The Gospel of John

At first blush a project to transfer one of the books of the New Testament literally to film might seem a foolhardy enterprise, but this extraordinarily faithful adaptation of the fourth gospel does a professional, sensitive job. Made by the Canadian company Visual Bible International, and directed by Philip Saville (Metroland, Oedipus the King), the scrupulously attentive The Gospel of John (which omits all material from the synoptic gospels not found in John; there is no nativity scene, for instance) features well-read narration from Christopher Plummer (in his richest tones) to complement recreations of the successive episodes in the gospel, performed by a solid cast of relative unknowns--mostly from the British and Canadian stage. Henry Ian Cusick makes an impressive Jesus, capturing both the essentially placid nature of Christ and his passionate side, and the supporting cast is excellent. The picture is also visually fine for a low-budget effort, using Spanish exteriors to good effect while avoiding the bloated feel of most Hollywood biblical epics. While there are admittedly moments when the result feels like a filmed audio book and the narrative has a jerky quality (in keeping with the episodic source material), overall it succeeds admirably, and even though the three-hour running time may tax the patience of some viewers, a good number will find the film inspiring and uplifting. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this three-disc set include an enhanced viewing feature that provides access to links concerning geography, religious figures, and events while watching the film, a trio of interview segments--“Jesus, Son of God” (7 min.), “The World of Jesus” (8 min.), and “Word for Word” (7 min.)--a glossary of terms, seven production design featurettes with crew members (5 to 12 minutes each), cast and crew bios (including interviews with narrator Christopher Plummer and costar Henry Ian Cusick that are roughly six minutes each), “The Miracles of Jesus” interactive map of the Holy Land with links to featurettes, and a trailer. Bottom line: a meaty extras package for a solid inspirational film.] (F. Swietek)