During Holy Week it is time to come and see the processions and also to be with family. The work break also offers free time to watch a movie, and it is common on these dates to broadcast some classics that are close to the historical events that are celebrated these days. Cinema has approached the events of the Bible on many occasions. Some titles are already immortal. Here is a selection.
1.-“The last temptation of Christ”
The film directed in 1988 by Martin Scorsese approaches the most human Jesus. This film, which at the time generated controversy for its treatment of the figure of the prophet of Christianity, is based on the novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis and stars Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey and even David Bowie. Jesus of Nazaret, a carpenter in Roman-occupied Judea, is torn between his own desires and his knowledge of God’s plan for him. His friend, Judas Iscariot, is sent to kill him for collaborating with the Romans to crucify rebellious Jews, but he suspects that Jesus is the Messiah and asks him to lead a war of liberation against the Romans.
2.- “The Gospel according to Saint Matthew”
Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1964, produced by Alfredo Bini and with Enrique Irazoqui as the main actor. The work portrays the life of Jesus Christ (from his birth to his resurrection) as narrated in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, which is considered the most concrete of the four gospels. After Jesus’ baptism, he retreats into the desert for forty days and forty nights. and after them he announces the good word or Gospel with some disciples. He tours the cities and towns of Judea and Galilee, announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of God and performing miracles. Betrayed by Judas, he dies crucified on Golgotha.
3.- “The passion of Christ”
Directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth and Maia Morgenstern as the Virgin Mary. She recreates the passion of Jesus according to the canonical Gospels and also other sources with shocking realism. Some critics pointed out that there is a certain anti-Semitism in some sequences due to the brutality with which the martyrdom of Christ is treated.
4.- “King of kings”
Directed by Nicholas Ray in 1961 and with Jeffrey Hunter in the lead role, is based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The cast, which included Carmen Sevilla, is typical of a Hollywood blockbuster. In history, the background is told from the birth of Christ to his own crucifixion. The body is then taken down from the cross and taken to a cave. Two days later, Magdalene finds the tomb empty and upon leaving it, she finds the resurrected Jesus.
5.- “The Life of Brian”
Universal classic of comedy, this story directed by the Monty Python is the story of a Jew who is born on the same day as Jesus Christ and, as an adult, is mistaken for him several times. Featuring classic Python songs like “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” sung by a crucified choir, it is a humorous gem.
6.- “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Not everything is going to be historical cinema. This rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, was first an album and then a Broadway show before moving on to film. Loosely adapted from the Gospels, the plot focuses on the last seven days of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, beginning with the preparations for his arrival in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion. The resurrection is intentionally not included to avoid any reference to the protagonist’s divinity.
7.- “Resurrected”
This movie directed by Kevin Reynolds in 2016 and starring Joseph Fiennes and Tom Felton, tells how Clavius, a Roman tribune, is commissioned by Pontius Pilate to carry out the “capital punishment” (crucifixion), on three rebels accused of sedition against the Roman Empire of the Canon, among one of them a certain Jesus of Nazareth. He must also be in charge of his burial and surveillance with an escort of soldiers due to the “unusual” and preponderant nature of his personality for the high Jewish authorities.
8.- “Ben Hur”
Although this classic is part of the Christmas menu, it is always a good time to see it. Directed in 1959 by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, tells the story of a man who faces the Roman Empire. At one point in the film, the protagonist meets Jesus of Nazareth, who will give him water. In his memory will be recorded the face of the person who helped him, the same one who with a firm and peaceful look persuaded the threat of a Roman overseer towards him and Judah by giving him water, when minutes before the population had been prohibited from providing water only to him.
