Jesus (1979 film)

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Jesus
35th anniversary release poster
Directed byPeter Sykes
John Krish
Screenplay byBarnet Fishbein
Based onGospel of Luke
(Good News Translation)
Produced byJohn Heyman
Starring
Narrated byAlexander Scourby
CinematographyMike Reid
Music by
Production
companies
  • Genesis Project[1]
  • Inspirational Films
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • November 2, 1979 (1979-11-02)
[2]
Running time
117 minutes
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million
Box office$4 million

Jesus (also known as The Jesus Film) is a 1979 American

Biblical drama film directed by Peter Sykes and John Krish, and produced by John Heyman. In Jesus, the life of Jesus Christ is depicted, primarily using the Gospel of Luke as the main basis for the story. A voice-over narration is featured sporadically throughout the film, providing background information on characters and events.[4]

Shot on location in Israel, the film was financed primarily by Campus Crusade for Christ with a budget of $6 million, and was released without production or cast credits, as producer John Heyman declared that the creators of this picture were “simply being translators” of the New Testament's Gospel of Luke, “so nobody will know who produced or directed the film.”[4] The end of the film states that the Good News Bible (Today's English Version) was used during filming, and instead of telling a parallel story or embellishing the Biblical account like other Biblical films, the filmmakers chose to adhere to the Gospel of Luke as closely as possible.[5]

Jesus is occasionally described as the most-watched motion picture of all time,[6][7] in addition to being the most translated film of all time.[8][9]

Plot

During the days of

Emperor Augustus and King Herod the Great, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Later, Mary visits Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist
, who tells her that she is the most blessed of women and that her child is blessed.

When the Romans hold a census, Mary travels with her husband Joseph to his hometown of Bethlehem to register. There, Jesus is born in a manger. A week later, Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the Temple. There, they are greeted by Simeon, who blesses Jesus as the Christ. At the age of twelve, Jesus becomes separated from his parents during a Passover trip to Jerusalem. When Mary asks about his whereabouts, Jesus tells them that he was in His Father's house. Years later, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and King Herod Antipas, John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River and the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus.

Jesus is subsequently tempted in the wilderness by Satan but withstands the Devil's trials. Travelling to Capernaum, Jesus recruits the disciples Peter, James, and John after helping them to find a large haul of fish. During his preaching ministry, Jesus resurrects the daughter of Jairus. Jesus then recruits twelve apostles from among His disciples including Matthew and Judas Iscariot. Jesus' followers also include several women including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna.

The film covers several of Jesus' teachings and messages including the

Gerasa, Jesus exorcises a demon-possessed man and the demons enter a herd of swine. At Bethsaida, Jesus feeds five thousand with five loaves and two pieces of fish. Later, Jesus and his disciples travel up a mountain where Jesus encounters the prophets Moses and Elijah and is transfigured
.

As Jesus' preaching and healing ministry grows, he reaches out to the sinners and outcasts including prostitutes and tax collectors, earning the ire of the Pharisees and religious teachers. Jesus also befriends the tax collector

Zaccheus, convincing him to repay people he has extorted. While preaching the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus befriends a little girl and tells his disciples not to forbid the little children from coming to Him. Jesus draws the attention of the Pharisees, Jewish religious leaders, and Romans after he drives the merchants out of the Temple. In Jerusalem, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Tenants and to pay taxes to Caesar. At the Last Supper
, Jesus warns his disciples of his impending betrayal and death. Judas conspires with the religious leaders to betray Jesus.

At the

commands them to go and make disciples of all nations
.

Cast

Production

Development

Campus Crusade for Christ, spent a lot of his early career in Los Angeles trying to convert Hollywood celebrities, and he aspired to make a compelling film about the life of Christ. In 1976, British Jewish producer John Heyman
approached Bright to fund his Genesis Project to put the entire Bible on film and to obtain financing for his feature-length film on Jesus. After meeting Heyman, Bright asked then campus ministry director Paul Eshleman to consult with the filmmaker.

Eshleman was pleased with Heyman's short film on the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke and convinced Bright to endorse the project despite objections from other Campus Crusade leaders who objected to a non-Christian making a film about the Bible. Most of the film's dialogue comes from Luke, which was chosen after Heyman sought advice from clergy and scholars.[10] On his motivation about the Jesus film, Heyman said: "I believed the best-selling book in the world would sell a lot of 8-millimeter and 16-millimeter films." Instead of creating a parallel story for the film or embellishing the biblical account, as is the case with other biblical films such as The Ten Commandments or The Greatest Story Ever Told, the filmmakers chose to adhere as closely as possible to the Gospel of Luke.[5]

After failing to canvass funding from Hollywood studios, the Jesus film would be financed primarily by Campus Crusade supporters

Historical accuracy also was assured by implementing clothing, pottery and other props made with 1st century techniques to depict a 2,000-year-old Galilean culture.[14]

Filming

Jesus main theme
The lush, poignant theme music of Jesus. It was composed by Israeli musician Nachum Heiman in the key of E minor.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

eucalyptus trees in a variety of shots," when, "Eucalyptus trees were introduced to Palestine very much later".[5]

Deacon grew his hair and beard during production, but Heyman had decided for Deacon to wear a wig, and as well as a

prosthetic nose so that he had a Mediterranean look. Eshleman, who was on location during much of the principal photography, revealed in the DVD's audio commentary that Deacon was so committed to the film and its message that he read several Bible translations a day in order to make certain that he properly presented Christ's teachings.[15] Because Deacon developed pneumonia during principal photography, doubles were used in certain scenes. Deacon's dialogue mostly comprises full-length passages of scripture, and he is scarcely depicted doing anything other than making miracles and uttering speeches.[5]

Eshleman revealed that Niko Nitai (Simon Peter) became a believer during shooting. As for special effects, the film features puffs of smoke and transparent

dubbed over by English voice actors using the Received Pronunciation accent.[16]

Release

Jesus was theatrically released by

financially successful, and left John Heyman's Genesis Project US$4 million in debt.[18]

In Australia, it was released on April 3, 1981; in Portugal on April 9, 1981; in Sweden on November 1, 1985; in Finland on March 14, 1986; in Hungary on 13 December 1990; and in Czechoslovakia in 1991. Nonetheless, the film has been presented in 229 nations, being screened in dozens of large cities to the smallest villages in a lot of different countries.[5]

Lawsuit

Warner Bros. received backlash for distributing simultaneously with

legal action against the studio for a conflict of interest.[4]

Ratings and classifications

Despite scenes involving crucifixion and flagellation, Jesus received a G rating by the Motion Picture Association of America and, likewise in Australia, received the same classification from the Australian Classification Board.[19] In the United Kingdom, however, it was granted a PG by the British Board of Film Classification for "mild violence and horror".[20]

Later versions

2004 DVD poster
1999-2002

To make the film more relevant for younger viewers, new footage for The Story of Jesus for Children was shot in 1999. Being less violent than the original, it was interwoven into an edit of the original film and released in 2000. In 2001, a new opening sequence depicting the

police officers
.

2003

An edited DVD edition was also packaged with JESUS: Fact or Fiction?, produced in 2003 by Inspirational Films. This features a section called the "Journey of Spiritual Discovery". Biblical scholars, historians, philosophers, authors, and ministers answer specific questions relating to God, Jesus, Christianity, the archaeological, scientific and historical accuracy of the Bible, and testimony from many Christians. Viewers can browse the numerous topics individually or they can watch the film and, when prompted by a "discovery glass" icon, can access relevant comments. Once finished, the viewer is returned to the scene they were watching.

The version was promoted to Muslims of

Iraqi War, where its website featured a banner advert that said "Send videocassettes of 'JESUS' to Iraq". The 2003 version premiered in a politically unstable and fundamentally Islamic region in northern Egypt. Documentarian Deep Sehgal filmed the screening as part of a six-month project.[7]

2014

To celebrate the 35th anniversary, a digitally remastered,

Making of The Jesus Film", "The Impact of the Jesus Film", and "Historical Notes".[8]

On the remaster, The Jesus Film Project executive director Erick Schenkel states: "We believe this new remastered version will give audiences an accurate picture of who Jesus is and why individuals around the world have chosen to follow Him, shown with production values they have come to expect."[14]

Reception

While praising its "meticulous attention to authenticity",

critics maligned Jesus for being "painfully monotonous"[23][24] and "little more than an illustrated gospel, with nothing in the way of historical and social context."[24] The Los Angeles Times called it a "...dull Sunday-School treatment of the life of Christ, meticulously but unimaginatively culled from Luke 3-24."[25]

Despite Bright's endorsement, Heyman's relationship with his former Campus Crusade collaborators deteriorated due to his perception that the latter overlooked his contributions. Heyman also objected to Campus Crusade making multiple different versions. When Campus Crusade produced The Story of Jesus for Children, which included new footage, Heyman sued Crusade on the grounds that the new version damaged his reputation. Though the dispute was settled by the parties out of court, relations between Heyman and Campus Crusade remained poor.[26]

Regarding the foreign reception, Seghal said "The events we witnessed were often bewildering," he says. "But what struck us most was the utter normality of those who were willing to risk their lives for Christ."[7] After the film's reels were sent to remote settlements in Africa, Asia and Latin America, they returned with reports of audiences being in tears during screening with others instantly converting. In Phaphamani, a small village in South Africa with no electricity, the film was screened on a projector which attracted over 350 people, who had probably never watched a motion picture in their life. According to distributor Brian Helstrom, "You could see them physically jump back at the sight of the serpent tempting Jesus. When soldiers whip Jesus, you could hear grown adults crying."[27]

Statistics

Project leaders state that as of May 2020 it has been viewed over 8.1 billion times by over 4 billion people, making it overwhelmingly the most watched movie of all time. This claim, however, has detractors such as Evangelical leader Vinay Samuel, former executive director of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Mission Theologians, who claimed: "These numbers are, to say the least, not gathered in a social-scientific way", and "They have no way of knowing this".[27] However, according to the Jesus Film Project, a research firm calculated the known viewings of the film from 1979 to 2015 as greater than 7.3 billion.[28]: 59 

It is officially accredited by

The Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Translated Film" in history, having been translated and available for download in 1,977 languages as of May 2022, with many others in process.[29]

Regarding the film's popularity, Schenkel said that foreigners and non-believers "saw Jesus speaking their language, they understood that Jesus saw them and loved them... And so we saw movements of people coming to Christ in every one of these people groups." Furthermore, he said, "[In t]hirty-five years, there have [been] 6 billion viewings of the film and over 200 million people have indicated they wanted to become followers of Jesus after seeing the film. So the reach is just more than we could have asked and it really has been a privilege to see how God has used this tool."[9]

In agreement with his missionary agenda, Bright created the Jesus Video Project (JVP) in 1981, which not only spread Jesus to global evangelical activities, but also began on a goal to distribute a copy to every U.S. household. Based on the distribution rate by 2005, JVP did not expect to reach countrywide status until 2040 or later.[4] As of August 2018, over 8 billion viewers were reported through in-person film showings, online platforms and apps, though these reports are likely vastly overinflated.[30]

International versions

In 1980, Bright created the Jesus Film Project organization with the goal of accurately translating Jesus into other languages and showing them around the world. The first translation was done for the

VCDs and DVD.[4]

Distribution in the United States has included direct mail campaigns sponsored by churches to deliver a copy of the film to every address in select

Kwanyama, spoken in Angola and Namibia, and as well as the seven varieties of Quechua, a tongue of Quechua people in the Andes.[27]

Regarding its worldwide spread and translations, Eshleman states, "People ask 'Why do you go to those far away places?' It's because those people haven't had a chance. That's all we want to do - to give them a chance to hear the message of Christ in an understandable language near where they live." John Meyer, one of the team members who has helped distributing and translating the film, has said, "I'm willing to lay down my life for Jesus, should it come to that," he told the documentary maker Sehgal. "So if there's a recording in a war-torn country, I'm more than willing to go. Or anywhere else, to be honest."[7]

Incidentally, American

US Marines, and president George W. Bush welcomed them back to America, saying: "It's been an uplifting experience to talk to these courageous souls".[7]


In the Philippines, the film is traditionally aired every Holy Week yearly (except in 2020 and in 2021, when the film was aired on GTV) on GMA Network, since it premiered on March 29, 2018 and is dubbed in Filipino, along with its children's counterpart, The Story of Jesus for Children.

See also

Further reading

  • Stanley, Jeffrey L.; Walsh, Richard (October 11, 2007). Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination: A Handbook to Jesus on DVD.
    ISBN 9780664230319
    .
  • Turner, John G. (2008). Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ : the renewal of evangelicalism in postwar America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 181–187.
    ISBN 978-0-8078-3185-4
    .

References

  1. ^ "Jesus (1979)". American Film Institute. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference rotten was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Film: Jesus". LUMIERE. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS
  5. ^ a b c d e f Franklin Foer (2004-02-08). "Baptism by celluloid". New York Times.
  6. ^ The New York Times, July 22, 2003, page 1AR "1979 Bible Film is the Most-Watched Movie of All Time"
  7. ^ a b c d e Giles Wilson (2003-07-21). "The most watched film in history". BBC News.
  8. ^ a b "The Jesus Film Updated". Archived from the original on 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  9. ^ a b The Jesus Film, The 'Most Translated Film' in History, Get Remastered for the Modern Era (VIDEO) by William Rameau, June 15, 2014, from Breathecast.com
  10. ^ Turner 2008, pp. 181–182.
  11. ^ Come Help Change the World, by Bill Bright, pages 144-145
  12. ^ Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination Jeffrey Lloyd Staley, Richard G. Walsh - 2007 0664230318 "By 1978 Heyman had secured additional funding for his project and with Peter Sykes and John Krisch as directors, the decision was made to finish the Gospel of Luke. "
  13. ^ Turner 2008, p. 182.
  14. ^
    Charisma News
  15. ^ DVD audio commentary
  16. ^ Turner 2008, p. 183.
  17. ^ "'Jesus' Due Via Warners; Possible Restoration of Biblical Genre". Variety. July 25, 1979. p. 6.
  18. ^ Turner 2008, pp. 183–184.
  19. ^ JESUS (VIDEOTAPE)[permanent dead link] by the ACB
  20. ^ JESUS (1979) – British Board of Film Classification
  21. ^ "The JESUS Film HD". The JESUS Film. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  22. ^ The Jesus Film: 35th Anniversary Edition by ChristianCinema.com
  23. ^ Shaila Dewan (2005-08-16). "Putting Jesus in Every Mailbox". New York Times.
  24. ^ a b Tom Buckley (1980-03-28). "Film:"Jesus" at Embassy; according to Luke". New York Times.
  25. ^ Kevin Thomas (1979-11-02). "A Sunday-School Treatment of 'Jesus'". L.A. Times. p. H30.
  26. ^ Turner 2008, p. 184.
  27. ^ a b c Franklin Foer (February 8, 2004). "'The Passion's' Precedent: The Most-Watched Film Ever?". New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  28. ^ "Jesus Film Project: measuring global impact".[permanent dead link] Masterworks. January 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "JESUS".
  30. ^ Jesusfilm.org

External links

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