Life & Passion/Jesus Christ

 

 

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This DVD contains two wholly remarkable films based on the life of Christ, two of the earliest feature films ever made; as such, this DVD should be of great interest to silent movie fans as well as Christians. Each film showcases its own remarkable style of cinematography, but both surely communicated the message of Christianity very effectively to their original audiences. It is amazing that both of these films actually survived all these years, yet not only did they survive, they look absolutely fantastic, much better than any other silent film I have ever seen.

As I write this, The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrating its centennial. Begun in 1902 and completed in 1905 by Pathe Freres in Paris, this film, which runs some 44 minutes in length, is made up of 31 fascinating tableaux chronicling the life of Jesus from His birth to His ascension. The quality of the film, restored from two 35mm original prints, is nothing short of astounding. You won't find any characters' faces bleached out, and there are no serious jumps or foreign artifacts cluttering up any of the shots. You really wouldn't know you are watching one of the oldest feature films in existence by the look of the presentation; in fact, you might find yourself scrambling to verify that 1905 is the correct date of the film when you see parts of it presented in color. You need not fear that Ted Turner has gotten his hands on this print, however, as Pathe Freres actually came up with a technique to apply up to four colors to prints way back in 1903 - what you see here is basically the very same thing audiences saw a century ago. This film is so old that it doesn't even feature any dialogue cards - just title cards introducing each of the tableaux. As such, parts of the story may be hard to follow for anyone unfamiliar with the life of Jesus. The acting itself features a lot of gesturing; Jesus is continually pointing toward the sky, for example. After performing a miracle, he is also liable to extend his arms in a manner that brings the phrase Ta-da to my mind. One has to be impressed by the special effects of this film - angels actually materialize and dematerialize on screen, for example, and Jesus walks on water. I would never have believed it possible to do such incredible special effects way back in 1905. Of course, a more mundane approach is sometimes used. To make sure audiences get the point about the cock crowing after Peter's third denial of Christ, a rooster gets tossed into the frame at the appropriate moment. The most curious part of the film is the birth of Jesus, though; Mary and Joseph both kneel beside an empty manger, and then the baby Jesus just magically appears a few seconds later.

From the Manger to the Cross is the more modern of these two films, debuting in 1912. What makes this movie really special is the fact that it was actually filmed on location in the Holy Land. It also stands as one of the earliest American-made feature films, clocking in at some 75 minutes in length. The video quality isn't quite as good as that of the earlier film, but it is still pretty darned amazing. You do see a little bit of a bleached look from time to time, but there is no problem seeing the actors' facial expressions. This film does feature dialogue cards, with the entire content coming straight from the Bible. This helps communicate the message of what is being presented on screen, making this film a perfect tool to put in the hands of missionaries of that era. This is a much more naturalistic film than The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ; you won't see many special effects, for example - only the reaction of characters to such miraculous events as the appearance of an angel. I did find it somewhat strange that the movie ended when it did, though. I fully expected the story to cover Jesus' resurrection, but the film does indeed live up to its title by ending with Jesus' death on the cross.

My only complaint about this DVD is its lack of source materials on the two films. All you get is an insert containing an excerpt from the reminiscences of the actress who played Mary the mother of Jesus in From the Manger to the Cross. There's a lot of good information there, including an account of angry Arabs preventing the crew from filming its final scene on location, but I was rather disappointed to get no sort of documentation at all about the first and more intriguing film of this DVD pairing. Still, this is an amazing DVD that should strongly appeal to silent movie enthusiasts - the superior quality of such old films is miraculous in and of itself. Christians will appreciate the story being presented, of course, but some may also find these silent movie treatments rather boring.

I can't believe anyone compared this film to Mel Gibsons film.
This is an old film without words. My opinion. The 5 star
ratings must not have bought this film.

It is interesting to note with all the attention being paid to Mel Gibson's PASSION OF THE CHRIST, that this film version was made around 100 years ago (started in 1902 and finished in 1905). THE LIFE AND PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST was produced in France as a series of 31 tableaux and utilizes the famous Pathe hand stenciled color process. Anyone familiar with the story of Jesus will easily follow it while those who aren't won't have any real difficulty. There are no gospel quotations here only title cards which preface each segment and some of the most remarkable sketched and painted scenery ever seen which are based on the drawings of Gustave Dore. The sets and costumes are equally impressive. The performances are not performances but actors striking a series of poses (especially Jesus) which is fitting for a series of tableaux. The condition of the film is truly remarkable. I have never seen a film of this vintage look this good. A remakable find and a welcome addition to the ever growing list of silent films available on home video. The second title on this disc, FROM THE MANGER TO THE CROSS, has already been out on VHS as part of Kino's FIRST AMERICAN FILM series. It's main asset is that it was filmed on location in the Middle East. Originally made by the Kalem company in 1912 it was reissued and retitled with an overabundance of Biblical quotes by Vitagraph in the late teens. A sincere and fairly restrained look at the life of Christ (although the Crucifiction scene is quite realistic), it tells its story simply with an animated segment at the very end. While it didn't leave me with a sense of wonder like the first film did, it is likely to have more appeal to those who are just starting out with silent film. It is also of historical significance as one of the earliest surviving American features. Both titles have excellent organ scores by Timothy Howard and are ideal for anyone interested in silent cinema or the life of Jesus. Experience a PASSION that's almost a century old and still going strong.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Two fine early Biblical films
The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ is a stunning film. It was begun in 1902 and completed in 1905. It equals or surpasses any other film I have seen from this period. Read more

Published on April 13 2003 by Mr Peter G George

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