The Depiction of Jews in “Jesus Films”

1. The Depiction of Jews in “Jesus Films” By Cori Heyman

2. Wright, Melanie J. A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations. Cambridge: Cineman and Film, p. 97. “Cinema has always been implicated in Jewish-Christian relations. Relationships between history, theology, the cinematic text, and its reception, are complex. Films do not simply reflect Jewish-Christian Relations but actively constitute them”

3. Jewish Involvement in Money Lending Jordan, William C. "Jews on Top”. • During the High Middle Ages: • Jews were not allowed to join guilds • Jews were not allowed full citizenship to towns • Jews began money lending services • Ultimately led to banking

4. Conception of “Greedy, Hook-nosed” Jews • Which is bad, don’t do that…

5. History of Film in America Film has inexhaustible value but a limited potential to be viewed Audiences wanted new films so buying was a waste Renting films satisfied problem Most money came in on the “exhibition” end = vertical integration 1. Production 2. Distribution 3. Exhibition Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. FLM 357: Film Art EBook

6. Jewish Involvement in Hollywood Many Jewish Immigrants started in exhibition Called store-front Nickelodeons Exhibited short films that were rented, much like money lending Many became wealthy because exhibition was most monetarily beneficial Men such as: Samuel Goldwyn, William Fox, Carl Laemmle, Adolph Zukor Louis B. Mayer, and the Warner brothers vertically integrated and took over production and distribution film studios (Fox Studios, Warner Bros. Studios) Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. FLM 357: Film Art EBook

7. How were Jews Depicted in Jesus Films? What were the reasons for these types of depictions? to what extent do these films portray Jewish-Christian relationships?

8. Jesus Films Timeline • 1916 Intolerance • 1927 The King of Kings • (Large gap in Jesus films) • 1953 The Robe • 1954 The Day of Triumph • 1957 He Who Must Die • 1961 King of Kings • 1963 The Gospel According to Saint Matthew • 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told • 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar • 1977 Jesus of Nazareth • 1988 The Last Temptation of Christ • 2004 Passion of the Christ

9. The King of Kings 1927 H. B. Warner

10. King of Kings 1961 Jeffrey Hunter

11. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew 1963 Enrique Irazoqui (he’s Spanish)

12. The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965 Marx von Syndow

13. Jesus Christ Superstar 1973 Ted Neeley

14. Jesus of Nazareth 1977 Robert Powell

15. The Last Temptation of Christ 1988 Willem DaFoe

16. The Passion of the Christ 2004 Jim Caviezel (He’s Italian)

17. Reconstruction of a typical male at the time of Jesus made from forensive evidence for a BBC Television program. It was made to give us a better understanding of what Jesus may have looked like based on empirical evidence rather than the imagination of artists — which is wheree we get most of our "pictures" of the real Jesus from. http://www.catholica.com.au/ianstake/007_it_print.php

18. Pre WWII Intolerance (1916) The King of Kings (1927)

19. Intolerance (1916)wedding feast at Cana

20. The King of Kings (1927)Cecil B. Demille Demille added scene with Caiaphas blaming for Jesus’ death Caiaphas alone holds blame

21. Post WWII depictions • Absence of the image of Jesus: • The Robe (1953)

22. Post WWII depictions • All Jewish Leaders • The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) • Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

23. Jesus Christ Superstar Jewish leaders lumped together all wearing sinister black outfits

24. Post WWII depictions • Nicodemus • King of Kings (1961) • The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) • Jesus of Nazareth (1977)

25. King of Kings Rely on Nicodemus whom the Gospel of John presents as sympathetic to Jesus

26. Jesus of Nazareth Jesus at Sanhedrin

27. The Greatest Story Ever Told shows Jewish leaders defending Jesus Caiaphas doesn’t tell Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin meeting, and Nicodemus becomes incensed

28. Post WWII depictions • Pharisees • Intolerance and Jesus of Nazareth cross into this category as well • The Gospel According to St. Mathew (1963)

29. The Gospel According to St. MatthewLegend of the True CrossPainting by: Pierodella Francesca

30. Most Modern depiction The Passion of the Christ (2004)

31. The Passion of the Christ • Language is Aramaic • Jesus is the most authentic- looking • The blame is dispersed and ultimately lands on Satan Thanks Mel for making Satan a woman…

32. Wright, Melanie J. A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations. Cambridge: Cineman and Film, p. 98 “The Passion phenomenon helped to secure temporarily a place for Jewish-Christian relations on the western religious agenda, and provided an opportunity to popularize modern scholarly constructions of Jesus’ ministry and death.”

33. Bibliography Bakker, Freek L. The Challenge of the Silver Screen: An Analysis of the Cinematic Portraits of Jesus, Rama, Buddha and Muhammad. Leiden: Brill, 2009. Print. Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. FLM 357: Film Art EBook. 3rd ed. Clemson.: SC, 2011. Print. Jordan, William C. "Jews on Top: Women and the Availability of Consumption Loans in Northern France in the Mid-Thirteenth Century." Jews on Top: Journal of Jewish Studies (n.d.): 39-56. Web. Kessler, Edward, and Neil Wenborn. A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge UP/Cambridge Centre for the Study of Jewish- Christian Relations, 2005. Print. May, Herbert G., and Bruce Manning. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: Revised Standard Version, Containing the Second Edition of the New Testament and an Expanded Edition of the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 1977. Print. Reinhartz, Adele. Jesus of Hollywood. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print. Walsh, Richard G. Reading the Gospels in the Dark: Portrayals of Jesus in Film. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity International, 2003. Print.