![]() ![]() Powell makes his entrance only after the first two hours, meeting John the Baptist at the river. Over six hours long, it encompasses all of Jesus' life, starting with a surprisingly protracted opening section establishing the story of Joseph and Mary. Thanks to sterling work from cinematographers Armando Nannuzzi and David Watkin, the result was visually highly assured and frequently extremely effective the feeding of the 5,000, for instance, is handled subtly, almost as a magic trick, while the crucifixion, shot with hand-held cameras, is powerful and dynamic, aided by an agonised performance by Robert Powell. The drama was co-produced with Italian state broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), and to handle the largely Italian crew Grade turned to Franco Zeffirelli, a pious and politically conservative director used to working on a grand scale. When first shown, it reached audiences of 21 million in the UK and an astonishing 91 million viewers in the US. Produced on location in Tunisia and Morocco on a massive scale with a budget to match (exact estimates vary, from between $12m and $15m to £18m, more than twice that), Lew Grade's star-studded Jesus of Nazareth proved to be the most successful and critically acclaimed project of his career. The life of Christ, from his birth in Bethlehem, his meeting with John the Baptist, his work as a healer and eventual acclamation as the Messiah, leading to his crucifixion and resurrection. ![]()
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