AndyDursin wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:44 am
There is no HD master in existence with the Passover scene. The Shout US Blu-Ray is the same transfer as the Mexican Blu-Ray (actually it probably has worse encoding) minus the Passover scene.
It'd be great to get a fully restored, and uncut, 4K version of this (the current HD master is 1080p, but it's not a great transfer like you said Paul), but it's ITV so chances are that's never happening.
I'm curious, why would ITC sign-off on new remasters of
UFO and
Space: 1999, but not
Jesus of Nazareth?
In any case, I watched it again this weekend, and here's my review...
Jesus of Nazareth (9/10)
Still the finest adaptation of the Gospels.
Director Franco Zeffirelli adroitly captures the same level of scope as the classic biblical adaptations of the 1950s, but wisely avoids the "stagey" pageantry and sometimes-artificial quality which afflicted some of those films -- their shiny, clean sets, their stylized lighting and (lets face it) their occasionally turgid and sanctimonious tone. The environment of
Jesus of Nazareth looks earthy and "lived in". Dust and grit pervade the sets. Cinematographers David Watkin and Armando Nannuzzi bathe the film in naturalistic lighting, which adds enormously to the sense of realism. Filming in real, historic structures adds further verisimilitude, but production designer Gianni Quarantaso's work is so believable it's hard to tell which sets are actual historic architecture and which were created for the film.
Costumes likewise resemble actual clothing. The exquisitely-tailored Roman uniforms and shiny breastplates of 50 religious epics are here replaced with wrinkled, weathered tunicas and dull, pitted armor -- as would be the case for legionnaires serving in a remove province.
Robert Powell never achieved international stardom (which is baffling, considering his enormous talent and magnetic screen presence), but this actually benefits
Jesus of Nazareth -- Powell is so unknown, that when we look at him, we see the the Messiah, not the actor. Powell himself said in a later interview "No one can play Christ -- not really", but he proves
highly convincing in the role -- he exudes the humbleness, compassion and gentleness which is Jesus, but also exhibits the righteous indignation -- which is also Jesus -- in the Money changers" scene. Throughout it all, he holds himself with the demeanor of a king.
Although much of the supporting cast are well-known, they inhabit their characters with equal persuasion. It's also
remarkable to consider the number of great actors assembled for this production. You'll never see a cast of this level ever again -- certainly not in a faith-based subject -- Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Rod Steiger, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, James Earl Jones, Michael York, Valentina Cortese, Ralph Richardson, Peter Ustinov, etc., etc. While it is a sure bet not all of them were religious believers (and maybe a few did it for the money and a trip to Morocco), the overall willingness to appear in
Jesus of Nazareth indicates a level of respect for the subject. Likewise, the production itself was co-financed by Sir Lew Grade -- who was Jewish -- and shot in Tunisia and Morocco, so many of the extras and crew were Muslims. Extras in the synagogue scenes were played by Jewish members of the local community. This all points further to the shared sense of respect, of all involved, toward the subject.
The scourging of Jesus and the crucifixion sequence are grisly and devastating. While not as gruesome as the (arguably more authentic) sequences in
The Passion or
The Last Temptation of Christ (this was the only thing Scorsese got right!), the performances -- from both Powell and the the actors cast as the Roman guards -- more than make-up for the lack of gore (and this was, after-all, made for television in the 1970s -- they couldn't really allow things to get too bloody).
Maurice Jarre's score is arguably his finest --
and the best ever written for a production based on the Gospels. His music avoids the "heavenly choirs" of Newman and Rozsa (though I do love Rozsa's scores). It's fair to say Jarre had a unique style, and while it sometimes could clash with certain types of subject matter, here it fits perfectly. The score is always reverent, but never once sanctimonious. Jarre's expertise in world music is also put to good use here, his score featuring instruments like the santur, uggav, chalil, shofar, chatzotzerah, etc. It's sad no expanded CD of this score reissue has yet appeared (James Fitzpatrick has been trying for years to track-down the location of the master tapes).
Jarre's cue for the Three Kings sequence a particular highlight, the way he underscores each king with a unique motif, and specific instrumentation -- an Ondes Martenot for Gaspar, a dulcimer-like instrument for Melchior, percussion for for Balthazar -- which he artfully resolves as the three characters intersect on their journey. Genius.
True,
Jesus of Nazareth embellishes things here and there -- like inventing a backstory for Herod Antipas; then again, Herod's character -- that of a powerful, but cowardly and easily cajoled despot -- is completely in line with how the Bible describes him. I find it hard to criticize the production but it could be argued the backstory created to "explain" Judas' motivation cuts him too much slack. He is depicted as an intellectual who admires Jesus, but has doubts about his divinity. Moreover, the character is tricked into betraying his Redeemer (as opposed to doing so out of venal greed -- as described in the Gospels). But that is a nitpick. And some have criticized the production for omitting certain things -- like the storm scene, where Jesus walks on water. (This was in fact filmed, but not used in the final cut.)
There will never be a perfect dramatization of the story of Jesus -- hence my rating of 9/10 -- but
Jesus of Nazareth still outclasses every single production of this kind ever made, and I doubt it will ever be surpassed.
