Talent Agency 411

Since Thomas Edison’s invention of the modern cinema, countless filmmakers have endeavored to produce a moving picture that accurately chronicles the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. Aside from Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which chronicled only a part of the life and crucifixion of Jesus, Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest of all. Originally aired as a television mini-series (it’s over six hours in length), the film closely adheres to the word-for-word accounts found in the Gospels.

The story begins with Joseph (Yorgo Voyagis) and Mary’s (Olivia Hussey) reception of God’s angels. Each is told of the child that Mary will bear and what his name will be. The scene where Mary receives her message is an especially powerful piece of cinematic artistry with no dialogue - only a warm light surrounding Mary as she bows in prayer. The film holds true to every utterance in the Gospels, recounting the census, Herod’s decree, and the travels of Joseph and Mary.

As Jesus (Robert Powell) develops into adulthood, we witness the beginning of his ministry. He calls on his disciples, teaches through use of parables, and displays many miracles. Zeffirelli makes powerful use of the camera by having his star, Powell, never be caught blinking in any scene. At first, it’s barely noticeable, and it takes some time to figure out what is so different. But this absence of the uniformly common trait of blinking creates a divine aura around the character of Jesus. It draws in the audience by creating an emotional sense of peace that lends credibility to the onscreen portrayal of Jesus.

From beginning to end, Jesus of Nazareth offers a plethora of memorable scenes and exchanges which are more attributable to the Gospels and the actual life of Jesus rather than brilliant direction and acting ability. But the subject matter is aptly handled by a great production team and an endless array of first-rate actors and actresses, among them are - Mary Magdalene (Anne Bancroft), the Centurion (Ernest Borgnine), Simon Peter (James Farentino), Balthazar (James Earl Jones), Joseph of Arimathea (James Mason), Nicodemus (Laurence Olivier), Caiaphas (Anthony Quinn), and many others… Overall, the individual performances come together to form a rich tapestry of wisdom and intrigue that will leave its audience with much upon which to reflect and ponder.

If you believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (which this author does), then Jesus of Nazareth serves as a form of meditation and renewal of one’s spiritual connection to God. But if you don’t view Jesus in this way, no other film will leave you in such awe of the profound influence promulgated by a humble, sandal-clan man from a province on the outskirts of mighty Rome - an influence that has completely dominated the world for almost two thousand years to the present day.

For spiritual, philosophical, and cinematic reasons, Jesus of Nazareth is a definite must-see film for the ages…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Jesus Of Nazareth (DVD).

Songs and music files are not the only items being shared and downloaded on the Internet. Movie files have become extremely popular, though generally not very legal until recently. The proliferation in technology in general, and among high school and college aged students in particular, has led to a boom in file swapping, which has also led to the trading of movie files, and the demand for movie downloads on the Internet. There were always a lot of sites to find free movie downloads, though there was always a question of legality. Now there are some legal sites to not just rent, but actually buy and download movies. Some of the major companies in this business even advertise themselves as the first legal companies to allow movie downloads.

One of the problems that someone wanting to download movies from the Internet may run into is different files and formats. First off, if you have a computer, you probably already have some type of a potential movie player on your system. If it is an apple then most likely you have a QuickTime Player. If not, then you should know that a QuickTime Player is a good movie program that, though it will function on non-Apple computers, this is a program that was designed to function at maximum capacity with the Apple systems. Any other type of computer will almost certainly have Microsoft programming on it, which means that the far majority of computers in the world will have a Windows Media Player, which can be used to view movies, though that does not mean that every movie will be compatible with the player.

Many movies available for download are designed for the DivX system. DivX also comes in many software bundles, and was one of the early programs used to view and collect movies on the computer. Another free movie player that is common is the Real Player. This can be used to view all kinds of movies, and is somewhat similar to the QuickTime Player, though it is not designed specifically for any computer system, though it is designed with the specific purpose of showing movies. There are other programs such as Winamp, which was designed more for music, but has a movie/video viewing option.

The best idea is to go to find a reputable web site where you feel comfortable downloading movies and see what the requirements are there. See what their requirements are and go from there, then prepare to enjoy your movies!

Dave is the owner of online-movies.info and free-movie-download.info websites providing information on movie downloads