Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years and Beyond

by W. Barnes Tatum

A unique, exhaustively researched viewers guide to movies about Jesus that takes readers film-by-film from Olcott’s silent classic From the Manger to the Cross (1912) through Dornford-May’s Son of Man (2006). Drawing on his experience as a biblical scholar and teacher on religion and film, Barnes Tatum looks at Jesus films in all their dimensions: as cinematic art, literature, biblical history, and theology. A fascinating analysis of all the Jesus movies that have been made since the beginning of cinematography.

“Previously the gold standard of books on the Jesus films, this third edition will become the platinum standard. I would rather read this book than watch the films!”
—Bernard Brandon Scott, Phillips Theological Seminary

“A seminal, invaluable reference work for students of film history in general, and movie representations of the story and person of Jesus in particular.”
—Midwest Book Review

Genres: Religion, History, Theology

369 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Meagan]

I thought this was an interesting, in-depth look at movies that portray Jesus. I read this for class, but loved it, and thought it was really informative in an approachable way. I thought it would be really dry, and a really long read, but it wasn't at all. It was really interesting to get an idea of how biblically accurate many of the popular portrayals of Jesus are.

[Neil]

This was an interesting book used as a textbook for an online course I took. It look at various films made about the life of Jesus from the silent films to current times. It discusses the times when each film was released as well as how close or far the film is from the Gospel narratives, and how well the film did in the theaters. I also thought the author did a nice job providing context for the films he discusses. I also thought he did a solid job, overall, discussing his theological insights into each movie (I may not have agreed with all of them, but I still through he was insightful in what he shared). Each movie definitely had its owns strengths and weaknesses, and he discusses these as well. It struck me as funny how Jeffrey Hunter was so maligned for playing Jesus in King of Kings when he was the closest in age to Jesus at the time Jesus is believed to have died when compared to other actors who portrayed Jesus. I also thought it was interesting that the Monty Python group changed their focus from spoofing Jesus (because they could find nothing to mock Jesus about) to spoofing the Anglican and Catholic churches in The Life of Brian and the uproar that caused. I understand the director wanting to have an unknown actor portray Jesus, but I think portraying Max von Sydow as Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told was a mistake after having watched the film. Each director had their own take on Jesus, that is for sure, but I would agree with the author that no director wanted to make a film that failed, that bombed at the theater. Some films were definitely better, more effective, than others, and I can understand the challenge of trying to present a story of Jesus that "has not been told before", that puts a "new spin" on the life of Jesus as portrayed in film while staying relatively true to the Gospel stories when we already know what will happen (especially as the viewing audience seems to have certain expectations on what will be shown in the film, which takes away from the time available so the director can be creative). Had I not taken the class, I probably would not have read the book, but that would have been a loss on my part. I may come back later and add more to my review if I think of anything else to say. Otherwise, I would probably rank it 3.5 dropped down to 3 stars because I didn't like it enough to to rank it as 4 stars.

[Adam Metz]

I really found Tatum's book engaging and a very important contribution written in the spirit of Jaroslav Pelikan's classic Jesus Through the Centuries which focuses on images of Jesus. Tatum examines several of the best known Jesus movies from the early 20th century to more recent portrayls. The selections are eclectic and good representations of the different ways directors and actors have handles this most famous of stories. Reading through it cover to cover is a bit encyclopedic and is better used as a viewer guide to accompany viewing the movies themselves. It is a bit monotonous in parts as they describe the scenes but as a book seems mostly necessary. I found the theological observations and framework insightful and helpful in building a paradigm for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Jesus in the movies. He does a good job of highlighting the different ways each movie was received by Jews, liberal and conservative Christians, and Catholics. Furthermore, providing the context of how the film came to be adds an important layer for understanding them.

[Tommy]

Very comprehensive

[Ella]

Jesus movie monographs stop making excuses for Mel Gibson: challenge level impossible.

[Andy Hickman]

Tatum, W. Barnes. Jesus at the Movies, 3rd ed. Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 2012.

Cool book.

Explicit or Implicit? Distinction needs to be made between explicit and implicit Christ-images. Barnes Tatum uses the term “Jesus-figure” to define an explicit representation of Jesus Christ himself (usually stylised, fundamental and literal) as will be discussed in the two historical-epic films below. In contrast, a “Christ-figure” is implicit and is presented as resembling Jesus in a simplified way. A director creates images that are to be interpreted metaphorically and leads the viewer to make the appropriate identification with Christ. Such metaphors include characteristics of a hero, king, martyr, rebel or counselor and will be seen in the four fictional films below.

This film was directed and produced by George Stevens who was acutely aware of avoiding anti-Semitism after having witnessed the liberation of Dachau concentration camp in 1945. His filmography includes directing The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and reveals a progressively awakened conscience as he claimed, “We are simply doing the Jesus story.”