The Jesus Film (1979)

Filmed on location in Israel at authentic biblical sites, this inspirational drama and commercial success retells the life of Christ.

Directors:

John Krish, Peter Sykes

Writer:

Barnet Bain (screenplay) (as Barnet Fishbein)

Stars:

Brian Deacon, Rivka Neuman, Alexander Scourby

Cast

Credited cast:
Brian Deacon	...	Jesus
Rivka Neuman	...	Mary
Alexander Scourby	...	Luke (voice)
Niko Nitai	...	Simon Peter
Yosef Shiloach	...	Joseph (as Joseph Shiloach)
Ori Levy	...	Caiaphas
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mosko Alkalai	...	Matthew
Kobi Assaf	...	Philip
Moti Baharav	...	Simon of Cyrene
Ya'ackov Ben-Sira	...	Zacchaeus
Zeev Berlinsky	...	Blind Begger (as Ze'ev Berlinski)
Eli Cohen	...	John the Baptist
Eli Danker	...	Judas Iscariot
Dina Doron	...	Elizabeth
Shoshana Duer	...	Hunchback Woman in the Temple

Storyline

The story of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God, raised by a Jewish carpenter. Based on the gospel of Luke in the New Testament, here is the life of Jesus from the miraculous virgin birth to the calling of his disciples, public miracles and ministry; ending with his death by crucifixion at the hands of the Roman empire and resurrection on the third day.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | jesus christ character | john the baptist character | pontius pilate character | judas iscariot character | 

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Taglines:

Stripped of myth and mystery, the story of the most influential life in history.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | History

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Frye (Pontius Pilate) also played the unaccredited role of Herod Antipas in the rare 1976 film Passover Plot. His real voice can be heard in that film as even though he spoke perfect English, his voice like all others (except for Brian Deacon) are dubbed over in the Jesus film.

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Goofs

During the prologue, a motor vehicle of some kind can be seen moving (for a fraction of a second) in the extreme background.

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Quotes

Pontius Pilate: [after Jesus was sent back to Pilate from Herod] This man, has done nothing to deserve death. So I will have him scourged, and let him go.
Annas: You are obliged to release one man to us, at this festival.
Caiaphas: Release to us, Barrabas, and away with this man.

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Alternate Versions

An alternate version was filmed concurrently with the English one, with the actors speaking in the authentic languages (Aramic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin) appropriate for the events and people portrayed. This version is then used with a voice-over narration in any of several modern language.

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Connections

Version of The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John (2003)

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Soundtracks

Concerto brandeburghese No. 1, BWV 1046 : 2° movimento
by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Great film, good for everyone

A somewhat expurgated version of the gospel of Luke, Brian deacons version of Jesus is appealing, if somewhat un-animated. I have a great love for this film ( mainly due to the fact that it was the first film about Jesus I can remember seeing from my childhood.) Not as epic as Zeffirelli's film, nor as graphic as Gibson's, a faithful representation with only a few omissions ( I'm sure either due to budget or time constraints). the acting is at times somewhat melodramatic, but that is part of the charm of this film. the cinematography is not ground breaking but certainly serves its purpose and doesn't overshadow the story, and really thats one of the best things about this film, nothing in it overshadows the story as a whole.

Details

Official Sites:

Jesus Film Project Jesus Video

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jesus Film

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Inspirational Films, The Genesis Project

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1