Passion Movies

'Jesus of Nazareth' by Zeffirelli

These are some of the most popular movies about the Passion of Christ:

1905 - 'The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ' is a remarkable relic from the very dawn of cinema. First released in 1902 by France’s Pathé film company, it was expanded and tinkered with for the next three years, reaching its complete form in 1905. Though popular for decades after its release, it has been unavailable on video or DVD until recently, when it was released on DVD with an early American Jesus movie, From the Manger to the Cross (1912).

1953 – ‘The Robe’...director Henry Koster...starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons. It’s a movie about what happened to the robe which Jesus was wearing before he was stripped to be crucified.

1959 – ‘Ben Hur’  - directed by William Wyler and with colossal music score by Miklos Rosza, and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd and. It is subtitled “The story of the Christ” and tells about the rivalry between Ben Hur and Messala, a Roman centurion, featuring the famous Chariot race and a miracle taking place during the passion and crucifixion of Christ.

1961 – ‘King of Kings’ - one of the Biblical classics directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Jeffrey Hunter and a star-studded cast.

1964 – ‘Il Vangelo secondo Matteo’ - directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini in black and white with practically unknown actors and actresses but became known as a very realistic depiction of a human Jesus.

1965 – ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ - another biblical classic based on the book by Fulton Ousler. It was directed by Drected by George Stevens starring max von Sydow

1977 – ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ - Directed by Franco Zeffirelli with Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey among the main characters. Released in two parts portraying the entire life of Christ from his birth to his death.

1979 - ‘Jesus’ - starring Brian Deacon, Directed by John Krish taken literally from the Gospel of St Luke        

2000 – ‘Jesus’ - originally produced by CBS   Dir Roger Young, starring Jeremy Sisto low budget, distributed free throughout the world. Translated into many languages.

2005 – ‘The Passion of the Christ’ - Mel Gibson produced the classic movie in Matera, Italy, the same place where Pier Paolo Pasolini produced his black and white movie “Vangelo secondo Matteo”(Gospel According to St. Matthew) “Passion” focuses on the 12 hours of Jesus' life leading to his crucifixion. Jesus speaks Latin and Aramaic with the aid of subtitles.