Top Ten Movie Portrayals of Jesus
Louisiana-born Jeffery Hunter is probably remembered best for his portrayal of John Wayne’s half-Native American nephew in “The Searchers” (or by Trekkers as the original Captain Pike), but his portrayal of Jesus in cult director Nicholas Ray’s “King of Kings” always seems to find its way to television during the holidays. Initially dismissed as an “illustrated lecture,” the film’s reputation has grown over time (partially due to the revival in interest in the careers of Ray and Orson Welles, who narrates the film). For those who want the traditional Jesus story with no post-modern revisionism, this is probably the safest bet.
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MGM
Though Hollywood showman George Stevens would pad the rest of the cast with big names in major roles and countless distracting cameos (John Wayne’s being the most egregious), Stevens wanted an actor with no previous audience associations to play his main man. The Swedish von Sydow, Ingmar Bergman’s favorite leading man, had never appeared in an English-language film but acquits himself admirably in the star-studded cast. Eight years later, Von Sydow would be a household name with his role in The Exorcist. He continues to work regularly with an Oscar nomination for his work in “Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close” (2011) and a prominent role in video game sensation “Skyrim.” - (Amazon – Stream or buy DVD)
United Artists
Were it not for the enormous firestorm of controversy that greeted its premiere, it’s questionable if anyone beyond Scorsese diehards would remember this effort…and that would be a shame. For those willing to accept a portrayal of Jesus as a man with very human temptations (that he does still resist) it is a fascinating attempt to breathe fresh life into New Testament stories that can easily seem stale and stodgy. Not all of the experiments work.… Harvey Keitel’s Brooklyn-accented Judas is conceptually a wonderful jab at those that think everyone in the past spoke in a British accent, but it’s still distracting (though an otherwise great performance). Dafoe, coming off his Oscar-nominated turn in “Platoon,” gives a wonderfully alive performance as the man from Nazareth.
(Netflix)
Both this film and its director, Mel Gibson, stirred up their share of controversy, but it should not take away from the caliber of Caviezel’s performance. Not only is the film almost entirely in Aramaic, but Caviezel delivers an intensely physical performance that requires him to spend the majority of the film being horribly brutalized. Comedian Louis CK probably described it best when he said, “Have you seen that movie where they beat the sh*t out of Jesus?” Regardless of its politics, “The Passion” is a brutal film and Caviezel’s performance made it possible for many believers to see the suffering of their savior in his haunted eyes.
(Netflix)
Long before he was Batman, Christian Bale was a former child star with a weirdly devoted (mostly female) fan base. But this late ‘90s miniseries was one of his first “adult” roles. Starring Darth Vader’s mother (a last minute replacement for Madonna!!!), it’s one of the few to make the big JC a supporting character, and is mostly overly earnest and syrupy. These days the curiosity factor for the film is largely centered around Bale’s appearance, before he became a much more serious and temperamental sort of actor.
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Throughout the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, director Franco Zeffirelli produced several Shakespearean adaptions whose successes were largely based on fidelity to the text, and a healthy dose of Italian sensuality that fit the era. So it was both fitting and odd that Zeffirelli was chosen to spearhead this multi-hour star-studded miniseries; but other than the casting of his jaw-droppingly beautiful Juliet (Olivia Hussey) as the Virgin Mary, it largely eschewed sensuality for a film that remains probably the most straightforward adaption of the Gospels (the screenplay was, shockingly, by “Clockwork Orange” author Anthony Burgess!!!). Despite featuring a “who’s-who” of late ‘70s actors (and “Deadwood” fans will get a kick out Ian McShane’s Judas), the central role was again given to a largely unknown British stage actor. Powell gives Jesus a wide eyed “otherworldly” quality that stood in direct contrast to films that aimed to showcase his humanity.
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The other 1999 miniseries about the life of Christ, though suffering from some of the same shortcomings as “Mary, The Mother of Christ,” was probably the more successful of the two. Desperately afraid of courting the kind of controversy that greeted “The Last Temptation,” the film is inoffensive to a fault. Still, credit should be given to the always-willing Sisto for doing his best with what is always a tough role, made even tougher by a refusal to give the man an edge.
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Though dedicated to the entirety of “The Bible,” the decision to give equal screen time to both the Old and the (much, much shorter) New Testament meant that Jesus would always be the leading role. Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado almost instantly came under criticism, simply for being too pretty. Many web-snarks quickly dubbed him “Hipster Jesus.” His performance was compelling enough, though, to ensure that a feature film focusing exclusively on the life of Christ will hit screens in late February.
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Despite its reputation as a deeply blasphemous (and hilarious) film, the movie is actually extremely cautious and reverent in its treatment of the actual Jesus (Kenneth Colley). The film follows a first-century Jew whose brief foray into anti-Roman terrorism makes him a reluctant Messiah to a populace desperate for a freedom fighter. The few brief distant scenes of the real deal are largely used to mock the self-seriousness of believers.
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Hey, we never said they all had to be THAT Jesus. Despite being a minor character with no real bearing on the plot, The Jesus was instantly a crowd favorite. The film itself took a while to find it’s following, but not The Jesus. Though credit must always go to the oddball brothers behind the camera, you have to admire the full-throttle gusto with which Coen Bros. veteran Turturro dives into the role.
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