In Search of Historic Jesus (1979)

This examination of historical sources speculates on the accuracy of the biblical depiction of Jesus.

Director:

Henning Schellerup

Writers:

Jack Jacobs, Lee Roddy

Stars:

John Rubinstein, John Anderson, Nehemiah Persoff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Rubinstein	...	Jesus
John Anderson	...	Caiaphas
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Herod Antipas
Brad Crandall	...	Narrator
Andrew Bloch	...	Apostle John
Morgan Brittany	...	Mary
Walter Brooke	...	Joseph of Arimathea
Annette Charles	...	Mary Magdalene
Royal Dano	...	Prophet #1
Anthony De Longis	...	Peter
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Pontius Pilate
Jeffrey Druce	...	Thomas
John Hoyt	...	Synagogue Man #1
Stanley Kamel	...	Andrew
David Opatoshu	...	Herod

Storyline

This examination of historical sources speculates on the accuracy of the biblical depiction of Jesus.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to jesus christ | biblical | crucifixion of jesus | reenactment | whipping | 

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Taglines:

"2000 years ago on a hilltop near Jerusalem a man was brutally whipped, repeatedly tortured and finally crucified. His name was Jesus." WAS HE THE SON OF GOD?

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1979 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Jeesus

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$22,438,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunn Classic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Unlike many other movies, the crucifixion of Jesus depicted here shows the nails being driven through his wrists rather than his palms. This may also be the only Jesus movie in which his whipping is shown in a sequence which follows by some minutes a sequence showing his crucifixion.

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Quotes

Narrator: Under normal circumstances, men were tied to the cross, as was the case with the two thieves, but the Romans nailed Jesus to his cross to further humiliate the King of the Jews.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss/The Grateful Dead (1980)

User Reviews

More Shick-Sunn Fun

The biggest problem with "In Search of Historic Jesus" is that there is very little search to it at all. Shick-Sunn produced these "documentary" films in the 1970s and just into the '80s, which featured interviews with "experts" and discussion of "science" and "facts" to make a case for whatever the title of the film was looking to cash in on.

Sadly, "Historic Jesus" is really little more than a third-rate dramatization of the life of Christ. Unlike Shick-Sunn's more superior "In Search of Noah's Ark" which spends the majority of its running time discussing the possibility that the ark is resting on the earth today and where that might be, this film is basically the story of Jesus with no effort made to prove or disprove his existence. The famed Shroud of Turrin is mentioned, but little other detective work is given much screen time.

For fans of these quasi-documentary films like "Jupiter Menace" and "In Search of Bigfoot", etc., this movie doesn't offer much.