Jesus
Short description
Jesus is a 1979 drama that recounts the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from his birth to his ascension, drawing its dialogue and events from the Gospel of Luke. The story follows his ministry among the sick, the poor and those on the margins of society, his teaching and preaching, and the growing opposition from religious authorities that leads to his death. Brian Deacon plays Jesus, with Rivka Neuman as Mary, Niko Nitai as Simon Peter, Yosef Shiloach as Joseph and Ori Levy as Caiaphas; Alexander Scourby provides the voice of Luke, whose account shapes the narrative.
The film was directed by Peter Sykes and John Krish, and written by Barnet Fishbein, with John Heyman and Richard Dalton producing for Inspirational Films and The Genesis Project. For Sykes it followed Venom and To the Devil a Daughter, while for Krish it came after Let My People Go. Shot in Israel over several years of preparation, it used many locations tied to the gospel story and a large supporting cast.
On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.1 from over 2,600 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 8.3 from a smaller base of 256 votes. The gap suggests a devoted audience rating it highly, with the larger IMDb sample settling somewhat lower.
What's left behind the scenes
- With the exception of British actor Brian Deacon, all members of the cast are residents of Israel and are unknown outside their country.
- The film was translated into 1196 languages (as of May 28, 2013).
- To prepare for filming, Brian Deacon read the Gospel of Luke over twenty times in various translations, memorizing entire chapters.
- The Gospel of Luke was used as the basis for the film's dialogues and events.
- Prior to commencing location shooting in Israel, meticulous research and preparation were conducted, taking five years. Clay items, tools, and clothing were crafted in specialized workshops, modeled after examples from the first century AD.
- The film has been viewed over 6 billion times (including repeat viewings). This was due to the high number of translations into nearly a thousand languages, and its release on DVD, VHS, and audio versions, as well as being shown in 228 countries worldwide.
- In 2014, after watching the film 'Jesus,' over 400 Mayan Indians decided to become Christians, an event that occurred in Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula, in three villages over three evenings.
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