JESUS OF NAZARETH (1977) - Miniseries Review

Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Farentino, James Mason, Rod Steiger, Michael York, Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Writer: Anthony Burgess, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Franco Zeffirelli, David Butler
Runtime: 384 min
Rated: TV-G
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

The life of Jesus is majestically and movingly portrayed in one of the most magnificent miniseries ever created.

Acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli and an all-star cast come together to deliver a powerful adaptation of the Gospels in 1977's Jesus of Nazareth. From the Nativity to the Crucifixion and Resurrection, the life of Jesus (played by Robert Powell) is presented with stunning depth, gravity, and emotion. Acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, Jesus of Nazareth remains one of the finest depictions of the story of Christ nearly forty years after its release.

Olivia Hussey, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, James Earl Jones, James Mason, Ian McShane, Christopher Plummer, Donald Pleasance, and Sir Laurence Olivier co-star in this rewarding, uplifting and faith-affirming portrayal.

Review:

Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" is the most complete retelling of Jesus' life and deeds, from birth to death and Resurrection. Clocking at around six hours, the miniseries covers a lot of ground as it aims to convincingly build the world Jesus was born into, which involves the political and social implications of the Roman occupation of Judea, the inner workings of the Jewish society, and the increasing polarization of its people under the influence of prophets and zealots.

Despite the complex nature of its narrative, Zeffirelli effortlessly navigates the spiritual and the secular, coherently organizing the story and filling roles with a regonizable ensemble cast of performers. Despite being a made-for-TV production, it showcases awe-inspiring production values and it's very cinematic in scope. The cinematography is fantastic and tightly framed in 4:3 aspect ratio, the sets and costumes are excellent, and prepare your ears to be wowed by Maurice Jarre's powerhouse score.

Zeffirelli takes a grounded approach to the Biblical story, never showing the supernatural parts in detail. That's far better than going overboard with visual effects and concepts that would have aged poorly. Take for example Mary's visit from the Archangel Gabriel. The scene simply features Olivia Hussey talking to an invisible being, which is at once kind of unsettling, which I imagine a visit from a supernatural being should feel, and leaves more room for our imagination fill in the blanks. How silly would it have been to see an actor dressed up as an angel ?

As for the acting, every performer brings their A-game, even those who show up for the briefest of appearances. The spotlight belongs to Robert Powell as Jesus, who gives an unrivaled legendary performance. It's a masterclass of quiet intensity capable of stirring powerful emotions with his piercing gaze and almost surreal sculpted face. And his line delivery is so good that you could listen to him speak for hours, which is great since that's exactly what you will be doing.

There are so many incredibly talented actors here that this small review can never do them all justice. Some of the extras can be a mixed bag, however, with some dubbing and British accents sounding a bit Monty Pythonesque at times, but it never really hurts the overall experience.

I can't imagine this miniseries appealing to the non-devout or those who don't care much for historical dramas, but it is one of the biggest TV productions ever made and well worth a watch. As far as Biblical epics go, this is the definitve Jesus movie, towering above every other attempt to depict His life on screen.

SCORE: 10/10