The Living Word from the Gospel of John
The
Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
This classic film is directed by George
Stevens and masterfully written by the poet Carl Sandburg. Max von Sydow
stars as Jesus. The Film starts with John 1:1 as its introduction then
segues into the nativity of Matthew's Gospel. Nicodemus finds his way into
this production, but not according to the Gospel of John. The adulterous
woman is also part of the production, but some artistic license is taken.
The cleansing of the temple is according to Matthew as is the meeting of
Jesus and John the Baptist, though some of John's dialog is Johannine in
its delivery. All in all a wonderful film, although the plethora of big
name Hollywood stars is at times distracting.
Jesus
Christ Movie Star (1992)
A well thought out documentary about the
difficulties encountered over the years when one decides to take on the
story of Jesus Christ. There are several selections in this video pertaining
to the Gospel of John. The wedding at Cana is taken from D.W. Griffith's
1916 epic Intolerance. The appearance of Jesus before Pilate
is enacted word for word in a clip taken from the 1935 production of Barabbas.
Several other productions are discussed including the King of Kings,
The
Greatest Story Ever Told, Monty Python's Life of Brianand
The
Last Temptation of Christ by Scorsese. I believe it to be a foundational
viewing in understanding of the interpretations of Christ Jesus on film.
King
of Kings (1961)
Directed by Nicolas Ray and stars Jeffrey
Hunter as Jesus. Although actual dialog from the Gospel of John is scarce,
this is an extremely well done film of the birth, life, and death of Jesus
Christ. A must see for those doing filmographies of the synoptics.
Testament:
The Bible and History
This collection of documentaries by John
Romer will take some time to view, but is a well thought out and incredibly
well researched visual walk through the history of the Bible. Old Testament
to New he takes you to actual locations and poses some intriguing questions.
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This Website was created
and is maintained by Felix Just, S.J.
This page
was last updated on 09/27/01