Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Jesus Of Nazareth
Collapse
X
Collapse
-
Jesus Of Nazareth
Released by: Shout Factory
Released on: February 23rd, 2016
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Cast: Olivia Hussey, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Powell, Michael York, Donald Pleasence, James Earl Jones
Year: 1977
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie
Arriving just in time for Easter, this epic television miniseries made quite a splash when it debuted back in 1977, and sees a high definition reissuing here via Shout! Factory for its fortieth anniversary.
Jesus of Nazareth was a product of RAI Italian television, shot in Tunisia and Morocco and presented over the course of four nights. That's right, this bad boy is over six hours long, and chronicles the complete story of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity on through his youth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. A story this lengthy of course demands an all star cast, and director Franco Zeffirelli gets exactly that, with actor as varied as James Mason, Olivia Hussey, Michael York, Donald Pleasence, Stacy Keach, Ian McShane, James Earl Jones and more appear as recognizable characters from the Biblical story of Jesus.
Zeffirelli was known for his straight forward takes on classic literature, with his most famous cinematic adaptation being that of Romeo and Juliet, although the filmmaker would also helm such films as Othello and Mel Gibson's well received version of Hamlet. The director tends to stick with tradition here, forgoing the stylistic choices of a film like, say John Huston's The Bible, in favor of a very reverential and dramatic telling of the tale. Robert Powell is particularly stoic as Jesus, the actor exuding a hefty presence once he finally makes his appearance on screen early in Part II.
Of course, there isn't anything wrong with Zeffireli's approach here, but it's all rather dry so many years after its initial release. Christian believers will likely find plenty of inspiration here, but casual movie goers who are expecting some sort of grand, Cecil B. Demille styled pomp might come away slightly disappointed at the film's television limitations. Still, Jesus of Nazareth possesses more than enough scope and big time skill behind the camera to lift it up beyond so many of its made for T.V. contemporaries of the day.
Video/Audio/Extras
Shout Factory's AVC encoded 1080p high definition Blu-ray presentation of Jesus of Nazareth is serviceable, but won't win any awards for clarity or restorative beauty. The colors are relatively drab, appearing very much as yours truly remembers during this series' reruns throughout the 1980s around the Easter season. The full frame ratio is indicative of the film's small screen origins, but don't really resonate with any sort of sharpness, and there's a bit of non-invasive flicker which occasionally pop up now and again, making this one of Shout Factory's least impressive Blu-Rays in recent memory.
The DTS-HD English language audio track is fine, but nothing special. The main track doesn't have any noticeable pops or hisses, although some of the dubbed dialogue is really awkwardly inserted, particularly during the scenes with Jesus as a young boy. The only extras here are interviews with author Jean-Pierre Isbouts about the lasting impact of the film and actor Michael York about his experience portraying John the Baptist.
The Final Word
Jesus of Nazareth is a well shot, honestly portrayed and somber telling of the Jesus tale with a hefty sense of gravitas. Of course, one doesn't need to be religious in order to enjoy Zeffirelli's film...but it helps.
Tags: blu-ray, blu-ray review, shout! factory, james earl jones, michael york, franco zeffirelli, DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M, shout factory, donald pleasence, robert powell, christian, ian mcshane, ernest borgnine, olivia hussey, t.v. movie, jesus of nazareth, easter, jesus, jesus christ, religious films
Posting comments is disabled.
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4162)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (391)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Film Masters
Released on: April 23rd, 2024.
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Cast: Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Lugene Sanders, Susan Gordon
Year: 1963
Purchase From Amazon
Tormented – Movie Review:
The late Bert I. Gordon’s 1963 horror film, ‘Tormented,’ is an effectively spooky ghost story made with an obviously low budget but no less effective for it.
The story revolves around a professional piano player...-
Channel: Movies
04-17-2024, 10:19 AM -
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Andrew Legge
Cast: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne
Year: 2022
Purchase From Amazon
Lola – Movie Review:
Irish filmmakers Andrew Legge’s 2022 movie, ‘Lola’, which was made during Covid-19 lockdowns, is a wildly creative movie made in the found footage style that defies expectations, provides plenty of food for thought and manages to make...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:09 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco, Jorge Grau, Pedro L. Ramírez
Cast: Alberto Dalbés, Evelyne Scott, Fernando Rey, Marisa Mell, Wal Davis, Norma Kastel
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Spanish Blood Bath – Movie Review:
Vinegar Syndrome brings a triple feature of Spanish horror films of the in this new three-disc Blu-ray boxed set. Here’s what lies inside…
Night Of The...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:02 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -