Bible Films Podcast

Jesus (1999)

Jesus (1999) is one of the latest Jesus films being released only 8 years ago. It first aired on CBS in America and Sky in the UK, but has been broadcast many times since in a number of different countries. Whilst unmistakably set in the 1st Century it takes a very modern approach to the story.

(Director: Roger Young)
(Cast:Jeremy Sisto...Jesus, Debra Messing...Mary Magdalene, Armin Mueller-Stahl...Joseph, Jacqueline Bisset...Mary, Gary Oldman...Pontius Pilate, David O'Hara...John the Baptist, Claudio Amendola...Barabbas, G.W. Bailey...Livio, Luca Barbareschi...Herod Antipas, Luca Zingaretti...Peter, Christian Kohlund...Caiaphas, Elena Sofia Ricci...Herodias, Stefania Rocca...Mary of Bethany, Gabriella Pession...Salome, Maria Cristina Heller...Martha of Bethany, Jeroen Krabbé...Satan (Man), Manuela Ruggeri...Satan (Woman), Peter Gevisser...Lazarus, Thomas Lockyer...Judas, Ian Duncan...John, Gilly Gilchrist...Andrew, Fabio Sartor...James, Sebastian Knapp...Matthew, Sean Harris...Thomas, Karim Doukkali...Philip, Said Bey...Thaddeus, Abedelouhahad Mouaddine...James the Less, El Housseine Dejjiti...Simon, Mohammed Taleb...Bartholomew, Omar Lahlou...Nathanael, Miles C. Hobson...Jesus (6 Years Old), Josh Maguire...Young Jesus, Zack Maguire...Young John, Rick Warden...Jared, Iddo Goldberg...Seth)

Life and Passion of Jesus Christ

The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ (1905) is the earliest Jesus film that is widely available today (although the exact release date of the DVD version of this film is not entirely clear). The film is a million miles away from today's slick movie making, yet there's something very genuine about it's earnest depiction of it's subject.(Directors: Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand Zecca)
(Cast:Monsieur Normand...Jesus, Madame Moreau...Virgin Mary, Monsieur Moreau...Joseph, Monsieur Jacquinett...Judas, Le Petit Briand...Jesus as a Boy. Other actors unknown)

Last Temptation of Christ

Martin Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ caused uproar when it was first released and even today it's still primarily discussed in those terms. But as it nears its twentieth anniversary it's about time that the film started to be discussed on the basis of its artistic merits.(Director: Martin Scorsese)
(Cast:Willem Dafoe... Jesus, Harvey Keitel... Judas, Paul Greco... Zealot, Steve Shill... Centurion , Verna Bloom... Mary, Mother of Jesus, Barbara Hershey... Mary Magdalene, Harry Dean Stanton... Saul/Paul, David Bowie... Pontius Pilate, Juliette Caton... Girl Angel , Andre Gregory... John the Baptist, Peggy Gormley... Martha, Sister of Lazarus, Randy Danson... Mary, Sister of Lazarus, Tomas Arana... Lazarus, Gary Basaraba... Andrew, Apostle, Irvin Kershner... Zebedee, Victor Argo... Peter, Apostle, Michael Been... John, Apostle, Paul Herman... Phillip, Apostle, John Lurie... James, Apostle, Leo Burmester... Nathaniel, Apostle, Robert Spafford... Man At Wedding, Doris von Thury... Woman with Mary, Alan Rosenberg... Thomas, Apostle, Roberts Blossom... Aged Master, Barry Miller... Jeroboam, Del Russel... Money Changer, Nehemiah Persoff... Rabbi, Donald Hodson... Saducee, Peter Berling... Beggar)

King of Kings

This month I'm looking at King of Kings (1961) directed by Nicholas Ray. Despite it's flaws it's one of my top ten Jesus Films, (although perhaps the least defensible selection) mainly down to some great visuals.(Director: Nicholas Ray)
(Cast:Jeffrey Hunter... Jesus, Siobhan McKenna... Mary, Hurd Hatfield... Pontius Pilate, Ron Randell... Lucius, Viveca Lindfors... Claudia, Rita Gam... Herodias, Carmen Sevilla... Mary Magdalene, Brigid Bazlen... Salome, Harry Guardino... Barabbas, Rip Torn... Judas, Frank Thring... Herod Antipas, Guy Rolfe... Caiaphas, Royal Dano... Peter, Robert Ryan... John The Baptist, Grégoire Aslan... Herod (as Gregoire Aslan), Gérard Tichy... Joseph (as Gerard Tichy), Antonio Mayans... Young John (as José Antonio), Rubén Rojo... Matthew (as Ruben Rojo), Michael Wager... Thomas, Félix de Pomés... Joseph of Arimathea (as Felix de Pomes), Rafael Luis Calvo... Simon of Cyrene, Tino Barrero... Andrew, Orson Welles... Narrator)

Il Messia

This month I'm looking at Il Messia a less well known Jesus film by the great Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Next month (June 2007) the film will receive a rare theatrical screening at the National Film Theatre in London as part of the BFI's Rossellini Retrospective.(Director: Roberto Rossellini)
(Cast:Pier Maria Rossi... Gesù, Mita Ungaro... Vergine Maria, Carlos de Carvalho... Giovanni Battista, Fausto Di Bella... Re Saul,, Vernon Dobtcheff... Samuele, Antonella Fasano... Maria Maddalena, Jean Martin... Ponzio Pilato, Toni Ucci... Erode Antipa, Vittorio Caprioli... Erode il Grande, Tina Aumont... L'adultera, Flora Carabella... Erodiade, Raouf Ben Amor... Giuda, Luis Suárez... Giovanni, Hedi Zoughlami... Simon Pietro, Renato Montalbano... Matteo)

The Miracle Maker

This month I'm discussing the Russian-Welsh animated Jesus film The Miracle Maker. Released in 1999 it's the most recent film I've discussed so far, and whilst, surprisingly, it's still not that well known, the list of those who admire it is certainly growing.(Directors: Derek W. Hayes, Stanislav Sokolov)
(Cast:Ralph Fiennes... Jesus, Michael Bryant... Voice of God/the Doctor, Julie Christie... Rachel, Rebecca Callard... Tamar, James Frain... Thomas, Richard E. Grant... John the Baptist, Ian Holm... Pontius Pilate, William Hurt... Jairus, Anton Lesser... Herod, Daniel Massey... Cleopas, Tim McInnerny... Barabbas, Alfred Molina... Simon the Pharisee, Bob Peck... Joseph of Arimathea, Miranda Richardson... Mary Magdalene, Antony Sher... Ben Azra, Ewan Stewart... Andrew, Ken Stott... Simon Peter, David Thewlis... Judas Iscariot)

Jesus Christ, Superstar

This month I'm speaking on Jesus Christ, Superstar, Norman Jewison's 1973 film based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera. Jesus was played by Ted Neeley.
(Director: Norman Jewison)
(Ted Neeley... Jesus Christ, Carl Anderson... Judas Iscariot, Yvonne Elliman... Mary Magdalene, Barry Dennen... Pontius Pilate, Bob Bingham... Caiaphas, Larry Marshall... Simon Zealotes (as Larry T. Marshall), Josh Mostel... King Herod (as Joshua Mostel), Kurt Yaghjian... Annas, Paul Thomas... Peter (as Philip Toubus), Pi Douglass... Apostle, Richard Orbach... John, Robert LuPone... James, Jonathan Wynne... Apostle, Thommie Walsh... Thaddeus, Richard Molinare... Andrew, David Devir... Apostle, Jeff Hyslop... Philip)

Jesus of Montreal

This month I'm discussing Denis Arcand's Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal). The film tells the story of an actor who gets the role of Jesus in a play, and begins to find his real life becoming more and more like the one he is portraying.(Director: Denys Arcand)
(Cast: Lothaire Bluteau...Daniel, Catherine Wilkening...Mireille, Johanne-Marie Tremblay...Constance, Rémy Girard...Martin, Robert LePage...Réné, Gilles Pelletier...Fr. Leclerc, Yves Jacques...Richard Cardinal, Denys Arcand...Judge)

The Greatest Story Ever Told

After a month off for Christmas (!), this month I'm looking at George Stevens's The Greatest Story Ever Told. Whilst the film did poorly at the book office, there's much to appreciate in the film despite its flaws.(Director: George Stevens)
(Cast: Max von Sydow...Jesus , Michael Anderson Jr....James the Younger, , Carroll Baker...Veronica, Ina Balin...Martha of Bethany, , Pat Boone...The figure in the tomb, Victor Buono...Sorak, Richard Conte...Barabbas, Joanna Dunham...Mary Magdalene, José Ferrer...Herod Antipas, , Van Heflin...Bar Amand, , Charlton Heston...John the Baptist, , Martin Landau...Caiaphas, , Angela Lansbury...Claudia, Janet Margolin...Mary of Bethany, David McCallum...Judas Iscariot, , Roddy McDowall...Matthew, Dorothy McGuire...The Virgin Mary, , Sal Mineo...Uriah, , Nehemiah Persoff...Shemiah, , Donald Pleasence...The Dark Hermit - Satan, , Sidney Poitier...Simon of Cyrene, , Claude Rains...King Herod, Gary Raymond...Peter, , Telly Savalas...Pontius Pilate, Joseph Schildkraut...Nicodemus, Paul Stewart...Questor, , John Wayne...Centurion at crucifixion, , Shelley Winters...Woman who is healed, , Ed Wynn...Old Aram, John Abbott...Aben, Rodolfo Acosta...Captain of lancers, Michael Ansara...Herod's commander, , Robert Blake...Simon the Zealot, Burt Brinckerhoff...Andrew, Robert Busch...Emissary, John Considine...John, Philip Coolidge...Chuza, John Crawford...Alexander, Frank DeKova...The tormentor (as Frank de Kova), Cyril Delevanti...Melchior, , Jamie Farr...Thaddaeus, , David Hedison...Philip, Russell Johnson...Scribe, Mark Lenard...Balthazar, , Robert Loggia...Joseph, John Lupton...Speaker of Capernaum, Peter Mann...Nathanael, , Tom Reese...Thomas, , Marian Seldes...Herodias, David Sheiner...James the Elder, Frank Silvera...Caspar, , Joseph Sirola...Dumah, Abraham Sofaer...Joseph of Arimathaea, , Harold J. Stone...Gen. Varus, Chet Stratton...Theophilus, Michael Tolan...Lazarus, Ron Whelan...Annas, )

Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo

This month I'm looking at Pier Paolo Pasolini's classic film Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo (The Gospel According to St. Matthew), which is probably the film that most critics consider the best of all Jesus films.(Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini)(Cast - Enrique Irazoqui...Christ; Margherita Caruso...Mary (younger); Susanna Pasolini...Mary (older); Marcello Morante...Joseph; Mario Socrate...John the Baptist; Settimio Di Porto...Peter; Alfonso Gatto...Andrew; Luigi Barbini...James; Giacomo Morante...John; Giorgio Agamben...Philip; Guido Cerretani...Bartholomew; Rosario Migale...Thomas; Ferruccio Nuzzo...Matthew; Marcello Galdini...James son of Alphus; Elio Spaziani...Thaddeus; Enzo Siciliano...Simon; Otello Sestili...Jude; Rodolfo Wilcock...Caiphus; Alessandro Clerici...Pontius Pilate; Amerigo Bevilacqua...Herod I; Francesco Leonetti...Herod II; Franca Cupane...Herodiade; Paola Tedesco...Salome; Rossana Di Rocco...Angel of the Lord; Renato Terra...Posessed one; Eliseo Boschi...Joseph of Arimathea; Natalia Ginzburg...Mary of Bethania;