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Jesus of NazarethImagine, for one moment, the boldness that Franco Zeffirelli had to have in order to make a film of this magnitude. Imagine the painstaking research that must have gone into the script, the hours and hours that it must have taken the actors to learn their lines, the work that must have gone into the set design and costumes. Zeffirelli went out to make the most comprehensive, detailed film version of the life and ministry of Christ, pulling stories out of every gospel and fitting them into a coherent, chronological order in a movie that runs over six hours in length. He more or less succeeds in his task: With a cast of thousands, cameos by some of the biggest actors of all time, and most of the dialogue lifted straight out of the gospels, Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nathareth manages to be both a story of epic proportions and a thoughtful, personal examination of the people who Jesus touched with his ministry. The only place where the movie fails is in the person of Jesus himself. Zeffirelli is never able to break away from the traditional Christ of European art--the blond haired, blue-eyed Savior with either too little depth or so much that it makes him untouchable. Zeffirelli is so focused with getting the details right, he forgets to connect us to Christ! Despite this major flaw, Jesus of Nazareth is a labor of love for Zeffirelli, and I cannot help but recommend it. Christ's representation aside, how the director managed to assemble this all-star cast without their faces growing distracting is a miracle unto itself. Consider The Greatest Story Ever Told, where, when we recognized one of the famous guest stars, we were yanked out of the film and sometimes reduced to laughter ("Truly this man....was the son...of Gawd," John Wayne remarks, playing a centurion watching the crucifixion). This is because in that film, the actors were more or less playing themselves dressed up in period costumes. In Jesus of Nazareth, they are able to slip into their roles, and Zeffirelli casts the stars carefully to make sure that they fit into their parts. While some are distracting (Anthony Quinn and Ciaphas, James Earl Jones as one of the wise men), most--such as Christopher Plummer as King Herod, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, and Olivia Hussey as Virgin Mary--offer compelling interpretations of famous Biblical faces. The film is long--it was originally aired in three parts on television--but it certainly never drags. Zeffirelli gives an hour to the details surrounding Christ's birth, and it is even longer before we see him as an adult (where he is played by Robert Powell), and even then, countless scenes are devoted to other characters and their many subplots. Through these characters, Jesus is clearly represented as a threat to the established Jewish religion and the Roman Empire, who fear another insurrection from a self-proclaimed king. Zeffirelli does not misuse a single moment, and every bit of screen time is brought back to the ministry and miracles of Christ, and his inevitable trial, death, and resurrection. On that note, many of these miracles are some of the best ever put to screen: Jesus' raising of Lazarus is the stuff that cinema was made for, as Christ raises one hand into the air and points the other to the ground, as he commands with complete authority over the earth, "Come forth." Power from heaven seems to shoot into his raised hand and into Lazarus' grave, and even though those of us who are familiar with the story know what will happen, we still find ourselves waiting with baited breath. I also admired Zeffirelli's attention to the physical details of the small towns in Israel where Jesus developed his ministry. For the most part, Zeffirelli spares us of any complicated camera tricks, and he simply follows Jesus as he moves from location to location, performing miracles and preaching his sermons. Much research was done to make the costumes and the sets as realistic as possible, and frankly, I am sold. These people are not the pretty faces of old Hollywood epics (again, see The Greatest Story Ever Told). They are stinky, dirty, not manicured, and often pretty rotten sinners. As Jesus walks towards a house of drunkards in order to recruit some followers, his disciples try to convince him that the place is full of people that no prophet should be caught dead with. Jesus informs them that it is the sick that need a doctor, not the healthy. Point taken, but Zeffirelli makes clear why the disciples are cautious. Though most of the dialogue is lifted straight out of the Bible, Zeffirelli has to add a few modifications here and there to close in the gaps of story and character details left out of the gospel. Thus, Judas Iscariot (Ian McShane) is given a very clear motive as to why he betrays Jesus, and extra scenes are added that speculate how some of the other apostles met Jesus. Matthew (Keith Washington) and Simon Peter (James Farentino) have a particularly interesting relationship in the film, and though Peter was certainly headstrong in the Bible, his characteristics are greatly exaggerated here to create a rounder character. In one of the film's best scenes, Jesus uses the parable of the prodigal son to ask a reluctant Peter to become his follower, and Peter's reaction is one of shock and guilt. "I'm just a stupid fisherman," Peter pleads, not understanding why Christ would choose him. Jesus only looks at him and smiles, as if he can see all of Peter's faults and simply looks past them and into the good in the crusty old fisherman's soul. Still,
that brings us to the biggest problem in Jesus of Nazareth.
Zeffirelli does not attempt to glimpse into the person or the
humanity of Jesus. The director seems comfortable presenting the
iconic figure of traditional Christian depictions, and all that's
lacking is the halo. Actor Robert Powell is effective when he
is allowed to present the humanity in Christ, but for the most
part, he remains the only cast member who seems to be giving a
performance instead of seamlessly transitioning into his character.
Jesus' sermons seem scripted and rehearsed, and Powell treats
them more like Shakespeare soliloquies than heartfelt messages
of hope to a humanity that he loves dearly. For the most part,
Jesus watches from a distance and never attempts to relate to
his followers. Thus, Powell interprets Jesus as a man isolated
from the rest of the world, instead of a man who dives heart-first
into his mission to save the soul of man. I'm not saying that
Zeffirelli should have strayed from the Gospels' depiction of
Christ by presenting a more human side, but the Jesus in the Bible
demonstrates wit, compassion, and confirmations of his identity.
Powell's Christ lacks these qualities, and he plays his performance
too safe by creating a Jesus too impersonal.
Cast: A film by NBC Broadcasting. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Written by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess, and Suso Cecchi d'Amico. No M.P.A.A. rating (fine for older children/adults). Running time: 371 minutes. Original United States release date: April 3, 1977.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me: danel_the_tinman@hotmail.com |
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