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The Gospel of John Stars: Henry Ian Cusick, Stuart Bunce, Richard Lintern, Scott Handy, Lynsey Baxter, Diego Matamoros, Stephen Russell, Daniel Kash, Cedric Smith, Nancy Palk, and narration by Christopher Plummer Director: Philip Saville Scriptwriter: John Goldsmith Landmark Films Running Length: three hours Rating: PG 13 The Gospel of John really is an interesting, and well-made film. Granted it runs three hours and you certainly know it by the end of the second hour, but then there is much material to cover and Landmark Films is delivering. The actors are not household names, but they are Shakespearean trained and this makes a difference in delivering religious material. There is enunciation and you catch every word. Director Philip Saville (Hamlet) pulls a large cast together to make a gospel presentation is that top-notch. The story begins with John the Baptist (Scott Handy) preaching that he is forerunner of someone else. John does baptize, but when he sees Jesus (Henry Ian Cusick) for the first time, knows who he is and allows his own disciples to follow Jesus. We see the gathering of the rest of Jesus’ disciples, and always there is a woman with reddened lips in the background. Later, we realize this is Mary Magdalene (Lynsey Baxter). Miracles begin with the wedding at Cana and then proceed according to John’s Gospel. There are no special effects here. One minute there is a large jar filled with water and then someone is drinking it and pronouncing it excellent wine. The miracles are shown to frighten the Jewish leaders, because the miracles are done on the Sabbath and this is contrary to law. Presumably, if God allows miracles on this holy day, what else might happen and it is overwhelming to them. The audience sees the anger of Jesus as he chases the moneychangers from the Temple, or his compassion as he heals a centurion’s son, a crippled man, a blind man and the raising of Lazarus. As the story of Jesus progresses, so does the resentment against him by authorities and by Judas, though Judas drops out of the picture and there is nothing about Herod or what happened to John the Baptist. Perhaps, the success of this film will prompt other Gospels to be made, as there still are Matthew, Mark,and Luke. The last 45 minutes of the film concentrate on the death of Christ. Jesus is not praying in the Garden, but is captured there. Pilate is confused about what to do with him, while the High Priests look upon Jesus as a threat. Peter betrays Christ three times and crucifixion is stated as being definitely a Roman form of punishment. Dialogue is from the Good News Bible and really is dialogue as done by the actors. Christopher Plummer provides narration to tie the story together. There is attention to detail as far as setting and costumes, though (and perhaps only film critics notice this) there was an occasional machine-stitched leather strap on a Roman uniform. Henry Ian Cusick’s portray of Jesus is that of a man eager to spread his teachings, but telling them in such a way that no one readily comprehends them. As done here, one can see why people of that time were puzzled when Jesus spoke of tearing down the Temple and building it in three days. For them, “the temple” had to be of stone and not flesh and blood. Peter (Daniel Kash) is an impetuous man and ready to charge at a moment’s notice. On the other side of the coin, is John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. It is almost with flippancy that Jesus tells Peter, “What is it to you if I want him (John) to live forever?” The woman of Samaria is a plain woman who has had a difficult life, while Mary and Martha have had things easier. Nicodemus (Diego Matamoros) is shown as helping Joseph of Arimathia and riding on palms into Jerusalem is accomplished with no fanfare. Crucifixion is a horrible way to die and this is why the film earns a PG 13 rating. In a world of special effects films, the one special effect that does stand out is Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee. Franco Zefferelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977 and available on video) still has the best Lazarus section, with the camera on top a cliff looking down into a valley of tomb as Jesus says, “Lazarus, come forth.” Here, it is done with shadows on a wall. The Gospel of John approaches the story of Jesus in a quiet way. Actually, it is a teaching film for reaching people who haven’t read the Gospel of John, which is a good thing. Copyright 2003 Marie Asner
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