Jesus of Nazareth Special Edition [1977]

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Starring: ~ Robert Powell, Anne Bancroft Laurence Olivier Michael York James Mason
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Product Details:

Studio: ITV DVD

Region: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Format: Box set, PAL Special Edition

Rating:

Sales Rank: 4269

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	DVD & VHS > Drama > Historical
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Customer Reviews:

Further scenes missing (10 December 2008)
Others have mentioned missing scenes, but I remember further highlight moments that are also missing- in particular that when the risen Christ shows his face to Mary Magdalene. All in all, a landmark series that deserves a much better release.

Try the Italian Edition (12 October 2008)
I totally agree with the "5 stars for the movie but 1 star for the DVD product". In Italy (where the series is quite famous due to the Zeffirelli's touch) two versions have been released recently. One in 2007, the complete and un-edited TV version and one 4-disc edition in 2008 by Mondo Home Entertainment with the addition of never-before-seen scenes plus interviews and other special features (based on descriptions, I have not aquired it yet). Language is Italian and English 2.0. If you want to look for it you need to type "Gesu' di Nazareth".

An epic and a classic...badly edited (11 September 2008)
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli and first televised by ITV in the 1970s, Jesus of Nazareth has become arguably the most popular screen adaptation of the greatest story ever told. When I was a child our national broadcaster RTE used to show this 6-hour epic in several parts, always back-timing the series to climax on Easter Sunday with the resurrection scene.

Never before had such a great swathe of accomplished actors been assembled for one single production. Robert Powell excels as Jesus. Michael York plays John the Baptist with passion and enthusiasm. Peter Ustinov is convincing as Herod the Great, as is Stacy Keach as Barabbas. There are also important roles for the likes of James Mason (Joseph of Arimathea), Laurence Olivier (Nicodemus), Rod Steiger (Pontius Pilate), Christopher Plummer (Herod Antipas) and the beautiful Olivia Hussey (Mary the mother of Jesus). The list goes on...

Sadly, there are some scenes cut and it has to lose TWO stars for such bad editing. The directing and production look a little dated after a third of century, but the acting is still superb. One of those videos I may only dig out every fourth of fifth Easter - but it's just nice to have it in the collection. A timeless classic! Pity about the abridgements.

Great Series - really poor DVD set (08 August 2007)
In it's full form Jesus of Nazareth staring Robert Powell is just about the best TV series ever made - but this box set says it is the full unedited version.

No way - I brought this to replace my video set and then find out that this DVD set is missing three vital scenes of the series! Do not waste your money, find the full version!

Looks great, sounds odd (10 April 2007)
I have strong memories of seeing this on television over Easter thirty years ago. Robert Powell's portrayal of Christ made a strong impression on me then, and I was pleased to be able to pick up the original DVD version of this film from Amazon a couple of years ago. This extended version is even better, containing (it seems) just about all of the original footage, which is all valuable. The photography, costumes, direction and settings are beautiful and memorable, but I'm less happy with the sound and the dialogue. Much of the latter has obviously been overdubbed (a small number of the actors were apparently not speaking English on the set), and the tone can be hopelessly jarring in places - so much so that I wondered if it might even have been better as a silent film. The parade of big stars that take on bit parts can be somewhat uneven as well; I thought Anthony Quinn dreadfully histrionic as Caiaphas, but liked Rod Steiger's thoughtful, worried Pilate a lot.

But maybe the problem is attempting to find a memorable way to portray stories that have long been familiar to much of the audience: just seeing the three kings converging in a clearing under palm trees conjures up so many memories of school nativity plays, it's hard to imagine how they could ever come across as anything other than stylised. In the midst of all this, Robert Powell makes some good choices in his portrayal of Jesus; the unblinking gaze, the voice and the infrequent fleeting amused expression all mean he's always the focus of any scene. And some of these are unforgettable; for example, the parable of the Prodigal Son, told in Matthew's house as an appeal to Peter to love his neighbour as himself.