Jesus of Nazareth

Yes, it was the very definition of "star studded." And Robert Powell was the perfect Jesus. It won't ever get better than that.

Jaysus!

R2 Robert Powell was excellent as Jesus and Ian McShane was hot as Judas. Apparently Elizabeth Taylor was keen on playing Mary Magdalene but I'm guessing she was possibly in bloat mode in 1975/76 when it was in production.

It was probably the most well done production that attempted to depict the story of Jesus Christ. Robert Powell as Jesus was perfect. I'm amazed he didn't win an Emmy for it. It was indeed a star studded cast but some of them were definitely miscast. Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene and Ernest Borgnine as "The Centurion" were two unfortunate casting mistakes. But overall, it was an amazing piece of work, one of Franco Zeffirelli's best.

Did y’all see the series that was made recently where Powell actually goes to the HolyLand to try to find the “real” Jesus?

It was very interesting. It was on the History Channel, I think.

He still gets recognized for that role. He said that what made his Jesus different was that he didn’t blink, like, ever, while he was on screen.

That’s what made him intense and otherworldly, in that role.

R5 Yes I knew before I watched it again yesterday he didn't blink, and so you watch it trying to see if he does. He does't! They also lit his eyes so they looked even more piercing.

"The Greatest Story Ever Told" was THE star-studded Jesus Fucking Christ movie. "Jesus of Nazareth" was soulfully sincere and self-consciously arty, but it was also a watered-down lovefest ignoring the problematic aspects of the myth. "Pretty pretty."

Gimme Hollywood, with Jesus with a Swedish accent, John Wayne at the foot of the cross as a Roman Centurion, and a cast that made it look like the players in "Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" changed into sheets and kept going in the parody.