8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The life of Jesus of Nazareth, God become man. The One who came to earth to feed our faith; from the annunciation of archangel Gabriel to holy Mary, until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Starring: Robert Powell (I), Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Ian McShane, James Mason (I)History | 100% |
Biography | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of the funniest at least tangentially religious related stories I’ve ever heard came from an Episcopal Priest I knew from one of the many Music Directing jobs I’ve held for both Christian and Jewish congregations throughout my life. This Priest was discussing a phenomenon he experienced after Ash Wednesday services one year. Like many good Christians, he had adorned his forehead with a cross made out of ashes. He had then gone home and washed his head at the end of the evening, as tends to be typical of believers who don’t want their bedclothes sullied. He was gobsmacked when he got to church the next day and went into the men’s room, where in the mirror he spied— the cross on his forehead. He rather furiously washed it off again, thinking that perhaps he just hadn’t done a good job of it the first time. Well, lo and behold, when he got home that evening and walked past another mirror in his home, he was virtually floored to see the cross again adorning his brow. At this point, he was actually pretty seriously freaked out, wondering if he was experiencing some modern, non penetrative form of stigmata. It was then that a little bell went off in his head, and he realized that there had been an interstitial event presaging all of these seemingly supernatural appearances—the Priest had been putting on a hat, a hat which had received an imprint of the ashes on the inside of its brim and which was in turn reapplying them to his head every time he put it on. This is all to say that there seems to be a mindset almost genetically imprinted in at least some folks which tends to look for the miraculous when perhaps a more mundane explanation is staring them in the face (or manifesting on their forehead). That disconnect has often tended to inform many of the cinematic and/or television treatments of Jesus’ life, with some portrayals emphasizing the Divine, and others tending to concentrate more on the “human side” of things. Contrasting a number of at least somewhat comparable films and television outings like The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Jesus Film, The Passion of the Christ, King of Kings, The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus Christ Superstar, Killing Jesus, and Son of God, not to mention films like Ben-Hur which present Jesus a bit more discursively, is an object lesson in how various “treatments” of this epochal story can be skewed in various directions.
Jesus of Nazareth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. There have been a variety of previous international Blu-ray releases of this title, some at least evidently sourced from different masters (and at least a couple sporting different lengths—this version omits several minutes that were seen in at least some versions of the miniseries, though it's instructive to note that the IMDb lists the Italian theatrical version of this as having been significantly shorter than even this version). There's no available technical data that I've been able to find on this particular release, and so I can't definitively opine on the provenance of the source elements utilized or how old the master is. In some ways, it might appear it's at least newer, for there is good stabilization on elements like credits (where telecine wobble can often be seen on older offerings). On the other hand, this has a pretty soft and variable appearance at times, including some artifacting, aspects that may suggest it's been lying on a shelf for a while. In fact, it's that very variability that is keeping my personal video score for this release from being higher. At times, things look rather refreshingly robust, with a good, honest accounting of the palette, a decently clear and sharp image, and a well resolved grain structure. Other sequences look decidedly softer and offer less detail, and occasionally anomalies like macroblocking, pixellation and other issues afflict the image, especially if grain becomes chunky (see screenshot 5). Densities fluctuate throughout the presentation, with the color space struggling at times as a result. The second half of the miniseries tends to be a bit more consistent than some of the early episodes in this regard. Elements have minor but still noticeable damage, with a number of small but apparent nicks, scratches and other blemishes briefly making an appearance. It would certainly be arguable and/or supportable that this could warrant a 3.5 or so, but I'm erring on the side of caution.
Jesus of Nazareth features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix that capably supports the film's dialogue and effects, as well as a score that includes a main theme by Maurice Jarre. The miniseries' sonic ambitions aren't overly hyperbolic, though a number of big crowd scenes (especially toward the end of the tale) offer noisiness if not nuance. A few well placed sound effects add a bit of depth to the proceedings. There are no problems with distortion or dropouts and fidelity is fine throughout the audio presentation.
Disc One:
I know a lot of people who find this Jesus of Nazareth by far the most impressive and "enjoyable" (if that's the right word) version of Jesus' ministry and passion out there, whether we're talking big screen or small screen. Forgive me my sins, but I'm simply not one of those people. I've always found the first half or so of the miniseries a kind of lumbering, drawn out affair that seems too padded for its own good. That is ameliorated at least somewhat by a second half or so that begins to pay significant emotional dividends as it wends its way to its bittersweet but hopeful finale. While some performances are at least questionable, Powell makes for an imposing yet believable Jesus, and the look of the miniseries is often quite appealing. Video quality here is fairly variable, but judging by our Forum, it appears that even had this been a 5 star video presentation, many fans would still be upset that this does not include the aforementioned missing footage. With everything taken into consideration, and caveats duly noted, Jesus of Nazareth comes Recommended.
2015
Masterpiece
2015
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Special Edition
1968
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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