynics. Pontius Pilate struggles with his conscience during the trial of Jesus. In Russia, Margarita is determined to save her lover (a frustrated writer) from his own despair. With me so far?
Of course, Jesus and his mother both make frequent appearances, providing absurdly hilarious moments. She recommends he doesn’t shave (“You look much better with your beard”) and we also get to see that so rarely filmed moment in the scriptures when Jesus heals a blind man by spitting in his eyes.If you fancy a less deep and meaningful but equally zany film, preferably one that looks like the effort of students, try Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter(2001) or Ultrachrist! King of Kings (1961)Not to be confused with Cecil B. DeMille’s silent classic The King of Kings (1927), this lavish production is perhaps the quintessential Biblical epic, full of amazing sets, costumes, and battle scenes.
Jesus barely gets a look in for much of the film – approximately two minutes is devoted to his healing people (often by casting a shadow on them or fixing them with a piercing stare) and he preaches once or twice.But what the film lacks in religious devotion it makes up for in entertainment: Herod’s wife and step-daughter, for instance, are so deliciously evil it’s not surprising they get quite an unnecessary amount of screen time. We also get a new theory for why Judas betrays Jesus – under pressure to produce a rebel leader who does more than pray in the temple, he decides to force Jesus’ hand and have him arrested in the hope that this will spark a Carrie-style rampage.11. Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)Inspired by Eric Idle’s sarcastic suggestion of naming their next film Jesus Christ – Lust for Glory, the Monty Pythons saw the comic potential of first-century Judea.
Brian (Graham Chapman) happens to be born at the same time as Jesus and accidentally acquires a sheep-like following.The Pythons insisted they were lampooning organized religion, not Jesus himself. Idle explained, “What he’s saying isn’t mockable, it’s very decent stuff.” The sermon on the mount may be subject to mishearings (“Blessed are the cheesemakers?”) but Jesus is also credited with healing a leper (who’s now ungrateful because he’s lost his begging livelihood). ByThere’s some fairly dark humor around the practice of public executions, and the controversial religious satire was banned for decades in some parts of the world. However, it’s worth seeing just for John Cleese playing a Roman version of Basil Fawlty supervising a stoning (“Who threw that?!”) as well as forcing Brian to correct the Latin grammar in his graffiti.10. Jesus of Nazareth (1977)Providing the classic image of movie Jesus, Robert Powell was recommended for the role on the basis of those penetrating peepers, which were emphasized with a combination of white and dark-blue eyeliners. Director Franco Zeffirelli wanted a mystical stare, so Powell followed the non-blinking trend set by Max von Sydow.
He was so convincing in the role that the crew allegedly stopped swearing when he wafted beatifically past in tea breaks.Written by Anthony Burgess (of Clockwork Orange fame) and featuring an all-star cast (Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Peter Ustinov you get the idea), the whole story is told in detail – as it was originally a six-hour mini-series, there’s plenty of time. As well as the usual sequences of patriarchal slut-shaming, it’s emphasized for once that Jesus’ male acquaintances would also have brought him into disrepute – being friends with a tax collector was NOT cool.9. Risen (2016)Risen has an enticing concept, seeing the crucifixion and its aftermath through the eyes of a Roman soldier.
Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is under strict orders from Pontius Pilate to make sure the Nazarene’s body is guarded so nobody can steal it and claim he has risen. Needless to say, it doesn’t go to plan.It’s a fascinating insight into the reality of life and death in 33 AD, and there are some thriller-esque moments as Clavius hunts for the disciples and the missing body. The cinematography and Roman sets look amazing, and as one critic said, “It’s nice to finally see the Messiah portrayed by somebody who’d probably get extra attention at a U.S.
Airport by Homeland Security.”Roman soldiers seeing the light has long been a theme in Hollywood movies such as The Robe (1953) and the 1987 film (and 2006 remake) The Inquiry.8. Son of Man (2006)Director Mark Dornford-May really ups the cuteness factor in this re-imagining of Jesus’ life, by casting children as the angels and shepherds and prolonging the scenes of Jesus as a toddler. The action has been transplanted to present-day South Africa, which works uncannily well.
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