....the highest grossing religious film of all time..
Theatre poster---Christ depicted as Ecce Homo.
Posted on 02/18/2016 4:21:49 PM PST by Kaslin
Let's be honest. Hollywood does not exactly have the best track record when it comes to producing accurate faith-based movies. Remember the giant rock creatures from "Noah"?
So when I heard that Sony Pictures was about to release a faith-based film called "Risen", I was a bit skeptical. Typically faith-based movies are faith-bashing movies.
And when "Risen" earned three-and-a-half stars from the left wingers at the Seattle Times, I was incredulous.
But when I saw the film's trailer, I was astonished - Hollywood got it right.
"Risen" is a powerful telling of the aftermath of the resurrection of Jesus told from the perspective of a non-believer - a Roman military officer.
Joseph Fiennes plays Clavius, assigned to investigate the disappearance of Jesus' body. It's like an old school detective noir story - think C.S.I. Jerusalem.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’ve heard very good things about Risen. I rarely catch movies at the theaters themselves anymore, but I just may show up for this one.
Thanks for sharing that.
I will plan to watch it soon.
Franco is still alive at about 90, still smokes and is still sharp. He is ethnically Jewish, born of a Jewish mother. Whether he was ever a believer in Judaism, I don’t know. But his Jewish background was an original factor in making the Catholic Church wary of his project so much so as to denounce his plans for ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ as a project of slander and scandal against Christianity.
However, Franco comes from an era when Jews were more tolerant of people in general, or he just happens to be a righteous person. In any event, he described his project to the Vatican and invited them to be on set to see for themselves and to contribute or inquire when there were questions or concerns. The result was an incredible work that has never been equaled. The film has turned countless people to Christ.
When asked why he chose Jesus to be his project when he himself was a Jew or from a Jewish family, he remarked “there’s just something about the story”.
I actually think it is divine that a non-Christian, a Jew, directed the film because the whole event in history becomes so much more believable, why? Because if we were alive and witnessing, I think most of us would be scratching our heads in disbelief and trying to rationalize the whole thing as a magic show of some sort. Whereas, if a devout Christian had filmed it, it may have come across as preachy and canned.
I love the film because the characters treat Jesus like a lunatic, like he’s a weakling, a ‘twirp’ or something beneath them, and then it becomes clear via simple glances, penetrating stares, simple speech and questions, and a hypnotic countenance that this is not an ordinary man.
And so the rough burly Peter (Simon) who on first meeting Jesus is so pissed off at life and the world that he wants to take this ‘holy man’ and wring him by the neck, looks at Jesus in contempt but holds back his fists.
Later, after Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son with Simon Peter staying outside the group in bitter temper but wanting to hear Jesus, one moment angry, the next moment confused, he finally submits like a crying child to Jesus, weeping “forgive me Master, I’m just a stupid man”.
The whole film is this way, magnificently develops the very real human character behaviors found in all of us so that we identify with the people in it and feel we are part of it.
This was Zeffirelli’s doing, to bring in attitudes that are real like “who is this fake bastard sonofabitch?”, this “friend of whores” etc. so that we all see someone we know in the film and how they are transformed. We see the whole society split right down the middle, exclaiming WTF? Flog the SOB! But in the end it is evident that Jesus is King, that no one could ever be like him and not be a King.
That was all Zeffirelli’s doing, and I think it was because he was not a Christian that he was able to bring these human elements into it that made the film so much more full and real.
The acting is incredible and the cast is star-studded. To this day, I believe the big names in the cast did it for charity because there is no way a film budget could have afforded so many big name stars.
“Which was the one with Jeffrey Hunter?”
King of Kings.
Best. Jesus. Ever.
Also, LOVED the soundtrack.
There are 2 must watch movies for me each year. The Passion of the Christ and They Nativity.
I’ve seen the movies and read all the Left Behind books by Tim La Haye and Jerry Jenkins.
The JESUS OF NAZARETH TV series brings to life all the sweeping drama in the life of Jesus, as told by the Gospels. Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection,
IMDB.COM has the full roster of mega-stars Zeferelli cast.
Theatre poster---Christ depicted as Ecce Homo.
Thanks, for the life of me I couldn’t remember the title of that film!!!
Yes, thank you!!
Yes, thank you! I also thought Jeffrey Hunter did a very good job. His interpretation captured not only the charisma Jesus must have had, but also his sensitivity to the suffering people around him.
The Jesus he portrayed was really someone who WOULD be followed!
For later. Thanks.
I agree that Jesus of Nazareth is a great film/miniseries. It is probably the best over-all film on the life of Christ. Before it, films about Christ did not show him as human. Jeffrey Hunter in King of Kings was rather robotic as though he was afraid to offend anyone by showing any emotion. Also, previous films did not show the purpose of Christ. He is usually depicted as a great and wise man who performs miracles, and then is unfortunately executed. J.O.N. makes it clear from the beginning the purpose of Christ's death, and having Olivier as Nicodemus reciting Isaiah 53 during the Crucifixion certainly drives the point home.
However, I think a lot of credit for the film belongs to author Anthony Burgess. You may not believe this, but I read an interview with Burgess in which he said that Zeffirelli wanted to imply that Jesus and the apostle John were lovers (that was when I learned that Zeffirelli was gay). Burgess absolutely refused to add any such moment to the script, and told Zeffirelli that he could cut in some shots of Jesus and John looking longingly at other if he insisted on doing it. Fortunately, the idea was dropped.
Zeffirelli was also a bit coy about including the resurrection. They shot a scene of Christ appearing to the Disciples, because I have seen a photo of Robert Powell displaying his wounded hand, but Zeffirelli didn't think it worked. In the end, he left all of that out. The final scene of Christ with the Disciples can actually be interpreted as a flashback if one wishes. I wish Zeffirelli had been more up front with his depiction of the resurrection.
Another interesting thing to check out is Burgess's novel based on his screenplay called Man of Nazareth. It's a lot like the screenplay, with some of the dialog exactly like the film. But the characters are actually richer in the novel, and it had a better ending than the movie.
I agree it’s probably been done at least 3 times.
But the focus is in the right direction IMHO.
******************===SPOILER ALERT===******************
From a strictly technical standpoint the movie is well done. Cinematography, casting and acting were all first rate. The movie begins with a disheveled Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) trekking through the Judean desert in the aftermath of events, and stopping at a remote waystation, where the innkeeper recognizes him as a Roman and notes he is wearing the ring of a tribune. As the innkeeper engages Clavius in conversation, Clavius stares out the window which is divided by two wooden branches which form a cross. The movie then flashes back to Clavius engaged in battle putting down a band of Jewish insurrectionists in the days prior to Passover (there's some battlefield violence here that contributed to the PG-13 rating).
The movie is of course, speculative fiction, so while the events are extra-biblical in a Ben-Hur kind of way, there's nothing that overtly conflicts with the New Testament.
From a Christian apologetics standpoint, there were two passages I found particularly profound. In one scene, Clavius speaks to Christ on a starlight night while the apostles are asleep. Clavius admits to Christ something to the effect of, "When you died, I was there. I helped kill you." It occurred to me that Clavius was speaking for me and for all humanity; Christ died for all of us, and consequently, we all had a hand in His death.
At then end of the movie, Clavius is back in the remote inn speaking with the innkeeper again, staring out the crossed window. Fiennes does a magnificent job of portraying a witness to the most profound series of events in human history whose physical wanderings at this point are symbolic of his spiritual and intellectual wanderings, trying to make sense of all he has witnessed. The innkeeper asks if he believes to which Clavius replies something to the effect, "I believe I will never be the same again." When I first saw the movie last night it caught me as a bit weak and non-committal, but in watching it a second time and pondering it a bit, it seems to be the appropriate response for the Clavius character at that time. Certainly, without the benefit of 2,000 years of hindsight, and knowing the full import of events just witnessed, and having (just a few days earlier) been a worshipper of the Roman god Mars, Clavius was now looking at somebody who had just given up a position of power and import within Roman society to embrace something he didn't fully understand, but knew that his life had been altered for eternity.
The PG-13 rating is appropriate, although I think mature kids with an interest in the New Testament could probably handle it at 11 or 12.
Franco Zeffirelli turned 93 on February 12.
Yes...sorry, I could have worded that more clearly.
Thanks for this great tip on Jesus of Nazereth. I’ve been watching one hour at a time. Just finished watching the Prodigal Son scene as depicted in Matthew’s house.
I cried like a baby.
So amazing.
Thanks again.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most beautiful heartfelt stories in history. The movie does it great justice.
That YouTube link has a repeating problem towards the end where it suddenly backtracks to earlier scenes. When I saw it, I just took the player to the end and then it auto shifted over to Part 2.
I’m glad you appreciate this work. It’s not anything most of us are not familiar with but it presents it in such a fashion that really drives the whole message home without Hollywood special effects or overly dramatic scenes. It simply feels real.
The screenwriter and set designers took great pains to make it as real as possible. I think they succeeded.
War Room was great. We had it Sunday night a few weeks ago and now our Pastor is teaching the class that goes with it on Wednesday evenings in Bible study. We are having our largest crowds on Wednesday nights that we have had in years.
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