Capturing a uniquely human portrait of Jesus that takes its audience into antiquity with meticulous set design, exquisite period costuming and an enchanting musical score with instrumental sounds of the time, The Gospel of John is 21 chapters of text that has been successfully turned into a readily accessible visual medium.
In this word-for-word adaptation of the Gospel of John, as found in the American Bible Society’s Good News Bible, this three-hour narrative film will likely spur religious debate, generate more theater-goers than originally expected, then eventually top the charts of the educational DVD market.With a tendency to feel very slow-paced at times, this film does an excellent job of taking moviegoers on a journey through the emotional psyche of Christ as he faces affliction with being the Messiah, deals with his impending prophesied death, and copes with the very basic need to make sure his mother will be taken care of after his crucifixion. Not a typical Hollywood portrayal of the life of Christ, this is a sensitive screenplay of one of the Bible’s most beloved texts that has been left completely intact. And despite its rigid narrative format, this movie puts more emphasis on humanity as it downplays miracles, angelic interactions and the resurrection. The film also features Mary Magdalene as a prominent disciple. This alone would most likely be the subject of controversy with any traditional Christian believer, but one scene in particular where she washes Jesus