Jesus (1999 film)
| Jesus | |
|---|---|
| Teleplay by | Suzette Couture |
| Directed by | Roger Young |
| Starring | Jeremy Sisto Jacqueline Bisset Armin Mueller-Stahl Debra Messing Gary Oldman |
| Music by | Patrick Williams |
| Countries of origin | Italy United States |
| Original languages | English Italian |
| Production | |
| Producers | Russell Kagan Roberta Cadringher |
| Cinematography | Raffaele Mertes |
| Editor | Benjamin A. Weissman |
| Running time | 174 minutes (without commercials) |
| Budget | $17 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | December 5 – December 6, 1999 |
| Release | May 14 – May 15, 2000 |
Jesus is a 1999 Italian-American biblical historical drama television miniseries that retells the historical events of Jesus Christ. It was shot in Morocco and Malta. It stars Jeremy Sisto as the titular character, Jacqueline Bisset as Mary of Nazareth, Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene and Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate. The miniseries was broadcast in Italy in two parts on December 5 and 6, 1999[2] before being broadcast in the United States on May 14 and 15, 2000 on CBS.
Plot
The film's chronology entails a cinematic blending of the Four Gospels with the addition of extra-biblical elements not found in the New Testament accounts. It provides a down to earth approach through its focus on the human aspect of Jesus. Compared to more solemn and divine portrayals in earlier films, Jesus expresses emotions weeping at Joseph's funeral, throwing stones in Lake Galilee upon meeting Simon Peter and James son of Zebedee, dancing at the wedding at Cana, and starting a water-splashing fight with his disciples.
While the film mainly presented familiar Christian Episodes, it provides extra-biblical scenes such as flashbacks of his first trip to Jerusalem with John as well as scenes of war and destruction waged in the name of Jesus during the medieval and modern times. Likewise, the film's Satan comes in two different forms: a visual exemplification of a modern man and a woman in red, instead of the traditional snake that can be found in most films. The film also adds a composite character, an apocryphal Roman historian named "Livio" who watches and comments as events unfold; he is presumably named after Livy.
As it appears in the credits, it was dedicated in memory of Enrico Sabbatini.
Two actors who played disciples of Jesus in the miniseries appeared once again as disciples in the 2013 miniseries The Bible and the 2014 feature film adapted from it, Son of God. Sebastian Knapp, who played Matthew in Jesus, played John, son of Zebedee in The Bible. Said Bey, who played Thaddeus in Jesus, played Matthew in The Bible.
Cast
- Jeremy Sisto as Jesus
- Jacqueline Bisset as Mary, mother of Jesus
- Armin Mueller-Stahl as Joseph the carpenter
- Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene
- David O'Hara as John the Baptist
- G. W. Bailey as Livio
- Luca Barbareschi as Herod Antipas
- Christian Kohlund as Caiaphas
- Stefania Rocca as Mary of Bethany
- Luca Zingaretti as Simon Peter
- Ian Duncan as John, son of Zebedee
- Elena Sofia Ricci as Herodias
- Gilly Gilchrist as Andrew
- Thomas Lockyer as Judas Iscariot
- Claudio Amendola as Barabbas
- Jeroen Krabbé as male Satan
- Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate
- Gabriella Pession as Salome
- Maria Cristina Heller as Martha
- Manuela Ruggeri as female Satan
- Peter Gevisser as Lazarus
- Fabio Sartor as James, son of Zebedee
- Sebastian Knapp as Matthew
- Sean Harris as Thomas
- Karim Doukkali as Philip
- Said Bey as Jude Thaddeus
- Abedelouhahad Mouaddine as James, son of Alphaeus
- El Housseine Dejjiti as Simon the Zealot
- Mohammed Taleb as Bartholomew
- Omar Lahlou as Nathanael
- Roger Hammond as Joseph of Arimathea
Soundtrack
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
A soundtrack, Jesus: Music from and Inspired by the Epic Mini-Series, was released on March 8, 2000, for the series.[4] "I Need You" was released as a single for the soundtrack by American country music recording artist LeAnn Rimes. "Spirit in the Sky" by dc Talk was also released as a B side with "I Need You".[5]
| No. | Title | Recording artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jesus" (Theme from the original soundtrack) | Patrick Williams | 2:49 |
| 2. | "I Need You" | LeAnn Rimes | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Jesus, He Loves Me" | Eric McCain | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Nobody Ever (Only You)" | Steven Curtis Chapman | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Spirit in the Sky" | dc Talk | 3:44 |
| 6. | "The Love That You've Been Looking For" | 98 Degrees | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Shining Star" | Yolanda Adams | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Love Can Change Your Mind" | Lonestar | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Fly to You" | Avalon | 3:49 |
| 10. | "When You Walked Into My Life" | Jaci Velasquez | 3:46 |
| 11. | "City by a River" | Hootie & the Blowfish | 3:49 |
| 12. | "Pie Jesu" | Sarah Brightman | 3:55 |
See also
- Bible Collection
- 1999 in American television
- List of films shot in Malta
- List of foreign films shot in Morocco
References
- Back to citation "'Jesus' won't bless TNT". July 20, 1998.
- Back to citation "Italians flock to 'Jesus' mini". December 29, 1999.
- Back to citation William Ruhlmann (March 28, 2000). "Jesus: The Epic Mini-Series [Original Television Soundtrack] - Original Television Soundtrack: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
- Back to citation "Jesus: Music From & Inspired by the Epic Mini Series: Patrick Williams, Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- Back to citation "I Need You / Spirit in the Sky: Leann Rimes, Dc Talk: Music". Amazon. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
External links
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived December 14, 2002)
- Jesus at IMDb