Jesus at The Movies by Hans Wiersma, Augsburg College

Hollywood can’t resist a good story, which explains in part why the Gospels get Tinseltown’s treatment every now and then. Herewith, the Top Ten Jesus Movies of all time (in chronological order):

Title of Movie Name of Actor Who COMMENTS (Year) Played Jesus and one other role he played Directed by Cecil B. DeMille, this is the first major Hollywood production of the Gospel story. H.B. Warner It is also the first of many to invent narrative The King of Kings also played Emil Gower in the devices and plot lines not found in the original (1927) Frank Capra classic, It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) texts: e.g., Mary Magdalene has a thing going with Judas. She also has the best line in the movie: “Harness my Zebras!” With a cast of thousands, including Hollywood legends like Charlton Heston, Angela Lansbury, The Greatest Story Max von Sydow Sidney Poitier, and John Wayne, this portrayal of Ever Told also played the Brewmeister in the life and (for instance, when John Wayne, Bob and Doug McKenzie’s (1965) Strange Brew (1983) playing the Centurion, says, “Surely, the was the Son of God”). Although the film does not live up to its title, it has some good moments. This movie’s rendition of Tim Rice/Andrew Ted Nelly Lloyd Webber’s climactic “Superstar” (complete Jesus Christ, Superstar also played…well, not much. He with the sequined go-go dancers) is alone worth (1971) did manage an episode or two of the price of admission. Judas totally upstages “Starsky and Hutch” in 1979 Jesus. As do Herod and Pilate for that matter. But who cares? This movie rocks! Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, if this isn’t the best Jesus movie, it’s certainly the longest (at six Jesus of Nazareth Robert Powell hours and fifteen minutes in its original also played Captain Walker in (1977) the The Who’s Tommy (1975) incarnation). In this film, Jesus never blinks. Ok, one time. Also, James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader) plays one of the Three Magi. Okay, technically about a contemporary of Jesus Graham Chapman named Brian, this Monty Python movie has The Life of Brian also played King Arthur in something to offend everyone. The concluding (1979) Monty Python and The scene is either utter blasphemy or a profound Holy Grail (1975) parody of the “theology of glory” depending upon your eye for irony.

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This movie is not a reenactment of the gospels; rather, it is a movie about what happens to actors who put on a passion play and find themselves Jésus de Montréal Lothaire Bluteau playing their parts in real life as well. The actor also played the voice of Francois (1989) (a dog) in Snow Buddies (2008) playing the actor who plays Jesus does a fine job morphing into the movie’s Christ figure – a Christ figure who just happens to be playing the part of Christ. Picketed when it was released in theatres, this misunderstood movie is based on a novel by The Last Temptation Willem Defoe Nicholas Kazantzakis. The “last temptation” of Christ also played the Green Goblin in refers to a lengthy dream-sequence in which all three Spiderman movies (1988) (2002, 2004, 2007) Satan tries to coax Jesus from the cross with visions of a peaceful, pleasurable life. Oh, yeah: David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. This Made-for-TV-Movie (it looks it) features a youthful Jesus played with a little bit of a Jesus Jeremy Sisto “California Surfer” attitude. On display is one of (2000) also played Earl in Waitress (2007) Hollywood’s more creative casting decisions: Jacqueline Bisset as the Virgin Mary. This often overlooked film offers a unique and challenging adaptation of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in the Fourth The Gospel of John Henry Ian Cusick Gospel (no ―synoptic problem‖ here!). Narrated (2003) also played Desmond Hume in the TV series “Lost” (2005-09) by Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music’s Captain von Trapp), the story line follows the ―Good News‖ translation of John quite closely. Bloodier than all of the Lethal Weapon movies combined, fully one-third of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion James Caviezel focuses upon the beating Jesus received from his of the Christ also played Jerry in captors. This film is unavoidably disturbing and (2004) Pay It Forward (2000) moving. Not one for the kiddies to watch. All of the dialogue is in either Latin or Aramaic (!) — thank goodness for subtitles.

HONORABLE MENTION One-Word Review Il Vangelo Secundo Matteo (The Gospel according to Matthew) (1964) “Gritty”

NOT QUITE UP TO SNUFF One-Word Review Il Vangelo Secundo Matteo (The Gospel according to Matthew) (1964) “Inept” Godspell: A Musical based on the Matthew’s Gospel (1973) “Flower-childish” The Jesus Film (1979) “Pushy” The Visual Bible: Matthew (1993) “Overly-literal”

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