Jesus of Nazareth

Whole books have been written about the film versions of the life of Jesus. The enormous number of personal reviews attached to the Zeffirelli DVDs in the Amazon website, covering all manner of topics, attests to what can be said. The purpose of my review is to clarify some points about timings, and to urge that some sort of deluxe edition should be marketed in America.First, let me address timings. The American Edition of Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth, the product under review here and timed at 382 minutes, is indeed the longest edition available.When the miniseries was first transferred to VHS on 3 tapes on the CBS label in 1986, it was 6 minutes shorter in duration, i.e., 376 minutes long. What was left out were a few short snippets of footage, notably the scene where the child Jesus, hearing Joseph expound on how a ladder can reach up to heaven, climbs up a ladder and looks out over the village from the vantage of the roof. Artisan added in the 6 minutes when it produced its own 3 tape VHS version in 1993, and it is this longer version which was transferred to 2 DVDs in 2000, and that has been reissued since then.Oddly, when the miniseries found its way on to DVD in Europe, it was not in this complete version. Initially, the British issuance (270 minutes) truncated about 30% of the footage. Eventually, the British produced what they referred to as a Complete Edition, but which actually runs at 372 minutes. There is discussion out there about how the difference between NTSC (American TV format) and PAL (European TV format) causes a difference in running time. However, that is not the issue here. The British Edition is shorter because of scene cuts. Notably, the scene, in which Zerah meets with Judas a second time to convince him to hand Jesus over to the Sanhedrin, is missing, along with small snippets from the Last Supper scene. I've seen the Dutch edition on DVD which purports to be an Extended Version at 399 minutes, but it adds nothing that is not in the American edition at 382 minutes. Finally, I've seen the 5 Disc Deluxe edition that recently came out in Italy; the main feature runs 376 minutes, omitting the Zerah and Last Supper scenes mentioned above.THEREFORE, THE AMERICAN EDITION OF ZEFFIRELLI'S JESUS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ANYONE WHO SERIOUSLY WANTS AS COMPLETE A FEATURE AS IS AVAILABLE.So why even mention the European editions if the American one is already the most complete? Because as a fanatic fan of Zeffirelli's Jesus, I have always wanted a Deluxe Edition. You know the kind I mean, with restored picture, color, and sound, and extra discs for deleted scenes, interviews, and all the rest. The industry gives this kind of treatment to all sorts of contemporary films, no matter whether the film deserves such treatment or not. Yet, for such a magnificent accomplishment as Zeffirelli's Jesus, nothing.Well no, I take that back. Nothing in America, but in Italy they've taken a different tack. I recently acquired the 5 Disc Deluxe Italian Edition that I mentioned above (Gesu di Nazareth, Mondo Home Entertainment, EAN 8032442217816). True, the feature is shorter in the Italian than in the American, but then the Judas scenes are included among the Deleted Scenes on the Extras Discs. The package also includes interviews with Zeffirelli and others who participated in production, as well as production stills, and genuine TV Trailers (albeit British TV Trailers, not American TV Trailers, but at least not the faux trailer that Artisan's DVD American Edition included), etc. My problem is that my Italian leaves a lot to be desired, and the Italian Deluxe Edition does not give English subtitles for the interviews, which are naturally spoken in Italian.SO I AM LEFT TO HOPE FOR A DELUXE AMERICAN EDITION TO COME ALONG THAT WILL INCLUDE THE FEATURE AT 382 MINUTES, BUT THAT WILL ALSO CLEAN UP THE PICTURE AND SOUND, AND INCLUDE OTHER DELETED SCENES, GENUINE TV TRAILERS, INTERVIEWS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES, AND OTHER EXTRAS.On the subject of deleted scenes, by the way, I would like to mention a few instances for my fellow fanatics. There is one deleted scene that undoubtedly once existed. That is the scene, following Jesus' baptism but before he announces the Acceptable Year of the Lord in the synagogue, when he goes out into the desert and is tempted by the devil. Zeffirelli mentions the scene in his book "Jesus: A Spiritual Diary", translated into English in 1984. The scene was actually intended to be included in the final cut for airing, but at the last moment Zeffirelli changed his mind. The scene must truly have been a last minute cut because a color still from the scene is included in both William Barclay's book "Jesus of Nazareth", that accompanied the airing of the miniseries in 1977, and the cover materials for the soundtrack album. Unfortunately, this scene is not included among the deleted scenes in the Italian Deluxe Edition. Zeffirelli's book also makes mention of filming the scene of the risen Jesus in a different format, which was never completed, and maybe was left on the cutting room floor. Don't get me wrong. I trust Zeffirelli's judgement in cutting these scenes. I am not advocating that they be reintegrated into the feature if they could be found. I'd just like to see them if they still exist, at least in a Deleted Scenes Section. Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary Jesus Of Nazareth Man of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth (Score)

I've seen this movie so many times that I've lost count. In a word, it's magnificent. The party at Matthew's home and Jesus' telling of the story of the Prodigal Son -- bringing Peter and Matthew to embrace each other after several scenes of pent-up anger to a loving conclusion was but one of several *PRICELESS* scenes that every human being should see. When the men who came to stone the adultress, and Christ just calmly writes in the dust while they press their case, well, my breath was taken away with how well this scene was handled. I've never seen another movie capture the very essense of guilt better than this one. After he spoke his words of "let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone" ... followed by the incredible direction of the camera moving over to see the diciple's eyes rise up and stare down the now guilt-ridden men, well, ... I simply can't see how anyone cannot worship this man as THE Son of God.When Christ was suffering on the cross, seeing the scene with Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus reading from the scroll of Isaiah 53,"He was despised and rejected by men,a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.Like one from whom men hide their faceshe was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely he took up our infirmitiesand carried our sorrows,yet we considered him stricken by God,smitten by him, and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,and by his wounds we are healed.... Born Again!" was again, Priceless and Breathtaking! What a great epiphany that must have been for him to see Prophecy being fulfilled so dramatically!Finally, the scene of Olivia Hussey as Mary holding her son and crying out loud after his body was taken down off the cross was heart-wrenching and the most realistic presentation of "The Pieta" scene originally made famous by Michelangelo.See the movie ... experience it ... then seek to know the man Jesus.I noticed that someone wrote in an earlier review that this was all mythology. I respectfully disagree with that view. My reasoning is the same as that of one of the world's greatest Mathematicians. What would he think of me if I wrote the following about myself..."500 years from now, in the year 2505, my words will be spoken and published throughout the entire world. Every hour of every day in every nation of the world, my words will be quoted without end."What would you think of me after hearing me say something like that?Think about it.While thinking about it, consider the following..."Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." - Jesus (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33)"And the gospel must first be published among all nations." - Jesus (Mark 13:10)"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." - Jesus (Matthew 24:14)"Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." - Jesus (Matthew 26:13, Mark 14:9)Why not accept the wisdom of what one of the world's greatest Mathematicians had to say on the subject..."When I see the blindness and the wretchedness of man, when I regard the whole silent universe and man without light, left to himself and, as it were, lost in this corner of the universe, without knowing who has put him there, what he has come to do, what will become of him at death, and incapable of all knowledge, I become terrified, like a man who should be carried in his sleep to a dreadful desert island and should awake without knowing where he is and without means of escape.And thereupon I wonder how people in a condition so wretched do not fall into dispair. I see other persons around me of a like nature. I ask them if they are better informed than I am. They tell me that they are not. And thereupon these wretched and lost beings, having looked around them and seen some pleasing objects, have given and attached themselves to them. For my own part, I have not been able to attach myself to them, and, considering how strongly it appears that there is something else than what I see, I have examined whether this God has not left some sign of himself.I see many contradictory religions, and consequently all false save one. Each wants to be believed on it's own authority, and threatens unbelievers. I do not therefore believe them. Every one can say this; every one can call himself a prophet. But I see that Christian religion wherein prophecies are fulfilled; and that is what every one cannot do."-- Blaise Pascal, note #693 in section XI of Pensees', which I copied from the "Great Books of the Western World"There are many other fulfilled prophecies that I can refer to, but I think "Christ's Words" are a sufficiently amazing thing to ponder as one seeks TRUTH in this world.

"Jesus of Nazareth," a British and Italian co-production, a 6 hour mini-series first broadcast in April, 1977 in the U.K. and the U.S on the NBC television network. Tells the story of Jesus' life and times. Robert Powell is excellent as Jesus. The great supporting cast features Olivia Hussey as his mother Mary, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, Ernest Borgnine as the Centurion, Claudia Cardinale as the Adulteress, James Earl Jones as Balthazar, James Farentino as Simon Peter, Ian McShane as Judas Iscariot and Stacy Keach as Barabbas, Donald Pleasence as Melchior, Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas and Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas. Compelling and moving, it received great ratings and was watched by 90 million when first broadcast. The highlights the miracles Jesus performed, His parables and The Sermon on the Mount. I first watched this back in '77 when I was 21. Well, I'm 67 now and got it on DVD and appreciate more than ever.

Bought as a gift for my brother he really enjoyed the story

Belle image réstaurée ,bons acteurs ,belle musique,belle mis en cène un jésus plus vrai que nature( Robert Powel) ,que dire de plus .C'est la meilleure version avec celle de Mel Gibson et je les aient toutes vu.J'avais vu la série en 1977 en 6 épisodes,puis j'ais acheté la vertion dvd double face de 4h30 en 2 partie .Cette dernière vertion de plus de 6h00 en 4 episodes est superbe en plus avec des extraits en bonus de jounaux télévisés de l'époque de la sortie du film, interwiew du réalisateur on apprend que la série a l'origine en 6 épisodes est d'une durée de 7h30 avec toutes les cènes qui avaient été coupées pour la version cinéma sortie en 2 parties.Bon suport pédagogique pour les enfants car lors du tounage le réalisateur avait des spécialistes qu'il consultait pour l'exatitude des cènes filmées par raport a ĺa bible.Bon film.

By way of background info, I ordered this movie (from Amazon Canada) on BluRay last month (March 2021) and received it by mail in April. The seller was listed on Amazon as some dealer/company in France, but the package I received had a shipping label from the UK.I am very pleased with this disc (it’s actually a re-encoding of a TV series from way back in 1977). It is 6 hrs and 40 min long, and unlike what some other reviewers experienced, I had no trouble at all playing my disc on a standard BluRay player. It is region-free and encoded at full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) and 24fps (the ultimate international BluRay standard, and not some restrictive standard like NTSC / PAL / SECAM). I would venture to guess that no one, anywhere in the world, should have any trouble playing this on standard set-top BluRay players. The encoding standard is 1920 x 1080, but bear in mind that the original source material (the 1977 TV series) was VHS standard (or maybe Super VHS, I don’t know). What this means is that you get a TV picture in 4:3 aspect ratio, with black bands on both sides, left and right. There’s no getting around that, I’m afraid.The series itself is great for a guy like me – a believing Christian very familiar with the Gospel account of the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I remember watching the original 1977 TV series and feeling how beautiful it was. For non-believers, the disc may be of zero spiritual value, but perhaps of some esthetic value (the beautiful scenery / landscape of Morocco and Tunisia).I am very happy I bought this. I give it 5 stars.

Una película o mini-serie de las mejores que se han hecho sobre Jesús,con grandesactores interpretando a los principales personajes de esta historia. Igualmente la recrea-ción de la época es muy buena. Al ser una obra ya reconocida por mucha gente desdehace años es recomendable tenerla en dvd para apreciarla mejor.

Bellissima l'interpretazione di Robert Powell che è senza dubbio molto bravo. Alcuni dubbi invece per quanto riguarda l'efficacia della resa del racconto evangelico e della regia di Zeffirelli a tratti molto noiosa e con scene poco utili alla narrazione. Dvd funzionante e come da descrizione.