Jesus at the Movies

Jesus At The Movies: A Guide To The First Hundred Years by W. Barnes Tatum is a comprehensive guide to virtually all the major Hollywood films made about Jesus Christ to date. The films range from such silent era epics as Sidney Olcott's From The Manger To The Cross and D.W. Griffith's Intolerance, to Norman Jewison's Jesus Christ Superstar and David Greene's Godspell. From the seven last sayings attributed to Christ on the cross, to the story of Jesus from a Judaic as well as Christian perspective, to a comparison of plot dynamics in different films, Jesus At The Movies is a thoroughly researched, heavily annotated, broad-ranging and exhaustive guide, analysis, and review. Enhanced with a selected bibliography, filmography, and an index, Jesus At The Movies is a seminal, invaluable reference work for students of film history in general, and the movie representations of the story and person of Jesus Christ in particular.

A fascinating look at how Jesus has been portrayed in the movies. I have seen (and own) several of the movies reviewed. I didn't figure I needed another "Jesus flick". However, the discussion on several of these films has caused me to go looking for them. The changes in how (and who gets to) portray Jesus over the years is intriguing - and it is easy enough to read that I wasn't intimidated. I plan on using this book as a starting point in a Lenten discussion where we will watch several of these films.