Picture of Robert Powell playing Jesus of Nazareth. Copyright: ITV plc (Granada International)

Jesus of Nazareth is a six-hour, sixteen-minute television miniseries of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus based on the accounts given in the Christian gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Robert Powell (born June 1, 1944), is a highly successful British actor with many film and television roles to his credit. ... ITV plc is a British media company which operates the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ... A miniseries, in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One or Messiah. He is also considered a very important prophet in Islam and a... The Gospel of Matthew (literally: according to Matthew, Greek: Κατα Μαθθαιον ) is one of the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Mark is traditionally the second of the New Testament Gospels. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the sequence of the canon as printed in the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written. ...

The movie was produced by Lew Grade through his ITC Entertainment company, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and written by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d'Amico, after Zeffirelli was approached by Pope Paul VI to make a film about Christ. Lew Grade, Baron Grade (birth name Louis Winogradsky) (December 25, 1906 - December 13, 1998) was an influential showbusiness impresario and television company executive in the United Kingdom. ... -1... Gianfranco Corsi (born February 12, 1923), better known as Franco Zeffirelli, is an Italian film director. ... Anthony Burgess Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 - November 22, 1993) was an English novelist and critic. ... Pope Paul VI (Latin: ), born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978), reigned as Pope and as sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. ...

Jesus of Nazareth premiered worldwide on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday in 1977 and continues to be broadcast every Easter and Christmas in the US (shown on the History Channel). Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the church calendar observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. ... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 30-33 (see Good Friday). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Christmas is a holiday observed in much of the world on 25 December (or on 7 January in most Eastern Orthodox Churches). ... The History Channel is a cable television channel, dedicated to the presentation of historical events and persons, often with frequent observations and explanations by noted historians as well as reenactors and witnesses to events, if possible. ...

As attested by reviewers on imdb.com, amazon.com, and amazon.uk, it remains the most critically-acclaimed and publicly-beloved film on Jesus. For its fifth airing on US television at Easter 1987, TV Guide called it "the best miniseries of all time" and "unparallelled television." TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ...

Newsweek writer Harry F. Waters remarked that: The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ...

"Rarely have the humanity and divinity of Christ been evoked with as much passion, sensitivity, and ecumenical deference as Zeffirelli has brought to the story."

Rev. Patrick Sullivan of the U.S. Catholic Conference ("New Look at Jesus," April 4, 1977) was quoted as saying:

"Zeffirelli has succeeded admirably in making Christ's story understandable to a modern secular audience".

A review in Variety read: Variety (linguistics) is a concept that includes for instance dialects, standard language and jargon. ...

"Passion, beauty, and brilliant storytelling are all on display in this six-hour-plus epic from Italian director Franco Zeffirelli. Robert Powell is superb in the title role, and with the overwhelming success of this TV movie throughout the world, has perhaps become what Jesus looks like in many people's minds. The story begins with the arrangements of the wedding between Joseph and Mary, and chronicles the nativity, the encounter with John the Baptist (a ferocious Michael York) and everything up to the crucifixion and resurrection. This film is beautifully shot on actual locations, with haunting music by Maurice Jarre and an all-star cast, including Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Ian Holm, Ernest Borgnine, Peter Ustinov, James Mason, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer. Zeffirelli has created a thorough, but never dull or dogmatic, retelling of the story, and the result is a uniquely transcendental film that holds the power to inspire no matter what the viewer's beliefs or background."

Maurice Jarre (born in Lyon, France, September 13, 1924) is a French composer of film scores, noted for his use of the Ondes Martenot, and for the scores of many films including a series of David Lean films, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryans Daughter (1970) and A...

Cast

• Robert Powell as Jesus; Powell never blinks throughout the entire film, giving his character a somewhat unearthly and unsettling air, although he blinks while turning his head but when speaking directly towards someone he stares directly without blinking.
• Olivia Hussey as Mary
• Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene
• Ernest Borgnine as the Roman centurion
• Claudia Cardinale as the Adulteress
• Valentina Cortese as Herodias
• James Farentino as Peter
• Ian Holm as Zerah
• James Earl Jones as Balthazar
• Stacy Keach as Barabbas
• James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea
• Ian McShane as Judas Iscariot
• Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus
• Donald Pleasence as Melchior
• Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas
• Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas
• Fernando Rey as Gaspar
• Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate
• Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great
• Michael York as John the Baptist
• Tony Lo Bianco as Quintillius

Robert Powell (born June 1, 1944), is a highly successful British actor with many film and television roles to his credit. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One or Messiah. He is also considered a very important prophet in Islam and a... Blinking eye Blinking is a function of the eye. ... Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna on April 17, 1951 in Buenos Aires Argentina) is a British actress who appeared as Juliet in Zeffirellis 1968 movie version of Romeo and Juliet. ... Mary is a popular female name worldwide. ... Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate Anne Bancroft (September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress, born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in The Bronx, New York to Michael and Mildred Italiano, both children of Italian immigrants. ... Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted disciple of Jesus. ... Ernest Borgnine shows off his new Chief Petty Officer cover at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C October 15, 2004 Ernest Borgnine shows off his new Chief Petty Officer cover at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C October 15, 2004 Ernest Borgnine (born January 24, 1917) is an... Modern reconstruction of a centurio of 70 AC A centurion (Latin: centurio; Greek: hekatontarchos) was a professional officer of the Roman army. ... Claudia Cardinale (born April 15, 1938) is an actress born in Tunis, Tunisia to Italian parents. ... Valentina Cortese (born January 1, 1925) is an Italian actress. ... Herodias was a Jewish princess famous for her beauty and love affairs, daughter of Aristobulus III of Judea. ... James Farentino (Born February 24, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor. ... Saint Peter, also known as Peter, Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha—original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14)—was one of the twelve original disciples or apostles of Jesus. ... Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born September 12, 1931) is a British actor. ... Zerah or Zérach (זֶרַח / זָרַח Sunrise, Standard Hebrew Zéraḥ / Záraḥ, Tiberian Hebrew Zéraḥ / Zāraḥ) 1. ... James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is a well-known American actor who was born in Arkabutla, Tate County, Mississippi, the son of Robert Earl Jones, and raised in Dublin, Michigan, by his maternal grandparents. ... Balthazar can refer to One of the Three Wise Men In the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of three parts of the biocomputer located in NERVs First Branch. ... Stacy Keach (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. ... Give us Barabbas! In the Christian story of the Passion of Jesus, Barabbas, actually Jesus bar-Abbas, (Aramaic Bar-abbâ, son of the father), was the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem. ... James Mason in North by Northwest. ... Joseph of Arimathea, according to the Gospels, was the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. ... Ian McShane (born 29 September 1942 in Blackburn) is a British actor. ... Judas Iscariot (died April AD 29–33, Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ) was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, and the one who ultimately betrayed him. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... Nicodemus (Greek: Νικόδημος) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who showed favor to Jesus. ... Donald Pleasence (October 5, 1919 - February 2, 1995) was an English actor. ... Melchior can refer to One of the Three Wise Men Malchior, a villain in the Teen Titans animated series. ... Christopher Plummer photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Christopher Plummer (born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer on December 13, 1927) is a Canadian theatrical, film and television actor. ... Herod Antipas (short for Antipatros) was an ancient leader (tetrarch, meaning ruler of a quarter) of Galilee and Perea. ... Anthony Quinn Anthony Quinn (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001) was an Mexican-American actor, painter, and writer. ... In the New Testament, Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest to whom Jesus was taken after his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, and who played a part in Jesus crucifixion. ... Fernando Rey Fernando Casado DArambillet, known as Fernando Rey, (September 20, 1917 - March 9, 1994) was born in A Coruña, Spain, then known as La Coruña, the son of Colonel Casado Veiga. ... The name Gaspar can be used as: an alternate spelling of Casper; a males given name a city in Brazil; Gaspar, Santa Catarina a character in Chrono Trigger; Gaspar This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Rod Steiger (April 14, 1925 - July 9, 2002) was an American actor. ... Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!), Antonio Ciseris depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus of Nazareth to the people of Jerusalem Pontius Pilate (Latin Pontius Pilatus) was the governor of the small Roman province of Judea from AD 26 until around AD 36. ... Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander von Ustinow) (April 16, 1921 – March 28, 2004) was a British-born and raised actor, writer, dramatist and raconteur. ... Herod I, also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman client-king of Judaea (c. ... Michael York (born March 27, 1942, Fulmer, England) is a prolific actor now resident in California. ... The Baptism of Christ, by Piero della Francesca, 1449 John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or Yahya the Baptizer) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ...

Ratings

• Argentina - 13
• Australia - G - (Cut Version) M - (Original Uncut Version)
• West Germany - 12
• Singapore - PG
• USA - PG-13

See also

• Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972) by Franco Zeffirelli
• Christian anarchism
• Leo Tolstoy (1894) The Kingdom of God is Within You [1] ISBN 0803294042
• Richard Bach (1970) Jonathan Livingston Seagull ISBN 0380012863

Graham Faulkner as Francesco, or Francis Franco Zeffirellis Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), conceived and executed in much the same visual manner as his Oscar winning Romeo and Juliet (1968), attempts to draw parallels between the work and philosophy of Francis of Assisi and the ideology that underpinned the... Christian anarchism (also known as Christian libertarianism) is the belief that the only source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable is God, embodied in the teachings of Jesus. ... Leo Tolstoy, pictured late in life Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (?) (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й; commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy) (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910, N.S.; August 28, 1828 – November 7, 1910, O.S.) was a Russian novelist, social reformer, pacifist, Christian anarchist, vegetarian, moral thinker and an influential... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The 1st English edition of The Kingdom of God is Within You, 1894 The Kingdom of God is Within You is a non-fiction work written by Leo Tolstoy and was first published in Germany in 1894, after being banned in his home country of Russia. ... Richard Bach (born June 23, 1936) is an American writer. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jonathan Livingston Seagull was first published in 1970 and is the work of Richard Bach. ...

Further reading

• Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary (1984, Harper & Row) by Franco Zeffirelli ISBN 0060697806 - A moving account of the film from conception through its final shot and the effects it has had on viewers. Of special note is the director's recounting of his prime motivation in making the film: to put an end to the belief that the Jews killed Jesus.

• Man of Nazareth: A Novel (1979) by Anthony Burgess. Full-length novel based on his screenplay for the movie but containing much additional material.

• Jesus of Nazareth (1977, Collins) by William Barclay ISBN 000250653X - An adaptation of the screenplay, lavishly illustrated with color photos from the film.

This page refers to the year 1979. ... Anthony Burgess Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 - November 22, 1993) was an English novelist and critic. ...

External links

• Jesus of Nazareth at the Internet Movie Database
• A fan site
• Jesus of Nazareth at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list