Jesus (1999 film)
| Jesus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roger Young |
| Written by | Suzette Couture (teleplay) |
| Produced by | Russell Kagan Roberta Cadringher |
| Starring | Jeremy Sisto Jacqueline Bisset Armin Mueller-Stahl Debra Messing Gary Oldman |
| Cinematography | Raffaele Mertes |
| Edited by | Benjamin A. Weissman |
| Music by | Patrick Williams |
| Distributed by | MTM Enterprises CBS (United States) NCRV (Nederlands) France 2 (France) Antena 3 Televisión (Spain) Ceská Televize (Czech Republic) British Sky Broadcasting (United Kingdom) RAI Fiction (Italy) ARD (Germany) |
Release date | May 14, 2000 (United States) |
Running time | 240 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000,000 (estimated) |
Jesus is a 1999 biblical historical drama television film that retells the historical events of Jesus Christ. It was shot in Morocco and Malta. It stars Jeremy Sisto as the titular character, Jacqueline Bisset as Mary of Nazareth, Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene and Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate.
Overview
The film's chronology entails a cinematic blending of the Four Gospels with the addition of extra-biblical elements not found in the New Testament accounts. It provides a down to earth approach through its focus on the human aspect of Jesus. Compared to more solemn and divine portrayals in earlier films, Jesus expresses emotions weeping at Joseph’s funeral, throwing stones in Lake Galilee upon meeting Simon Peter and James son of Zebedee, dancing at the wedding at Cana, and starting a water-splashing fight with his disciples.
While the film mainly presented familiar Christian Episodes, it provides extra-biblical scenes such as flashbacks of his first trip to Jerusalem with John as well as scenes of war and destruction waged in the name of Jesus during the medieval and modern times. Likewise, the film's Satan comes in two different forms: a visual exemplification of a modern man and a woman in red, instead of the traditional snake that can be found in most films. The film also adds a composite character, an apocryphal Roman historian named "Livio" who watches and comments as events unfold; he is presumably named after Livy. The film has also been criticized for having an unrealistic Crucifixion scene as the person nailing Jesus to the cross is not a Roman Soldier but a Jew from the crowd.
As it appears in the credits, it was dedicated in memory of Enrico Sabbatini.
Cast
- Jeremy Sisto as Jesus
- Jacqueline Bisset as Mary, mother of Jesus
- Armin Mueller-Stahl as Joseph the carpenter
- Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene
- David O'Hara as John the Baptist
- G. W. Bailey as Livio
- Luca Barbareschi as Herod Antipas
- Christian Kohlund as Caiaphas
- Stefania Rocca as Mary of Bethany
- Luca Zingaretti as Simon Peter
- Ian Duncan as John, son of Zebedee
- Elena Sofia Ricci as Herodias
- Gilly Gilchrist as Andrew
- Thomas Lockyer as Judas Iscariot
- Claudio Amendola as Barabbas
- Jeroen Krabbé as male Satan
- Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate
- Gabriella Pession as Salome
- Maria Cristina Heller as Martha
- Manuela Ruggeri as female Satan
- Peter Gevisser as Lazarus
- Fabio Sartor as James, son of Zebedee
- Sebastian Knapp as Matthew
- Sean Harris as Thomas
- Karim Doukkali as Philip
- Said Bey as Jude Thaddeus
- Abedelouhahad Mouaddine as James, son of Alphaeus
- El Housseine Dejjiti as Simon the Zealot
- Mohammed Taleb as Bartholomew
- Omar Lahlou as Nathanael
- Roger Hammond as Joseph of Arimathea
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
A soundtrack, Jesus: Music from and Inspired by the Epic Mini-Series, was released on March 8, 2000, for the series.[3] "I Need You" was released as a single for the soundtrack by American country music recording artist LeAnn Rimes. "Spirit in the Sky" by dc Talk was also released as a B side with "I Need You".[4]
| No. | Title | Recording artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jesus" (Theme from the original soundtrack) | Patrick Williams | 2:49 |
| 2. | "I Need You" | LeAnn Rimes | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Jesus, He Loves Me" | Eric McCain | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Nobody Ever (Only You)" | Steven Curtis Chapman | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Spirit in the Sky" | dc Talk | 3:44 |
| 6. | "The Love That You've Been Looking For" | 98 Degrees | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Shining Star" | Yolanda Adams | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Love Can Change Your Mind" | Lonestar | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Fly to You" | Avalon | 3:49 |
| 10. | "When You Walked Into My Life" | Jaci Velasquez | 3:46 |
| 11. | "City by a River" | Hootie & the Blowfish | 3:49 |
| 12. | "Pie Jesu" | Sarah Brightman | 3:55 |
See also
- TNT network's Bible Collection
- 1999 in American television
- List of films shot in Malta
- List of foreign films shot in Morocco
References
- ^ Jesus: Music From and Inspired by the Epic Mini Series (CD). Various Artists. Capitol Records. 2000. G2 7243 8 51730 2 8 SPD 1730.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ William Ruhlmann (March 28, 2000). "Jesus: The Epic Mini-Series [Original Television Soundtrack] - Original Television Soundtrack: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
- ^ "Jesus: Music From & Inspired by the Epic Mini Series: Patrick Williams, Various Artists: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ "I Need You / Spirit in the Sky: Leann Rimes, Dc Talk: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
External links
- 1990s biographical films
- 1990s drama films
- 1999 television films
- American films
- Bible Collection
- Biographical films about Jesus
- CBS network films
- Das Erste television series
- Films directed by Roger Young
- Films shot in Malta
- Films shot in Morocco
- Portrayals of Jesus on television
- Portrayals of the Virgin Mary in film
- Cultural depictions of John the Baptist
- Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot
- Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate
- Films set in the 1st century
- Films set in Jerusalem
- Films set in the Roman Empire