Jesus

The life of Christ is treated reverentially but without heavy-handed solemnity in this CBS miniseries aired in 2000 that employs flashbacks for scenes from Jesus' childhood but concentrates primarily on Christ's three-year public ministry, covering most of the important elements of the scriptural accounts (including many of the miracles—walking on water, raising Lazarus from the dead, the resurrection—presented unambiguously as such). Jeremy Sisto (now one of the detectives on Law and Order) plays Jesus as mostly gentle and easygoing with a ready laugh, but also able to quickly turn sad or serious, and occasionally angry (as in the scene of Christ chasing the moneychangers from the temple) or terrified (as in the crucifixion sequence, which is harrowing without being crudely graphic). Like virtually all major films about Jesus, this production follows Cecil B. DeMille's practice of adding spice to the mix, so Mary Magdalene (Debra Messing) becomes a major character here, while the dance of Salome that leads to John the Baptist's death is also featured, as are the political machinations of Pontius Pilate (Gary Oldman). The only serious miscalculation is a coda that features Sisto, in modern garb, asking “What's up?” to an adoring crowd of children as LeAnn Rimes sings “I Believe in You” in the background. Aside from that, this is one of the better film versions of “the greatest story ever told.” Recommended. (F. Swietek)