Screen Jesus: Portrayals of Christ in Television and Film

Since the dawn of film in the 1890s, religious themes and biblical subjects have been a staple of cinema. One of the earliest focuses of screen presentations was the Bible, especially the New Testament and the Gospels. In Screen Jesus: Portrayals of Christ in Television and Film, Peter Malone takes a close look at films in which Jesus is depicted. From silent renditions of The Passion Play to 21st-century blockbusters like The Passion of the Christ, Malone examines how the history of Jesus films reflects the changes in artistic styles and experiments in cinematic forms for more than a century. In addition to providing a historical overview of the Jesus films, this book also reveals the changes in piety and in theological understandings of the humanity and divinity of Jesus over the decades. While most of the Jesus films come from the United States and the west, an increasing number of Jesus films come from other cultures, which are also included in this study. Fans and scholars interested in the history of religious cinema will find this an interesting read, as will students and teachers in cinema and religious studies, church pastors, parish groups, and youth ministry.

Table of Contents:
Foreword, Maggie Roux Introducing the Theme 1. The Jesus Figure Faces of Jesus in Art 2. Biblical Portraits of Jesus Jesus Redeemer Jesus Saviour Jesus Liberator Jesus Priest, Prophet and King Jesus 'Holy Fool' 3. The Jesus Films: the Early 20th Century Civilisation Intolerance I.N.R.I. (Crown of Thorns) Leaves from Satan’s Book 4. The Jesus Films: the 1920s and Cecil B. De Mille Ben Hur The King of Kings Le Berceau de Dieu (The Cradle of God) Chizome no Jujika Jesus of Nazareth 5. The Jesus Films: Jesus’ Absence from the Mainstream…The 1930s, 1940s and 1950s… Evangelical Jesus-figures The Wandering Jew (1923, 1933) Golgotha The End of the World, The Miraculous Life of Therese Martin, The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), Barabbas (1953) The Great Commandment The Lawton Story/ The Prince of Peace/The Pilgrimage Play I Beheld His Glory The Living Bible, The Living Christ Day of Triumph The Power of the Resurrection Himlasplet The Blood of Jesus and God Down, Death Notes on other Titles 6. The Jesus Films: Mainstream Images Maria Magdalena, Pecasor di Magdala El Martir del Calvario Ben Hur and Jesus’ Reappearance Ponzio Pilato and Barabbas The Sin of Jesus 7. The Jesus Films: the 1960s King of Kings The Greatest Story Ever Told Acto de Primavera Il Vangelo secondo Matteo/ The Gospel According to Matthew El Proceso de Jesus La Lit del la Vierge Son of Man 8. The Jesus Films: the 1970s Jesus Christ Superstar Godspell Jesus Christus Erloser Proceso a Jesus The Messiah A Vida de Jesus Cristo The Gospel Road The Passover Plot Jesus of Nazareth Jesus (1979) / The Jesus Project Jesus, Nuestro Senor Jesus, el Nino Dios; Jesus, Maria y Jose Proceso a Jesus Telemovies The Life of Brian Other Titles 9. The Jesus Films: the 1980s The Fourth Wise Man La Inchiesta/ The Inquiry The Cotton Patch Gospel AD Jesus – Der Film St John in Exile Un Bambino di Nome Gesu Incident in Judaea/ The Master and Margarita The Seventh Sign The Last Temptation of Christ Jesus of Montreal Jesus Christus Horoskopya 10. The Jesus Films: Cinema Freedom and Images of Jesus Jesus-figures inserted into commercial films Johnny Got his Gun A Clockwork Orange The Ruling Class The Devils The Milky Way Cammina, Cammina From a Far Country History of the World Part I Bad Lieutenant Cercasi Gesu The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish Leon the Pig Farmer 11. The Jesus Films: the 1990s La Belle Histoire The Visual Bible: Matthew, Acts The Gospel according to Jesus The Revolutionary I and II Mary, Mother of Jesus Other Mary films Jesus (US, 1999) Jesus (France, 1999) I Giardini dell’ Eden The Miracle Maker Gli Amici di Gesu Kristo 12. The Jesus Films: the 21st Century The Body Judas Saint Mary Maria, Mae do Filho de Deus The Apocalypse The Gospel of John The Passion of the Christ Saint Peter/ San Pietro Color of the Cross The Cross – The Last Hours of Jesus La Sacra Famiglia (The Holy Family) The Passion (UK) Mormon Jesus Films 13. The Jesus Films: Jesus in our world today The Book of Life Las Aventuras di Dios Joshua Soupernatural Man Dancin’ Son of Man Mary We are all Christs Tutta Colpa di Giuda Almanya: Willkommen in Deutchland NEDS 14. The Jesus Films: Verbal Jesus-figures Lilies of the Field Wise Blood At Close Range The Name of the Rose Matewan The Dark Side of the Heart Alive The Big Kahuna Dogma and Red State Deliver us from Eva Saved! The Da Vinci Code The Oxford Murders Choke The Wrestler Tales from the Madhouse 15. Interest in Jesus and Film beyond Christianity Au Nom du Christ, Cote d’Ivoire Jesus, the Spirit of God/ The Messiah, Iran Robin, Iran Karunamayudu/ Man of Compassion, India Jesus Comes to India, India The Untold Stories of Jesus, India The Aquarian Gospel, India Ekattarer Jishu/ Jesus ‘71, Bangladesh 16. The Reverent/Serious and the Bizarre The Reverent/ Serious Going to Glory... Come to Jesus Whistle down the Wind Seduta alla Destra/ Black Jesus Le Martyre de Saint Sebastian Seoul Jesus The Magic Boy’s Easter The Garden La Vie de Jesus Les Demons de Jesus Resurrection; Stephen’s Test of Faith Jesus 2000 Jesus’ Son Da Jeg Traff Jesus...med Sprettart/ When I Hit Jesus... with my Sllingshot In Jesus’ Name, Jesus Wept, Baby Jesus Das Jesus Video Superstar Dracula 2000 Secondo Giovanni The Cross What Wouldn’t Jesus Do? The Boy who saw Christ Jesus, du Weisst Screen Door Jesus De Arm von Jesus/ Jesus’ Arm Searching for the wrong-eyed Jesus Jesus Camp Gas Station Jesus World Trade Center What Would Jesus Buy? Priestess The Perfect Stranger/ Another Perfect Stranger Teresa, el Cuerpo de Cristo The Bizarre Plastic Jesus The Jesus Trip Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man The Thorn Jeg Sa Jesus Do/ I Saw Jesus Die El Eligido Stridulum Deux Heures moins un Quart avant Jesus-Christ Das Gespenst/ The Ghost Asi en Cielo como en la Tierra South Park Who Killed Baby Jesus? Jesus Vender Tilbage/ The Return Jesus of Judson Stripping for Jesus Hyakunen no Zessho/ Jesus in Nirvana Mensch Jesus Super Jesus Jesus is a Palestinian Jesus and Hutch Can’t Drag Race with Jesus Terrorama This Filthy Earth The Terminator (Jesus parody) Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter Ultrachrist Jesus Henry Christ Jesus Christ Supercop Jesus Christ Serial Rapist Jesus Christ the Musical Jerry Springer: the Musical The Ten Jesus on YouTube 17. After The Passion of the Christ Documentary Television Series Horror Satire and Spoof Serious Films More than a hundred years of Jesus Films Appendix 1: Jesus and the Crucifix Appendix 2: Interview with the director of Jesus, the Spirit of God Appendix 3: The Issue of Films on Jesus and Sexuality The Major Jesus Films Note: Television, Video and DVD documentaries Selected Background Reading

About the Author :
Peter Malone, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart order in Australia, has served as president of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. He is the author or editor of more than 25 books on film studies, including the Lights, Camera, Faith: A Movie Lover's Guide to Scripture series (2001-2006) and Through a Catholic Lens: Religious Perspectives of 19 Film Directors from Around the World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007).

Review :
This book covers the spectrum of the Jesus figure in television and film, including early works, documentations, reverent treatments, and bizarre interpretations. The author also brings his perspective as a Catholic missionary to the work. Eighteen chapters cover the Jesus figure, biblical portraits, and films, from the earliest cinema to the present. Four appendixes, selected background reading, and an index complete the volume. More than just a film text, this book would do well in either a reference or circulating collection. Recommended for academic libraries supporting a religious-studies or film-studies program. Malone (a member of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Order, Australia) updates and expands material from his Movie Christs and Antichrists (1990) into an impressive encyclopedia of the screen versions of Jesus of Nazareth. As the apostle to the cinematic Savior, Malone covers the films chronologically. Beginning with the silent Passion Play films and Cecil B. DeMille's spectaculars (e.g., King of Kings), the book covers the usual suspects of mainstream films and international productions, and culminates in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and other 21st-century films. Rather than focusing on the symbolic "Christ figure" who resembles some aspect of the Messiah in suffering or redemption, Malone focuses on depictions (both realistic and stylized) of the historical figure of Jesus. Malone also ventures into looking at the verbal presence of Jesus in films (i.e., films in which characters talk about Jesus). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. The book still very useful for the wealth of information it offers.