Easter Special: Jesus in Cinema

The King of Kings (1927) – H. B. Warner The legendary Cecil B. DeMille’s last silent film, it does have its odd, completely original material (including its fairly creative opening in which Mary Magdalene, possessed by the Seven Deadly Sins, searches for her lover, Judah Iscariot), but he does mostly stick to the events outlined by the Bible. He doesn’t put everything in order, but Hollywood’s most ambitious director does a fine job adding more of his unique touch. The famous resurrection scene, one of two sequences in the film shown in colour, remains as powerful as ever.

King of Kings (1961) – Jeffrey Hunter Released by the same studio (MGM) a couple of years after their enormous success of Ben-Hur, even the poster for King of Kings shared a similar style to the Oscar-winning Charlton Heston epic. So imagine everyone’s disappointment when the box office returns were weak. The mass appeal of its attractive sparkling blue-eyed Hunter couldn’t pull in massive numbers at the cinemas, although his youthful look did give the film its lasting nickname of I Was a Teenage Jesus, a parody of the title I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).

The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) – Enrique Irazoqui Famous for having most of its dialogue taken straight out of Matthew’s Gospel, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s take on Jesus is unique in the way that the director himself couldn’t be further from being a devout Christian. With his reputation of being an atheist, homosexual and Marxist individual, he doesn’t sentimentalise nor does he glorify the story – instead he chooses to keep an accurate record of events. Most refreshing however, is Irazoqui’s aggressive, outspoken Jesus.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) – Max von Sydow An expensive flop for United Artists, von Sydow plays Jesus amongst the starry ensemble cast that includes Charlton Heston, Claude Raines, Jose Ferrer, John Wayne, Angela Lansbury, Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters. This epic tale of massive proportions (e.g. its 260-minute running time), there is no denying that this is a challenging, butt-aching watch, but the sheer ambition and vision director George Stevens carried with the project is well worth a watch, perhaps not in a single sitting though.

Gospel Road (1973) – Robert Elfstrom The year 1973 saw the release of three musical films based on the life of Jesus Christ and perhaps the most memorable one is the feature sung and narrated by American country singer Johnny Cash. His wife June Carter Cash stars as Mary Magdalene, and with its on location shoot in Israel, combine these with Cash’s original songs in his signature performance style perfectly suiting the film’s every scene, what could have been a cheesy, tacky music video turns into a touching, sincere piece.

Godspell (1973) – Victor Garber The fact that this is set in the 70s New York should immediately tell you that Godspell: A Musical Based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (its full title) is not your typical film telling the story of Jesus. Yet its fresh, comical approach, smart and never offensive, full of entertaining, catchy tunes written by Stephen Schwartz (now an Oscar-winning composer for Disney) is exactly the reason for the film’s timeless appeal. Jesus does dress up as a clown here, all the more reason to seek this one out.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) – Ted Neeley It was only a matter of time before Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit, award-winning stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar caught the attention of film studio bosses. Two years after its stage debut, Webber’s biblical tale made it to the screens and was met with mixed reviews. There is no doubting Webber’s talent when it comes to music composition, but Neeley’s Jesus has been criticised as being more “whiny than heroic” with its general tone being “monotonous” and “tedious,” never a good sign for a musical.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) – Willem Dafoe A more human, perhaps more relatable take on the Crucifixion, Jesus contemplates a quieter, less painful life with his “love” Mary Magdalene. Plagued by doubt, depression and lust, this brave departure from what the scripture says attracted a fair amount of contorversy for director Martin Scorsese, but it’s a contemplative piece and an interesting spin on a widely accepted story. Christians, try to watch and absorb with an open mind. Non-Christians, indulge in this honest bit of filmmaking by one of Hollywood’s finest.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) – Jim Caviezel The brutal yet riveting portrayal of the last few hours of Christ’s life is an unforgettably raw and bloody experience, and yet the violence seems never unnecessary or over-the-top. Whether you believe in this story or not shouldn’t prevent you from being completely drawn in. Mel Gibson’s reputation may have gone downhill over the recent years but his directorial achievement here is unquestionably bold and unique, putting his lead, the usually quiet yet intense Caviezel through many tough physical ordeals.