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Jesus in Film

A filmography of Jesus films

Every year the number of films based on some aspect of the life (or death) of Jesus Christ continues to grow. “Jesus films” have become more of an industry than a genre.

Monty Python’s irreverent Life of Brian can be seen as a satire of many aspects typical to a lot of Jesus films – soaring music, bright lights and the like. In another satiric film, Jesus of Montreal, when a woman objects to a security guard stopping the play in mid-performance, he snaps: “Look, he dies on the cross and is resurrected. No big deal. Talk about slow!”  It is amazing that such a monumental story can become tedious and dull, but in the hand of some directors and actors that is what happens.

“Seen that movie too” can become a common response of audiences used to Jesus films.

Jesus films have been around since the invention of moving pictures in the late nineteenth century, including Cecil B DeMille’s silent version of The King of Kings in 1927.   Perhaps the fullest treatment of Jesus on screen is Franco Zeferelli’s made for TV movie Jesus of Nazareth, now readily available on DVD, which runs over six hours. With numerous Jesus films available at any good video store, it is easy to see how someone could think they have seen all there is to see and that the subject of Jesus has been exhausted in film.  The surface, however, has barely been scratched.

A film dealing with Jesus brings out a lot of passion and prejudice, as is evident by the controversy surrounding many of the Jesus films. Martin Scorese’s The Last Temptation of Christ and Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew, for example, were both surrounded by controversy and criticism.

Recently another Jesus film has been produced, which has received unprecedented publicity and has also been beleaguered by controversy. Unless someone does not have a radio, television, receive a newspaper or have internet access, they will already be aware of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and the debate that surrounds the movie. Gibson’s intent was to create a faithful and realistic adaptation of the crucifixion of Christ. Gibson produced and directed this 25 million dollar film that is sure to be a popular, and possibly, critical success, given all the publicity (‘all press is good press’).

The fact that “Jesus films” are still being made attests to popular culture’s fascination with such a mysterious and enigmatic figure. For many, however, The Passion of the Christ will be one of the first Jesus films they will have ever seen. And if you can only see one, this is perhaps the most powerful and moving Jesus film of them all. The Passion of the Christ beautifully merges art and faith to an extent not achieved by its forerunners.  For those who have seen a couple different versions and are tempted to think “I’ve seen that movie before”, you haven’t – not like this.

Jesus filmography

The following list is by no mean exhaustive (nor do we endorse all of them) but includes some of the more popular and readily available films pertaining to the life of Christ. In watching any film about Jesus, it is always a wise idea to compare it to the original depiction of Christ recorded in the Bible.

• King of Kings Nicholas Ray, 1961. Starring Jeffrey Hunter
• Greatest Story Ever Told George Stevens, 1965. Starring Max  von Sydow
• Gospel According to St. Matthew Pier Pasolini, 1966. Starring Inrique Irazoque
• Jesus of Nazareth Franco Zeffirelli, 1977. Starring Robert Powell
• Last Temptation of Christ Martin Scorese, 1988. Starring William Dafoe
• Jesus Christ, Superstar Norman Jewison, 1973. Starring Ted Neeley
• Jesus Peter Sykes & John Kirsh, 1979.  Starring Brian Deacon.
• Monty Python’s Life of Brian Terry Jones, 1979. Starring Ken Colley
• Jesus of Montreal Denys Arcand, 1989. Starring Lothaire Bluteau
• Jesus: The Epic Mini-Series Roger Young, 2000.  Starring Jeremy Sistone
• Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus Stanislav Sokolov, 2000. Starring R. Fiennes
• The Passion of the Christ Mel Gibson, 2004.  Starring Jim Caviezel

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