Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3375 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-16
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 372 minutes

DVD Description
Jesus of Nazareth Synopsis

This full un-edited version is a compelling portrayal of the life and death of Jesus (Robert Powell) traced from birth, through to childhood, his baptism by John the Baptist (Michael York) and the miracles; culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection.

Four years in the making, this powerful epic has been critically acclaimed by religious leaders worldwide for its sensitivity and passion. Directed by Oscar ™ nominee, Franco Zeffirelli, this internationally acclaimed and award-winning screen version of the life of Jesus is a captivating production coupled with historical and religious accuracy.

Robert Powell stars as Jesus and a star studded international cast ads depth and humanity to the roles of the saints, sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The all star cast includes Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, James Farentino, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, Tony Lo Bianco, James Mason, Ian McShane, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Fernando Rey, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Michael York and Olivia Hussey as Mary.

Contains 2 hrs of additional running time

Synopsis
This epic chronicle of Christ begins with the arrangements of the wedding between Joseph and Mary, proceeds through Jesus' birth, his encounter with John the Baptist, and all the way to the grueling, transfigurative end. The all-star cast includes Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Michael York, James Mason, Rod Steiger, and Robert Powell as Jesus. As the beautiful locations, superb performances, and reverent portrayals reveal, Franco Zeffirelli (OTELLO, HAMLET) directed this six-hour-plus television miniseries with palpable passion.

Customer Reviews

JESUS OF NAZARETH SPECIAL EDITION
I waited for years to get this on dvd and when the full ed was announced, i ordered it without fail, but what a let down.
What on earth made the people who released this special ed, miss out some crucial moments such as the last supper bread dipping and the John the baptist head on a platter scene?
There must be at least 5-10 mins missing form this supposed full ed; version!
It would have been nice, if they had included a booklet to go with it.I bought it but can only rate it three out of five.
So near yet not quite the special ed i hoped for.

Great Series - really poor DVD set
In it's full form Jesus of Nazareth staring Robert Powell is just about the best TV series ever made - but this box set says it is the full unedited version.

No way - I brought this to replace my video set and then find out that this DVD set is missing three vital scenes of the series! Do not waste your money, find the full version!

Looks great, sounds odd
I have strong memories of seeing this on television over Easter thirty years ago. Robert Powell's portrayal of Christ made a strong impression on me then, and I was pleased to be able to pick up the original DVD version of this film from Amazon a couple of years ago. This extended version is even better, containing (it seems) just about all of the original footage, which is all valuable. The photography, costumes, direction and settings are beautiful and memorable, but I'm less happy with the sound and the dialogue. Much of the latter has obviously been overdubbed (a small number of the actors were apparently not speaking English on the set), and the tone can be hopelessly jarring in places - so much so that I wondered if it might even have been better as a silent film. The parade of big stars that take on bit parts can be somewhat uneven as well; I thought Anthony Quinn dreadfully histrionic as Caiaphas, but liked Rod Steiger's thoughtful, worried Pilate a lot.

But maybe the problem is attempting to find a memorable way to portray stories that have long been familiar to much of the audience: just seeing the three kings converging in a clearing under palm trees conjures up so many memories of school nativity plays, it's hard to imagine how they could ever come across as anything other than stylised. In the midst of all this, Robert Powell makes some good choices in his portrayal of Jesus; the unblinking gaze, the voice and the infrequent fleeting amused expression all mean he's always the focus of any scene. And some of these are unforgettable; for example, the parable of the Prodigal Son, told in Matthew's house as an appeal to Peter to love his neighbour as himself.