Cinematic Saviors

When the movies “go big,” they often go biblical. The grandest silent “Jesus film” is Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings (1927). H.B. Warner portrays Jesus with strength and confidence. But DeMille takes liberties with the biblical narrative, creating a love triangle between Mary, Judas, and Jesus. He blends sex and spirituality, as a scantily clad Mary Magdalene dances across the screen. But the eerie special effects of King of Kings (like when the seven deadly sins exit Mary’s body) have held up over time.

Jesus became an almost otherworldly figure in the ’50s, depicted with such reverence that only the back of His head could be revealed in The Robe (1953) and Ben-Hur (1959). These widescreen epics attracted massive box office crowds, reaching their apotheosis in King of Kings (1961) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1966).

Of course, the sincerity in such movies can be marred when Hollywood stars make distracting cameos-John Wayne’s appearance as the Roman soldier stationed at the foot of the Christ nearly killed the biblical epic.

Based on True Events

As theology wrestled with “The Death of God” movement, so filmmakers began their quest for the historical Jesus.

Pier Paulo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1966) is widely regarded as the most authentic and moving life of Christ on film. By casting non-professional actors from a remote Italian village, Pasolini brought a grit to the gospels that is often lacking in more extravagant features. In St. Matthew, Jesus is a man of the people, serving the poor, and challenging the authorities. As a gay man with Marxist leanings, Pasolini highlighted Jesus’ solidarity with those outside the corridors of power. How does one seemingly beyond church borders create such a compelling portrait of Christ? Perhaps artistic distance creates a fresh perspective.

The foment arising in the 1960s resulted in vibrant re-imaginations of the life of Christ. From Broadway musicals came Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and Godspell (1973). Both use rock music to place Jesus’ loyalties with hippies and flower children. While Jesus Christ Superstar retains a Middle Eastern setting, Godspell brings the Bible to New York City. Jesus becomes a holy fool, a clown, sporting a Superman logo and suspenders. These groovy time capsules made Christianity relevant in a turbulent era.

Controversial Attempts

The demythologizing of Jesus occurring in academic circles led to several cinematic controversies. Christians protested the release of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian (1979) and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). Both films generated more headlines than ticket sales.

As a comedic satire, The Life of Brian demonstrated how cults are born out of disinformation. Many Christians failed to find the humor in the wacky chorus that accompanied the crucifixion: “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

The charges of blasphemy reached a fever pitch with The Last Temptation of Christ. While director Martin Scorsese described the film as an act of devotion, leading Christians denounced it as an abomination. Audiences failed to distinguish between the Gospel accounts of Jesus and the film’s source material: a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. Scorsese depicts Jesus’ temptation to eschew the cross for a life of domestic bliss as a dream. The courageous faith affirmed at the conclusion of the film was lost amidst the double-minded portrait of Jesus that preceded it.

Taming Jesus

Jesus of Montreal (1989) offers a brilliant commentary on the domestication of Jesus. It places the passion narrative within the context of a Canadian theatre troupe. A dwindling church eager to attract a crowd at Easter commissions a desperate actor to update the Passion play. But the Christian community is too busy putting on a show to notice the shocking parallels to the crucifixion unfolding in their midst.

Few filmmakers dared to combine Christ and cinema since then. The Colors of the Cross (2006) connected Jesus’ persecution to the struggles of people of color. The bloody Jesus depicted in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) generated even more controversy. Gibson responded to the charges of anti-Semitism with defiance, creating huge anticipation for his privately financed act of devotion. With a script in Aramaic, The Passion did not court mass audiences. Yet, this small movie, shot in the same village as The Gospel According to St. Matthew, became an international sensation. Love it or hate it, the public rushed to see it. Mel Gibson made the crucifixion front-page news. Only in years to come, after the passion around the movie subsides, will we be able to judge whether it is a parade of horrors or a work of profound beauty (or a bit of both!).

Either way, the sacrificial life of Christ will continue to inspire the next generation of artists and audiences.

Apply It: Check out these resources on Jesus and the Movies:
• Philip Yancey compares the cinematic depictions of Christ in his helpful study guide for The Jesus I Never Knew.
• Integrity’s 8 Life Shaking Moments with Jesus demonstrates how a Jesus film can serve as a discussion starter for small groups or sermons. This eight-week series is on DVD.
• The BBC documentary, The Face of Jesus in Art, presents stirring paintings of our Savior across history and cultures. It provides brilliant backgrounds for Christ-centered worship.