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Video / DVD: Rewind
The greatest story ever filmed
By PHILIP BOOTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 17, 2003
[Photo: Universal]
Martin Scorsese’s controversial The Last Temptation of Christ stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus.
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Christians around the world will celebrate Easter this weekend, with services centered on Christ's death and resurrection. For believers and others alike, the Biblical account of Christ's life offers a narrative marked by great spiritual passion, high human drama and ingenious plotting.
No wonder Hollywood hasn't been able to resist. Biopics, reverent (King of Kings) and controversial (The Last Temptation of Christ), have rolled across the big screen since the dawn of film history. A selected list:
Jesus of Nazareth (1977) -- Franco Zeffirelli devotes six hours to the life of Christ in this lovingly assembled miniseries. Robert Powell stars in the title role, and the cast also includes Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, James Mason, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Fernando Rey, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Michael York, Olivia Hussey and Ian Holm. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) -- Veteran filmmaker George Stevens (assisted by uncredited David Lean) elicits a first-class performance from Max von Sydow as Christ in a cameo-packed telling of his life story. The film, trimmed to 195 minutes from an original running time of 260, is one of the longest stories told on film, and it is spiked with appearances by big names and lesser lights of the era: Pat Boone, Jose Ferrer, Charlton Heston, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall, Sal Mineo, Sidney Poitier, Claude Rains, Telly Savalas, John Wayne, Shelley Winters, Robert Blake, Joan Crawford and on and on. King of Kings (1961) -- Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Ryan and Rip Torn top the cast of a movie directed by revered filmmaker Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause). The recently released DVD edition offers a brief behind-the-scenes documentary, newsreels documenting the movie's premiere and a cast list. The King of Kings (1927) -- Cecil B. DeMille's version of the life of Christ is more pomp from the director of The Ten Commandments. According to the Chicago Reader: "The sincerity is moving; the piety insufferable." Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) -- The songs rule in this high-energy, once-controversial musical, directed by Norman Jewison and adapted from the hugely popular Broadway hit created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Ted Neeley stars as Jesus, Carl Anderson is Judas and Josh Mostel is King Herod. Another version, inspired by the 1999 stage revival, was released two years ago. Godspell (1973) -- Hilariously referenced by Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents, this hippiefied version of the life of Christ is based on the account told in the New Testament book of Matthew. The performances in this adaptation of the long-running off-Broadway musical are exuberant, and the movie boasts another great soundtrack. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) -- Picketers came out to protest the release of Martin Scorsese's film, which emphasizes the human side of the title character's dual nature. Willem Dafoe stars as Jesus. The movie also stars Barbara Hershey, Harvey Keitel and avant-jazz saxophonist John Lurie. The Criterion Collection DVD edition offers a commentary by Scorsese, Dafoe, screenwriter Paul Schrader and film critic Jay Cocks; production footage; and an interview with score composer Peter Gabriel. The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1905)/From the Manger to the Cross (1912) -- These silent movies, packaged together on DVD, attracted huge audiences worldwide. The first is in French, with English subtitles. According to www.Amazon.com, "These milestones of early cinema won a screen life of decades when most secular films of the time measured their commercial life in weeks."
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