Jesus of Nazareth (TV series)

1977 British-Italian television drama

Jesus of Nazareth

VHS cover art

Genre| Biblical
Biography
Drama
History
Based on| The Gospels
Written by| Anthony Burgess
Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Franco Zeffirelli
David Butler (additional dialogue)
Directed by| Franco Zeffirelli
Starring|

* Robert Powell
* Olivia Hussey
* Anne Bancroft
* Ernest Borgnine
* Valentina Cortese
* James Farentino
* James Earl Jones
* Stacy Keach
* Tony Lo Bianco
* James Mason
* Ian McShane
* Laurence Olivier
* Donald Pleasence
* Christopher Plummer
* Anthony Quinn
* Fernando Rey
* Rod Steiger
* Peter Ustinov
* Michael York

Theme music composer| Maurice Jarre
Country of origin| Italy
United Kingdom
Original language| English
No. of episodes| 4
Production
Producers| Lew Grade
Vincenzo Labella
Cinematography| Armando Nannuzzi
David Watkin
Editor| Reginald Mills
Running time| 382 minutes
Production companies| ITC Entertainment
RAI
Budget| $45 million[1]
Original release
Network| Rai 1 (Italy)
ITV (United Kingdom)
Release| 27 March (1977-03-27) –
24 April 1977 (1977-04-24)

Jesus of Nazareth (Italian: Gesù di Nazareth) is a 1977 epic television drama serial directed by Franco Zeffirelli and co-written by Anthony Burgess and Suso Cecchi d'Amico, which dramatizes the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It stars Robert Powell as Jesus, and features an all-star ensemble cast of renowned actors, including eight who had won or would go on to win Academy Awards: Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, James Earl Jones and Peter Ustinov.

Some scenes were added during the writing process, with some characters (such as Zerah) added for brevity or dramatic effect. Jesus of Nazareth depicts Judas Iscariot as initially well-intentioned, but later as a selfish dupe of Zerah's who betrays Jesus largely as a result of Zerah's false platitudes and pretexts. However, in accordance with the Gospels, the film depicts Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea as sympathetic members of the Sanhedrin. Many of the miracles of Jesus, such as the changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana, the transfiguration, and the calming of the storm, are not shown, although Jesus's healing of Jairus's daughter, healing the centurion's servant, the blind man and the crippled woman on the Sabbath, the feeding of the multitude, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead are presented.

Jesus of Nazareth premiered on 27 March 1977, on the Italian channel Rai 1, and was first aired in the United Kingdom, on 3 April 1977, on the ITV Network. It was a huge ratings success and received acclaim, with particular praise for Powell's portrayal of Jesus.

## Plot summary

[edit]

The narrative of Jesus of Nazareth is a kind of cinematic Diatessaron, or Gospel harmony, blending all four New Testament accounts. It presents Jesus as both God and man. During the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, John speaks God's words "this is my beloved son." The familiar Christian episodes are presented chronologically: the betrothal, and later marriage, of Mary and Joseph; the Annunciation; the Visitation; the circumcision of John the Baptist; the Nativity of Jesus; the visit of the Magi; the circumcision of Jesus; the Census of Quirinius; the flight into Egypt and Massacre of the Innocents; the Finding in the Temple; the Baptism of Jesus.

Gospel accounts depicted also include the woman caught in adultery; the healing of Jairus' daughter; Jesus helping Peter catch the fish; the Parable of the Prodigal Son; a dialogue between Jesus and Barabbas (non-Biblical); Matthew's dinner party; the Sermon on the Mount; debating with Joseph of Arimathea; the curing of the blind man at the pool; the Raising of Lazarus (John 11:43); the Feeding of the Five Thousand; the entry into Jerusalem; Jesus and the money changers; the Parable of the Two Sons; healing the centurion's servant; dialogue with Nicodemus; the Last Supper; the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

At the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus, Jesus is accused of blasphemy for calling himself the son of the God of Israel. Caiaphas announces "the LORD our God, the LORD is one", denying the God of Israel has a son. Ensuing scenes include Peter's denial of Christ and subsequent repenting; the judgment of Jesus by Pilate ("Ecce Homo"); the Johannine Passion Narrative (John 18–19; including the Agony in the Garden); the Carrying of the Cross; the Crucifixion of Christ (Sir Laurence Olivier's Nicodemus recites the "Suffering Servant" passage (Isaiah 53:3-5) as he looks helplessly on the crucified Messiah); the discovery of the empty tomb; and an appearance of the Risen Christ to his Disciples. The storyline concludes with the non-Biblical character Zerah and his colleagues gazing despairingly into the empty tomb. Zerah laments, "Now it begins. It all begins".

## Cast

[edit]

Starring

* Robert Powell as Jesus

Guest stars

* Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene
* Ernest Borgnine as the Roman Centurion
* Claudia Cardinale as the Adulteress
* Valentina Cortese as Herodias
* James Farentino as Peter
* James Earl Jones as Balthazar
* Stacy Keach as Barabbas
* Tony Lo Bianco as Quintillius
* James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea
* Ian McShane as Judas Iscariot
* Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus
* Donald Pleasence as Melchior
* Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas
* Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas
* Fernando Rey as Gaspar
* Ralph Richardson as Simeon
* Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate
* Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great
* Michael York as John the Baptist

And

* Olivia Hussey as Mary

Also starring

* Cyril Cusack as Yehuda
* Ian Holm as Zerah
* Yorgo Voyagis as Joseph

With

* Ian Bannen as Amos
* Marina Berti as Elizabeth
* Regina Bianchi as Anne
* Maria Carta as Martha
* Lee Montague as Habakkuk
* Renato Rascel as The Blind Man
* Oliver Tobias as Joel

Co-starring

* Norman Bowler as Saturninus
* Robert Beatty as Proculus
* John Phillips as Naso
* Ken Jones as Jotham
* Nancy Nevinson as Abigail
* Renato Terra as Abel
* Roy Holder as Enoch
* Jonathan Adams as Adam
* Lorenzo Monet as Jesus aged 12 years
* Robert Davey as Daniel
* Oliver Smith as Saul
* George Camiller as Hosias
* Murray Salem as Simon the Zealot
* Tony Vogel as Andrew
* Michael Cronin as Eliphaz
* Steve Gardner as Philip
* Derek Godfrey as Elihu
* Renato Montalbano as Jairus
* John Duttine as John
* Michael Haughey as Nahum
* Keith Skinner as Possessed Boy
* Cyril Shaps as Possessed Boy's Father
* Jonathan Muller as James, son of Zebedee
* John Tordoff as Malachi
* Isabel Mestres as Salome
* Bruce Lidington as Thomas
* Keith Washington as Matthew
* Mimmo Crao as Jude Thaddeus
* John Eastham as Bartholomew
* Sergio Nicolai as James, son of Alphaeus
* Francis de Wolff as Simon the Pharisee
* Antonello Campodifiori as Ircanus
* Paul Curran as Samuel
* Tim Pearce as Rufus
* Mark Eden as Quartus
* Bruno Barnabe as Ezra
* Simon MacCorkindale as Lucius
* Forbes Collins as Jonas
* Lionel Guyett as Haggai
* Soni Razdan as Lily
* Martin Benson as Pharisee
* Peter Harlowe as Valerius
* Carl Forgione as Plotinus
* Donald Sumpter as Aram
* Pino Colizzi as Jobab
* Robert Brown as Pharisee
* Harold Bennett as Elder
* Robert Mallard as Quazra
* Abdelmajid Lakhal as the Farisaeum
* Christopher Reich as Circumcision Priest and as Metellus

### Previous collaborations with Zeffirelli

[edit]

Several cast members had already featured in previous Zeffirelli productions. British actors Hussey, York, Holder, Lovell and Skinner had featured in Romeo and Juliet as Juliet, Tybalt, Peter, Sampson and Balthasar respectively. Additionally, Olivier did uncredited work as the narrator and dubbing voice of Lord Montague. Colizzi, who appeared as Jobab, had previously dubbed York's Tybalt in the Italian version of Romeo and Juliet.

## Production

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### Development

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The drama was conceived when Lew Grade was received by Pope Paul VI, who congratulated him on the making of Moses the Lawgiver, a 1974 television film starring Burt Lancaster and produced by Grade's ITC Entertainment and the Italian television network RAI. At the end of the interview, the Pope told him he hoped his next project would be about the life of Jesus. Two weeks later, while dining with an RAI executive, Grade told him he intended their companies to prepare such a film.[2] Directing duties were offered to Franco Zeffirelli – a religious Roman Catholic who knew the Pontiff from his days as the Archbishop of Milan, when he often visited Zeffirelli's school – on the Pope's initiative, who insisted that either he would make Jesus of Nazareth or no one else.[3] The director rejected the proposal at first, but Grade finally convinced him to agree;[4] he accepted the job shortly before Christmas 1973.[5]

Screenwriter Anthony Burgess later recounted the launching of the project in an essay entitled "Telejesus (or Mediachrist)":

> The notion of making a six-hour television film on the life of Jesus Christ was proposed by an ennobled British Jew, with the golden blessing of an American automobile corporation. The project struck some as blasphemous, others as ecumenical. Lord Grade, then Sir Lew Grade, presided over a massive press conference in the Holy City, (Rome), and said all that was available to be said—namely, that there would be this film, that Zeffirelli would direct it, and that Burgess would write it. Fired by this announcement, the Romans laid on a great, as it were, First Supper, which the Chief Rabbi of Rome attended, as well as various cricket-playing British ecclesiastics. Sir Lew Grade was made a Cavaliere of the Republic. The Pope was noticeably absent.[6]

Both Grade and Zeffirelli insisted their adaptation of Jesus's life should be "ecumenical", coherent, even to non-believers, and "acceptable to all denominations".[7] To ensure the film's accuracy, the producers consulted experts from the Vatican, the Leo Baeck Rabbinical College of London, and the Koranic School at Meknes, Morocco.[8] However, when Zeffirelli asked Rabbi Albert Friedlander to help him create Jesus's Bar Mitzvah scene, the latter replied that such ceremonies were practised only from the 15th century. The director, however, insisted on including it, and Friedlander tried to teach child actor Lorenzo Monet to read a short portion of the Pentateuch in Hebrew. Monet, however, mumbled it and the director was not satisfied (in the film, boy Jesus reads mostly in English).[9]

### Casting Jesus

[edit]

The producers at first considered choosing a well-known star, who would draw a large audience, for the role of Christ. The first actor thought of was Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino was also a candidate. Zeffirelli decided to look for an actor whom the audience would immediately identify as Jesus. For example, Hoffman and Pacino both stand at just 5'6", and neither man's face bears a resemblance to Jesus as depicted in art, which has been based for many centuries on the image found on The Shroud of Turin. The image on the shroud is that of a man who is 6'. Eventually, the character's likeness was influenced by Warner Sallman's portrait painting Head of Christ: Paul Harvey and Edward J. Blum wrote the show "put Sallman's imagination in motion".[10] The Virgin Mary was depicted by Olivia Hussey.[11]

The idea to cast Robert Powell originated with Grade's wife, Kathie Moody, who told her husband the actor had "wonderful blue eyes" after watching his performance in a BBC television adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Powell came under criticism from religious groups for "living in sin" with his companion, dancer Barbara Lord of Pan's People, while intending to portray Jesus. The couple married shortly before production began.[2] As of 2025, Powell and Lord have been married for 50 years.

Powell rarely blinks throughout the entire film, mimicking, in this respect, H. B. Warner in 1927's The King of Kings and Max von Sydow in 1965's The Greatest Story Ever Told. This effect was a deliberate decision by Zeffirelli. James Houlden commented that the result was "a penetrating, unrelenting eye contact with Jesus's."[12] A dark blue eyeliner was applied on set to accentuate Powell's blue eyes.[10] Powell's portrayal has since become an often-used image in popular devotional art, and "defined the visual image of Christ in the minds of the audience... Perhaps more than any other Jesus film."[12]

For the crucifixion scene, Powell starved himself on a diet of only cheese for twelve days prior to shooting "in order to look worn".[13]

### Filming

[edit]

Principal photography was carried out in Morocco and Tunisia from September 1975 to May 1976. The synagogue scenes were shot with extras from the Jewish community in the island of Djerba.[5] The city of Monastir in Tunisia served as 1st-century Jerusalem.[14] Ernest Borgnine, who portrayed Cornelius the Centurion, recalled that since regulations required hiring local extras—most with poor English—for many of the smaller roles, they had to be dubbed. Zeffirelli decided to avoid recording sound altogether in many parts, and simply send the principal actors to dub their own characters in the studio later.[15] The standing sets were later used by the British comedy troupe Monty Python for their 1979 religious satire Life of Brian.[16]

Reports regarding the budget vary: Presbyterian Survey stated $12 million;[17] The Listener cited £9 million[18] (roughly $16 million);[19] and Third Way with £11.5 million[20] (roughly $20 million). Other sources give the sum of $18 million.[5][21] In his autobiography, Grade wrote that "in the final accounting, Jesus of Nazareth took $45 million."[1][22]

## Reception

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### Broadcasts and ratings

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Jesus of Nazareth premiered on 27 March 1977 on the Italian channel Rai 1; it was broadcast in five episodes, one shown weekly until 25 April.[23] On Palm Sunday, 3 April 1977 – the date of the airing of the second episode – the Pope endorsed the programme in his public address for the holiday and recommended the faithful to view it.[5] The series enjoyed high ratings: the German Dominican friar and film critic Ambros Eichenberger reported that according to local surveys, 84% of the television owners in the larger cities watched the series.[24] For example, the number of viewers for the third episode, aired on 10 April, was estimated to have been 28.3 million.[25]

In the United Kingdom and in the United States, it was broadcast in two parts, albeit in different lengths, by the ITV network in the UK and by NBC in the US. In both countries, the first part was aired on 3 April and the second on Easter, 10 April 1977.[26][27][28] During its original showing in the UK, Jesus of Nazareth had an estimated audience of 21 million viewers.[29]

When the first episode was broadcast in the US, it was a major success. The New York Times reported it "swamped all competing programs on Sunday night", with overnight Nielsen ratings of 53% in Los Angeles and 46% in New York City.[30] The miniseries as a whole received a Nielsen rating of 30.8 points,[31] with each point representing approximately 712,000 television-owning homes,[32] and an audience share of 50% nationwide,[28] on both nights.[33] The company calculated that Jesus attracted about 90 million viewers.[21][28][29][34]

In West Germany, it was broadcast by ZDF in four episodes on the 19th, 21st, 23rd and 24 March 1978;[35] 40% of the audience have viewed it.[24]

Jesus of Nazareth turned into a massive commercial success and is one of the most widely marketed, most critically acclaimed and best-known productions about Christ's life.[5][21][12] Grade stated that it made "a net profit of $30 million."[1]

### Critical response

[edit]

Famously, Pope Paul VI praised Zeffirelli's film, both in private comment and in a public address on Palm Sunday prior to the miniseries’ Holy Week debut on Italian television.[36]

Reviews were notably positive. Writing for The Washington Post, Tom Shales was effusive: “One is tempted to call it a miracle… [Zeffirelli] has an eye for composition and lighting that is unprecedented in television films…There may never have been a religious film with so pervasive a sense of place and period…. The intrinsic dramatic and symbolic values of the story, which have eluded past filmmakers, come through with striking clarity”. Shales praised Olivia Hussey as Mary for being “simultaneously fragile, mystified and strong”. However, “Powell's appearance [as Jesus] is a drawback here. Though it may be commendable that he in no way resembles the fair-haired Aryan stereotype dominant in such films for years, Powell looks so wan and gaunt that one fears for his health. The work is, despite flaws, a truly impressive accomplishment.” [37]

Powell's performance as Jesus in particular has been praised by critics.[38][39][40][41][42]

### Accolades

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Jesus of Nazareth received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Special Drama. Additionally, James Farentino, who portrayed the apostle Peter, received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Special.[43]

The drama was nominated for six British Academy Television Awards: Best Actor, Best Cameraman, Best Single Television Play, Best Editor, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.[44]

Jesus of Nazareth won awards for Best Cinematography to Armando Nannuzzi, Best Costume Design to Lucia Mirisola, and Best Production Design, to Mirisola again, from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.[45]

## Controversy

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Before its initial broadcast, Jesus of Nazareth came under ideological fire from some American Protestant fundamentalists, led by Bob Jones III, president of Bob Jones University in South Carolina, and Dr. Bill Bright, because they felt the TV movie had to have the resurrection of Jesus Christ to be true to the Gospel account. Zeffirelli had told an interviewer from Modern Screen that the film would portray Jesus as "an ordinary man – gentle, fragile, simple". Jones interpreted this as meaning that the portrayal would deny Christ's divine nature. Having never seen the film, Jones denounced it as "blasphemy". Others picked up the cry and 18,000 letters were sent to General Motors, which had provided $3 million of the film's cost. Sacrificing its investment, GM backed out of its sponsorship.[8] Procter and Gamble eventually took it over, buying the U.S. rights for a relatively low price of some $1 million. Their financial support allowed the mini-series to be screened after a simulated resurrection was added at the suggestion of Dr. Ted Baehr, a theologian and media pundit, who was friends with the producer, Vincenzo Labella, and acquainted with the protesters. The scenes showed the empty tomb, and then cuts to Jesus discussing his death and resurrection with his disciples.[46]

## Subsequent broadcasts and home media

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NBC rebroadcast the series in 1979, 1980, 1984, 1987 and 1990.

It was originally released in the early 1980s in the US as a three-tape VHS edition under the Magnetic Video label. It was released later under the mainstream video label of CBS/Fox in 1986.[citation needed] Another three-tape VHS edition was released by LIVE Home Video in 1992 and again on 22 February 1995. Artisan Entertainment released the DVD version on two discs in February 2000. In the UK, the original 1986 Polygram VHS (four tapes) was fully uncut and featured the full 386-minute version. The 2000 Carlton video (two tapes) featured a heavily abridged print running for 270 minutes. The Granada DVD is credited as the unedited print and runs for 374 minutes, but this is due to the PAL speed up and is the full version. The two additional scenes – a private meeting between Judas Iscariot and Zerah, and the opening betrayal sequence during the Last Supper – were actually added in the repeat UK screening 2 years later and therefore are not included as the DVD is the original 1977 cut.

The serial is broadcast every Easter and Christmas in many countries, including Greece on ANT1, and in the United States on History Channel and TBN.

In Chile, the full serial has been broadcast every Good Friday since 1982 by the public service television broadcaster Televisión Nacional de Chile.[47]

The Region 1 DVD is the original 1977 broadcast. The Region 2 Carlton DVD released in the UK is substantially cut and runs to 270 minutes. The Dutch DVD release (also Carlton Region 2) has a running time of 365 minutes (the 399-minute running time stated on the cover is a misprint).

The drama has been released on digital download (or streaming) for both Google Play and the Apple Store. The version released is the completed original 4-part 1977 broadcast, though only in its original Standard Definition. Similar to other special interest content, the film's copyright has only been loosely enforced in more recent years, resulting in it appearing on Google's advertising-paid platform YouTube in its entirety.

For Easter 2016, and again in 2018, the UK's Sky Arts channel showed one part a day over the four days of Easter. The version they used was the extended four-part edition, totaling eight hours with advertising.

The serial ran on NBC as "The Big Event" in two three-hour installments with limited commercials on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Additional footage was added for a 1979 re-run and broadcast in four two-hour installments. In the 1980s and 1990, the film was re-broadcast on NBC in three installments of two- and three-hour episodes, released on VHS and DVD as one complete presentation with one set of credits.

In 2022, the full series was made available on BritBox in the UK in time for Easter.[48]

## Jesus of Nazareth ''The Extended Version"

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Jesus of Nazareth The Extended Version is an unofficial Fan Edit that has been around since 2014. The creator has improved on it yearly and releases it annually. It has been extended using alternate outtakes and original scenes seemingly incorporated into the original  film. This edit runs at 494 mins, 8 hours 14 minutes. The version is in 4 parts each including the previews, recaps, opening and closing titles per episode. The new inserted material has been edited to match the colour of the originals Blu-ray transfer files. The editor actually had Robert Powell read the deleted and new material. The editor states "This version is in no way meant to replace Franco Zeffirelli's Masterpiece. This version is for those who like myself wanted more Biblical narrative within the film so many cherish. In his book Jesus a Spiritual Diary, Zeffirelli himself mentioned he wanted to include more scenes and had to trim some for broadcast. Therefore I took this labour of love." This version can be watched directly from the website. The editor also offers it free digitally to stream or download to any device. Also at ones request it is also offered freely at no cost, 4 DVDs complete with a case and artwork cover and 3 extra dvds including The 1977 making of the film, "The Real Jesus of Nazareth" hosted by Robert Powell, and extra disc with many features when a review is submitted to be added to the website.

The website is https://jcofnazareth.wixsite.com/jesusofnazareth

The new scenes included are The Shepherds tending their flocks before the birth of Christ, the Wise-men cross Herod's border, Herod's soldiers leave the castle towards Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary arrive in Egypt, Jesus looking towards the Jordan River from afar at John before the baptism, the Temptations in the Desert. When Jesus visits his mother there is a new scene of Mary talking with Jesus and giving Him a cloak for his journey. The Turning of water into wine at the wedding at Cana, the Samaritan woman at the well, healing the bleeding woman, Jesus healing a blind man entering Jericho, healing a lame man by the Pool of Bethesda, healing a crippled bent woman, Jesus cures a man with a withered hand, Let the Children come unto me, a small montage of Jesus teaching and healing various people, the calming of the storm, expelling the demon Legion, Jesus speaking about being the bread of life after feeding the multitude, walking on water, teaching from a boat the parable of the Fish in the Net and the Lost sheep, healing of the 10 lepers, the Transfiguration, raising the widow's son, healing the mute deaf boy, Martha and Mary the sisters of Lazarus caring for him as he is dying while sending an emissary to bring Jesus. Jesus is at sunset by the beach teaching his disciples and the next day teaching a group of  people with many famous parables.  After in that evening the disciples ask Jesus if he will still go to Lazarus since it has been days to which Jesus reveals that Lazarus has passed away. In the morning they all walk towards Bethany. Jesus meeting with Zaccheus the tax collector, Jesus wiping the dirty face of a child, Jesus and the Widow's offering, a longer riot scene at the temple when Christ leaves, Jesus walking towards the Jerusalem gates at sundown while the disciples go to the upper room before the Last Supper as Romans soldiers are patrolling Jerusalem, Jesus washes the disciples feet, hillside view of Gethsemane with Jesus and the disciple entering it, Peter cutting the man's ear and Jesus healing it during the arrest, Jesus being dragged towards the Sanhedrin by the guards. and later held still  by the Fortress Antonia. Pontius Pilate and Zerah's extended conversation as Jesus is sent to be flogged and Barabbas being called up by Pilate while the remaining 2 thieves curse at him, and The walk to Emmaus.

Original scenes that have been extended is the Massacre of the Innocents, Jesus walking through crowds to get to Simon the Pharisee's house, Jesus walks to visit Mary his mother, Render unto Caesar, the agony in Gethsemane, Peter's denial, the flogging at the pillar, the way of the cross, and a Resurrection appearance to the women at the tomb. The 2 scenes cut from most versions which is the scene where Zerah persuades Judas to bring Jesus to the Sanhedrin and the opening section of the Last Supper sequence where Jesus tells Judas to perform his betrayal as well as predicting Peter's denial have also been included.  And lastly the Resurrections appearance in the upper room to Thomas,

The website offers an incredible detail of all the versions ever released from television broadcasts, vhs, dvd, and Blu-ray releases from every country as well as pdf versions of Franco Zeffirelli's book "Jesus A Spiritual Diary", the soundtrack to the film and many reviews on this version of the film. It also includes a section titled from Creation to Revelation which includes in chronological order an attempt of certain the Bible films chosen by the editor depicting  the events including all the TNT Bible Collection, Cecil B DeMile's The Ten Commandments and more.

# Books

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Two adaptations of Jesus of Nazareth have been published. Jesus of Nazareth (1977), by Scottish theologian William Barclay, is a novelisation of the miniseries, published as a conventionally-sized paperback novel as well as a large-format hardback with extensive colour photographs from the miniseries. Man of Nazareth (1979) is Anthony Burgess' novel based upon his original script for the Jesus of Nazareth miniseries. The novel allowed Burgess to retain and expand upon elements of his script that the miniseries altered or omitted, and as a result, Man of Nazareth contains significant differences to Jesus of Nazareth. Burgess' direct sequel to Man of Nazareth, the novel The Kingdom of the Wicked (1985), was adapted to television in 1985 as A.D. (which features some actors who had appeared in Jesus of Nazareth, albeit in different roles).

Franco Zeffirelli's account of filming Jesus of Nazareth was published in 1984 as Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary (1984).

## See also

[edit]

* A.D.
* List of Easter television episodes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Grade, Lew (1987). Still Dancing: My Story. Collins. p. 219\. ISBN 9780002177801.
2. ^ a b Falk, Ben; Falk, Quentin (2005). Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary But True Tales from the History of Television. Franz Steiner. pp. 131–132\. ISBN 9781861058744.
3. ^ "Zeffirelli Recalls Paul VI's Help With "Jesus of Nazareth"". Zenit News Agency. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
4. ^ Zeffirelli, Franco (1984). Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary. Harper and Row. p. 4. ISBN 9780060697808.
5. ^ a b c d e Reinhartz, Adele (2012). Bible and Cinema: Fifty Key Films. Routledge. p. 151\. ISBN 9781136183997.
6. ^ Burgess, Anthony (1986). But Do Blondes Prefer Gentlemen: Homage to Qwert Yuiop and Other Writings. McGraw-Hill Book Company. p. 35.
7. ^ Llewellyn, Dawn; Sawyer, Deborah F. (2008). Reading Spiritualities: Constructing and Representing the Sacred. Ashgate. p. 214\. ISBN 9780754663294.
8. ^ a b Ostling, Richard N. (4 April 1977). "Franco Zeffirelli's Classical Christ for Prime Time". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
9. ^ Bsteh, Petrus (2012). Wegbereiter des interreligiösen Dialogs. Lit. pp. 178–179\. ISBN 9783643503329.
10. ^ a b Blum, Edward J.; Harvey, Paul (2012). The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 256–257. ISBN 9780807835722.
11. ^ O'Brien, Catherine (2011). The Celluloid Madonna: From Scripture to Screen. Columbia University Press. p. 4\. ISBN 9781906660277.
12. ^ a b c Houlden, James L. (2003). Jesus in History, Thought, and Culture/ 2, Entries K - Z. ABC-CLIO. pp. 289–290\. ISBN 9781576078563.
13. ^ Sanidopoulos, John (29 April 2013). "Robert Powell and His Portrayal of Jesus". Retrieved 22 January 2019.
14. ^ Jacobs, Daniel; Morris, Peter (2001). The Rough Guide to Tunisia. Rough Guides. p. xiii. ISBN 9781858287485.
15. ^ Borgnine, Ernest (2009). Ernie. Citadel Press. pp. 195–196\. ISBN 9780806531502.
16. ^ Denby, David (24 September 1979). "Oh, Bug Off!". New York Magazine: 98. ISSN 0028-7369.
17. ^ Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (1977). Presbyterian Survey. 67: 28. ISSN 0032-759X. `{{cite journal}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)
18. ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (1977). The Listener. 97: 518. ISSN 0024-4392. `{{cite journal}}`: Missing or empty `|title=` (help)
19. ^ The exchange rate of the Pound/U.S. Dollar in 1976 was £0.55651 to $1."Pacific Exchange: Foreign Currency Units per 1 U.S. Dollar, 1948-2011" (PDF). ubc.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
20. ^ "Mastermind on the BC Trail". Third Way. 1 (2): 10. 27 January 1977. ISSN 0309-3492.
21. ^ a b c Cyrino, Monica Silveira (2009). Rome Season One: History Makes Television. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444301557. p. 18.
22. ^ This figure might be adjusted to inflation by 1987, and also include costs that were not directly invested in production but in marketing, etc.
23. ^ Casadio, Gianfranco (2007). I Mitici Eroi : Il Cinema Peplum nel Cinema Italiano dall'avvento del Sonoro a Oggi (1930-1993). Longo. ISBN 9788880635291. p. 198.
24. ^ a b Langkau, Thomas (2007). Filmstar Jesus Christus: die neuesten Jesus-Filme als Herausforderung für Theologie und Religionspädagogik. Lit. ISBN 9783825801960. p. 20.
25. ^ Grasso, Aldo (1992). Storia della Televisione Italiana. Garzanti. ISBN 9788811738190. p. 339.
26. ^ "Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth... In its international début held unprecedented UK audiences for a total of six hours on Palm Sunday and Easter Day". Quoted from: Independent Broadcasting Authority (1978). "Jesus of Nazareth". Annual Report and Accounts: 1977: 29. OCLC 1789175.
27. ^ "This six-hour film on ITV shown in two three-hour parts on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday". Quoted from: Martin, Linnette (21 April 1977). "Lion or Lamb?". Third Way. 1 (8): 29. ISSN 0309-3492.
28. ^ a b c King, Susan (27 March 1994). "Family Channel's Pilgrimage: Cable Network Airs the '77 Miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth" for Easter Week". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
29. ^ a b Angelini, Sergio. "Jesus of Nazareth (1977)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
30. ^ Unspecified writer (5 April 1977). "TV 'Jesus of Nazareth' Draws Major Audience". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
31. ^ Bianco, Robert (11 November 2004). "Catastrophic 'Category 6' is a ratings 1.5". USA Today. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
32. ^ Gorman, Bill (28 August 2007). "US Television Households by Season". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
33. ^ Brown, Les (1977). The New York Times Encyclopedia of Television. Times Books. ISBN 9780812907216. p. 217.
34. ^ Bennet, Albert (1978). Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia: 1978 Yearbook. Funk & Wagnalls. ISBN 9780834300071. p. 327.
35. ^ "Jesus von Nazareth (1976)". Lexikon des Internationalen Films. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
36. ^ “Zeffirelli Recalls Paul VI's Help With Jesus of Nazareth” ROME, 5 NOV. 2007 (ZENIT) A ZENIT DAILY DISPATCH: “Pope Paul VI personally thanked Franco Zeffirelli for his work… Zeffirelli spoke of the moment when the Pope expressed his gratitude for the movie: ‘When Paul VI received me in a private audience after viewing the film in 1977, he thanked me and asked me what the Church could do for me.’ “
37. ^ Shales, Tom (1977), "Zeffirelli's 'Jesus' Is A Miracle of TV"; The Washington Post (April 3, 1977).
38. ^ "Robert Powell will mark the 40th anniversary of Jesus of Nazareth with a new documentary miniseries". Patheos. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
39. ^ "Jesus of Nazareth (1977)". Decent Films. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
40. ^ "Who is the best movie Jesus?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
41. ^ "ROBERT POWELL ON THE REAL JESUS OF NAZARETH". History. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
42. ^ "The 10 best screen faces of Jesus". The Guardian. 28 March 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
43. ^ "Jesus of Nazareth". emmys.com. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
44. ^ "Jesus of Nazareth". bafta.org. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
45. ^ Bentley Hammer, Tad (1991). International Film Prizes: An Encyclopedia. Garland. ISBN 9780824070991. p. 705.
46. ^ "Jesus of Nazareth". Media Decisions. 13 (1): 67. 1978. ISSN 0025-6900.
47. ^ Barría, Fabián. "Un clásico: confirman el regreso de Jesús de Nazareth a la pantalla nacional para Semana Santa". Retrieved 27 March 2021.
48. ^ "Jesus of Nazareth and Boon join BritBox this month". Retrieved 15 April 2022.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Barclay, William. Jesus of Nazareth (1977, Collins). ISBN 978-0002506533.
* Burgess, Anthony. Man of Nazareth (1979, McGraw-Hill). ISBN 978-0553133189.
* Zeffirelli, Franco. Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Spiritual Diary (1984, Harper & Row). ISBN 978-0060697808.

## External links

[edit]

* Jesus of Nazareth at IMDb
* Jesus of Nazareth at the BFI's Screenonline
* Jesus of Nazareth at the TCM Movie Database
* webpages dedicated to the movie called "Jesus of Nazareth" by Franco Zeffirelli
* Jesus of Nazareth at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list

* v
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Films directed by Franco Zeffirelli

* The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
* Romeo and Juliet (1968)
* Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
* Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
* The Champ (1979)
* Endless Love (1981)
* Pagliacci (1982)
* Cavalleria rusticana (1982)
* La Traviata (1982)
* Otello (1986)
* Young Toscanini (1988)
* Hamlet (1990)
* Sparrow (1993)
* Jane Eyre (1996)
* Tea with Mussolini (1999)
* Callas Forever (2002)

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