Franco Zeffirelli is an Italian film director who made himself known to the world with his 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” which was nominated for an Oscar for that year. Endowed with a poetic sensibility in his images, he embarked on a project on the life of Jesus of Nazareth that came to an end as a miniseries for television and in some countries gave it to cinemas in two parts. . We are referring to “Jesus of Nazareth” from 1977 with an immense cast of both European and American actors.
Both the script and the length of the filming were due to the fact that the director wanted to cover almost all the passages that are written in the four gospels. The episodes demonstrate chronologically from the union of Joseph and Mary, the birth of the infant god in the dining room, his ministry, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus where the Christian world for all mankind will begin.
The setting is very well done and transports us to the time and the way in which the director manages to unite a lot of good actors so that it is a well made product and that it is to the liking of the public always attached to religiosity .
From the era of silent cinema some producers brought to the big screen, the history of the Bible creating a direct relationship with cinema. Such are the cases of director Ferdinand Zecca with his 1903 film “The Passion of the Christ.” In 1923, “The Ten Commandments” was premiered, directed by Cecil B. de Mille; “King of Kings” of 1927; “Noah’s Ark” from 1928 and so on arriving from the decade of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s movies with great productions that are considered true film classics.
However, in 1977 this miniseries was released, which Franco Zeffirelli wanted to direct as a further example of the fact that although the story is the same, it can be given a different perspective and staging, to connect with an audience that likes it. this type of genre and at the same time, is a contribution to the historiography of the seventh art.
Therefore, in these days of Easter, I invite you to enjoy this miniseries that you can enjoy together with friends and family that I know will be to your liking.
Curiosities
All curiosities were taken from the biobiochile.cl page
• For the role of Jesus, in the beginning, the director contemplated the actors A l’Pacino and Dustin Hoffman, however, the actor Robert Powell was chosen who was considered to play Judas in the beginning. What an irony.
• When the Catholic Church learned of the magnitude of this production, it tried to “supervise” the steps and details of the shooting, without much success. In addition, conservative sectors began to observe Robert Powell (the actor) closely, as they felt he had to be someone “up to par” with the character.
• Pressure on the actor, they say, would have led him to decide to ask his girlfriend for marriage at that time.
• Zeffirelli is known as a director of demanding cinema and unscrupulous ideas. In this context, it occurred to him that Jesus should not blink ‘In any scene !.
• His obsession with this detail was so great that he asked the production to watch the recordings very well. He only yielded in the scenes of the crucifixion.
• In addition, the costume team was forbidden to make white clothes for the characters. This detail is no small feat, as most Bible films use a lot of white.
• The tape, in total, lasts 6 hours and 21 minutes. While it is a feature film, it ended up being turned into a series for many television networks.
• The film premiered on March 27, 1977. The only country that censored it was Egypt, after several pressures from conservative groups that questioned the story of the film and the legitimacy of some performances.
• It was shot in the cities of Tunisia and Morocco with a cast of movie stars, both European and American. It premiered on March 27, 1977 on the British television channel ITV. Its American premiere was on NBC on April 3, 1977, on the occasion of Easter.
Fact sheet: Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Original Name: Jesus of Nazareth
Year: 1977
Duration: 371 minutes
From director Franco Zeffirelli: Prominent director and producer of Italian cinema well known in the art world.