PROPOSED TITLE: Interviews
With Jesus
PROPOSED SUB-TITLE: Playing
the Role of a Lifetime
AUTHOR: Troy Schmidt
I. THE CONTENT
A. Premise
For over 100 years, moviemakers have returned
to the story of one character, the most controversial and yet revered
man of all of time…Jesus Christ. From The Passion Play of Oberammergau
in 1898 to The Passion of the Christ in 2004, from director Cecil
B. Demille to Mel Gibson, from actor Frank Russell to Jim Caviezel,
the story of Jesus Christ has been the topic of over 50 films. To
celebrate that achievement, we will interview all the living actors
(and some directors that directed them) who ever played Christ and
get their stories as to what it was like being in Jesus' shoes.
B. Unique Selling Proposition
Readers of Interviews with Jesus will:
Read in-depth, well-researched interviews
probing precisely into the monumental role of Jesus in films.
Meet the actors who played Jesus and understand their craft and
the business of filmmaking.
Compare and contrast the experiences every actor who played Jesus
faced.
Explore the controversy and after effects that come with taking
on a film about Jesus.
Because the book will:
Hear the words firsthand from the actors
and directors themselves.
Probe deeply into the choices the actors made.
Look at the history of Christ in films.
C. Overview
The manuscript is divided into 2 parts.
1. Part I: History of Christ in Film. These
chapters look at the evolution of Christ in today's cinema-over 100
years of film, stirring controversy at its earliest premiere. These
interviews are included in this section, from renowned film critics
and writers, giving us commentary and historical perspective.
Roger Ebert - film critic
Leonard Maltin - film critic
Philip Yancey - author of "The Jesus I Never Knew"
Michael Medved - film critic
2. Part II: The Interviews. These interviews
are word-for-word transcripts of actual interviews with the actors.
Each chapter includes a fact sheet on the film they starred in.
Enrique Irazoqui - The Gospel According to
Saint Matthew -1964
Max von Sydow - The Greatest Story Ever Told - 1965
Victor Garber - Godspell - 1973
Ted Neeley - Jesus Christ Superstar - 1973
Robert Powell - Jesus of Nazareth - 1977
Franco Zeffirelli - Jesus of Nazareth (director)
Brian Deacon - Jesus - 1979
Willem Dafoe - Last Temptation of Christ - 1988
Martin Scorcese - Last Temptation of Christ (director)
Lothaire Bluteau - Jesus of Montreal - 1989
Bruce Marciano - The Visual Bible: Matthew - 1997
Jeremy Sisto - Jesus - 1999
Christian Bale - Mary Mother of Jesus - 1999
Ralph Finnes - The Miracle Maker - 2000
Henry Ian Cusick - The Gospel of John - 2003
Jim Caviezel - The Passion - 2004
Mel Gibson - The Passion (director)
Andile Kosi - Son of Man - 2006
A chapter will be devoted to each actor/director.
D. Manuscript
1. Manuscript Status: The writing of the book
begins when the interviews take place.
2. Anticipated manuscript length: 300 double-spaced, manuscript pages.
3. Anticipated manuscript completion date: Approximately 6 months
after receiving a commitment from a publisher.
II. THE MARKET
A. Characteristics
The target audience for this book enjoys movies, film history or movies
about Christ.
B. Motivations
The role of Christianity in movies is always controversial, seen in
the release of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Passion of the Christ
and The Last Temptation of Christ.
C. Affinity Groups
1. Church groups and Christian organizations.
2. Movie audiences and film history buffs.
3. Websites such as www.hollywoodjesus.com.
D. Competition
Many books simply detail the history of Jesus in films, but none interview
all the actors that have played him.
III. The Author
A. Personal Background
I am an avid filmgoer, with a passion for movies of all kinds. My
faith has steered me towards the films of Jesus with a deep curiosity
and respect. I have worked in the television/film industry for over
25 years.
B. Previous Writing
I began writing in Los Angles for animation in 1985 (Dennis the Menace,
Heathcliff, Flintstone Kids) and worked two years at The Disney Channel
in Program Development. In 1992, I moved to Orlando to write for The
Mickey Mouse Club, on staff for three seasons. Since then I wrote
for Disney parades (Easter and Christmas), a Disney Animal Kingdom
show and worked for the Hard Rock Café website as the Managing
Content Editor, where I interviewed over 20 bands on video (go to
my Hard Rock Interview page). Most
recently I adapted a Max Lucado children's book, Hermie The Common
Caterpillar, into a video, then wrote the next seven installments
on video and as books.
C. Other Marketing
I speak weekly at my church, many times using films for the structure
of my talks. I could promote this before audiences and conferences.
I've written magazine and newspaper articles (from Focus on the Family
to the Orlando Sentinel) before and can easily do it again.
I created and administered websites from my church (www.fbcwindermere.com)
to Hard Rock Café (www.hardrock.com).
All of the interviews would be videotaped and
its contents could be made into a ONE-HOUR SPECIAL ON TELEVISION that
The History Channel or A&E would surely run around Christmas or
Easter. With all these incredible actors gathered together, it would
be sure to draw an audience. The DVD RELEASE would also include the
"uncut" interviews with the actors in their entirety.
CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
Chapter 1. Introduction
From the times of Michaelangelo, artists were
hired by the church to create beautiful works of art celebrating God.
When the moviemaking business began over 100 years, filmmakers recorded
ordinary events and presented them on screens for people to see. At
the time, the medium was the novelty, not the subject. Audiences seemed
enthralled by trains passing by the camera, horses galloping and people
walking. When that novelty wore off, filmmakers began looking for
stories to tell. Because films were silent, they turned to popular
works of literature. One of those pieces of literature was the Bible.
Chapter 2. The History
In 1897, France released two shorts based on
the story of Christ: The Passion Play and The Passion. In 1898, producers
Richard G. Hollaman and Albert G. Eaves, director Henry C. Vincent
and photographer William C. Paley filmed a staging of the Passion
play on the rooftop of the Grand Central Palace and called in The
Passion Play of Oberammergau. From the 1890s through the 1920s, dozens
of films, shorts and stories from the Bible were released. Everything
from fantasist Georges Melies' spooky "Christ Walking on Water,"
to D.W. Griffith's lavish Intolerance, to Mayer/Goldwyn/Thalberg's
ambitious Ben Hur. Filmmakers saturated the market with films about
Jesus Christ. The master of the Biblical epic, Cecil B. Demille also
portrayed Jesus' life in the silent era with the 1927 original King
of Kings. In every decade since then, totaling over 100 years, generations
have examined Jesus Christ on film. Now with the recent release of
Mel Gibson's, The Passion of the Christ in 2004, history repeats itself
and the trend continues. Filmmakers and the public have an insatiable
appetite to return, reexamine and reflect on the story of Jesus again
and again.
Chapter 3. The Controversy
Back in 1880, Salmi Morse wanted to stage a
production of The Passion Play on Broadway in New York City. The props
were made, the backdrops constructed and the costumes designed. However,
the Mayor of New York had everything shut down. The reason: "…delicate
religious sensibilities and the attendant political implications…"
Not much has changed 100 years later. Critics snidely called Jeffrey
Hunter in the 1961 King of Kings, "I Was a Teenage Jesus,"
disconcerted by his boyish good looks. Willem Dafoe and Martin Scorcese
(and every executive at Universal Studios) came under fire for their
visualization of Nikos Kazantzakis' what if treatise, The Last Temptation
of Christ. Every director from D.W. Griffith to Mel Gibson has had
to face accusations from Jewish leaders who claim the story of Jesus
only fuels anti-Semitic feelings. Jews fear that they will be blamed
once again for the death of Christ. The Bible clearly shows us that
every place Jesus visited stirred controversy. Why should his movie
portrayal be any different?
Chapter 4. Roger Ebert - critic/film historian
Chapter 5. Enrique Irazoqui - The Gospel According to Saint Matthew
-1964
Chapter 6. Max von Sydow - The Greatest Story Ever Told - 1965
Chapter 7. Victor Garber - Godspell - 1973
Chapter 8. Ted Neeley - Jesus Christ Superstar - 1973
Chapter 9. Leonard Maltin - critic/film historian
Chapter 10. Robert Powell - Jesus of Nazareth - 1977
Chapter 11. Franco Zeffirelli - Jesus of Nazareth (director)
Chapter 12. Brian Deacon - Jesus - 1979
Chapter 13. Willem Dafoe - Last Temptation of Christ - 1988
Chapter 14. Martin Scorcese - Last Temptation of Christ (director)
Chapter 15. Philip Yancey - author of "The Jesus I Never Knew
Chapter 16. Lothaire Bluteau - Jesus of Montreal - 1989
Chapter 17. Bruce Marciano - The Visual Bible: Matthew - 1997
Chapter 18. Jeremy Sisto - Jesus - 1999
Chapter 19. Christian Bale - Mary Mother of Jesus - 1999
Chapter 20. Ralph Finnes - The Miracle Maker - 2000
Chapter 21. Henry Ian Cusick - The Gospel of John - 2003
Chapter 22. Michael Medved - critic/film historian
Chapter 23. Jim Caviezel - The Passion - 2004
Chapter 24. Mel Gibson - The Passion (director)
Chapter 25. Andile Kosi - Son of Man - 2006
QUESTIONS
Some questions we will explore:
1. When the role was first offered, were you
excited or hesitant?
2. What was your religious background growing up?
3. What did you believe before taking the role?
4. How did that change afterwards?
5. What amazed you most when you researched Jesus?
6. Did you research the role of Jesus differently than other historical
figures you portrayed?
7. How did you mentally, physically, spiritually prepare for the role?
8. How did you balance the God/man nature of Jesus?
9. How did people treat you on the set?
10. What controversy occurred as a result of your role?
11. What surprised you most about that controversy?
12. Did you feel the film was anti-Semitic?
13. What anecdotes occurred during filming?
14. Did anything supernatural or unexplainable ever happen during
the filming?
15. What aspects were physically demanding? Emotionally? Spiritually?
16. What was fulfilling about the part?
17. If you had a chance to do the film over, what would you do differently?
Would you do it all?
18. How did the role change you?
19. How was your presentation different from others?
20. Do you believe Jesus was who he said he was?
21. What sort of roles did you choose after your film?
22. How did agents and producers treat you afterwards?
23. What other characters in the drama of Jesus seemed interesting
to you?
24. What other performances did you see before or since that interested
you?
25. Of the all the performances of Jesus on screen, which was your
favorite?
26. Were you ever stopped on the street by someone who thought you
were Jesus?
Throughout the course of the interviews, we
will begin to see strong similarities and differences and ultimately
explore the ethereal realm each actor experienced taking on history's
most profound and influential character.
In Their Words
Max Von Sydow on playing Jesus:
"Playing Jesus was in a way an impossible
task," Von Sydow recalls. "It was my first part in a non-Swedish
film. It didn't turn out at all how I expected." On the first
day's shooting, he dutifully waded into the Colorado river to be baptised
by a very hirsute-looking John The Baptist (Charlton Heston). The
extras, he remembers, were all true believers who regarded the picture
as some sort of celluloid pilgrimage. "They did it because it
was supposed to be the definitive life of Jesus on film." They
treated him very strangely. "They expected me to be very dedicated
on every level, which of course I wasn't. I was professionally dedicated,
but that was all."
Von Sydow's most frustrating time before the
camera? That would have to be on the 1965 biblical epic The Greatest
Story Ever Told. Von Sydow was told that he would have carte blanche
in portraying Christ, but when he arrived in Hollywood, it was obvious
that director George Stevens had something else in mind. "It's
an impossible part to begin with," von Sydow said. "If you
want to tell the story of Christ, you must have a vision. I had a
vision of Christ as a man plagued by self- doubt (much like Willem
Dafoe's Jesus in 'The Last Temptation of Christ'); but I was not allowed
to tell my vision." And the result, in von Sydow's opinion, was
"a Sunday school Jesus."
Brian Deacon on playing Jesus (5 Billion
people have seen "Jesus," making him the most watched actor
in the world)
During filming Brian Deacon responded to the
question, "Who is Jesus to you?" by saying, "I've had
a number of good conversations about that with Tom Pannella, my stand-in.
I was raised in Oxfordshire. My mother was Catholic and my father
was Protestant, but they agreed I should seek my faith for myself.
Because of this, I probably spent more time than the average person
evaluating what I believe. I believe that God sent Jesus to die for
our sins. He is the Savior, but I don't know if I'll ever be like
the Christians you have in America who go around saying that they
are 'born-again.' The more I learn about Jesus, the less sure I am
that I will ever deserve to be called by His name. I fall so far short.
I feel like I'm just beginning on the path of faith. Every day when
I go to the set, I realize how mortal I really am. How can mortal
man portray immortality? I count it a privilege to be one of His followers.
I would say that I'm a Christian, maybe not in the same sense that
others talk about, but God means a great deal to me, even more since
Tom and I speak to Him so often."
Ralph Fiennes on his faith
When asked about his own faith, Fiennes' is
terse. "My mother was Catholic, I am not," he says, showing
a glimmer of the fierce emotion he has famously demonstrated on screen.
He bristles at the notion that he should necessarily resemble the
wounded characters he has chosen to play in the past.
Victor Garber on playing Jesus
Cast as Jesus in the Toronto production of
Godspell that featured a now-celebrated group-including Gilda Radner,
Martin Short, and Andrea Martin, Garber was seen on opening night
by David Greene, who was preparing to direct the musical's 1973 movie
version, and selected to reprise the role on the screen. "I read
in the paper: 'Yes, I think we've found a Jesus.' And it was me! It's
absolutely true. I don't think I even had an agent." He was succeeded
in the show by Don Scardino, with whom he'd appear periodically in
cabaret, during the next several years. "A friend used to call
us 'The Jesus Boys,' " laughs Garber. Between engagements, he
understudied- and ocasionally performed-in the Broadway company of
Godspell. "One time, I stopped by to visit some people-and I
was on. The frightening thing was that I remembered everything."
Willem Dafoe on the "The Last Temptation
of Christ"
"Yeah, well it affected me. It broke my
heart because I think that it's a beautiful film and I know the spirit
we made it in and in a world where you have very cynical, crass slasher
movies and stuff like that, it blew my mind that somebody makes a
movie about love, forgiveness, about this incredibly revolutionary
character and people get nervous, but clearly then, and in retrospect,
it was a political thing. The religious Right used, I don't think
they even knew what the movie was, but they used the opportunity as
a chance to scare people and to galvanize their political agenda.
It's very clear. From a Catholic point of view, it's a very Catholic
movie and there was some artistic licenses taken sometimes, but we
have to do these things sometimes to make sure people are still listening."
Robert Powell on playing Jesus
Apparently, when Powell came out on to the
set the crew gasped. "I looked in the mirror and realized I was
looking at the image of Jesus I had retained from my childhood. It
was the image English people recognize as Christ: Holman Hunt's Light
Of The World. Except I wasn't blonde. But my silhouette could only
have been of one man- Christ. It was extraordinary."
"I don't mean it was unimportant,"
he smiles. "It was seminal in beginning another phase of my career.
When I did Jesus I had been at the sharp end of film and television
for seven or eight years; so I was not an unknown actor. What it did
was turn my career in a different direction by making me internationally
known."
Jeremy Sisto on playing Jesus
''There's a lot of interpretations where Jesus
is presented as this ghostlike figure who floats through life haunted
and detached,'' Sisto tells EW Online. ''But we wanted to show him
with his family and friends, as a man who must struggle with this
incredible calling he has to answer.'' Especially realistic are the
flogging and crucifixion scenes. ''He was flesh and blood,'' Sisto
says. ''By showing how hard the pain was to bear, I think it shows
just how much the man sacrificed.''
Movies About Jesus
La Passion / Vie et la passion de Jésus-Christ,
La (Lear, 1897)
The Horitz Passion Play (Lumiere Brothers, 1987)
The Passion Play of Oberammergau (Richard G. Hollaman, 1898)
Jesus devant Pilate (Alice Guy, 1898)
From the Manger to the Cross (Kalem Company, 1912)
Intolerance (D.W. Griffith, 1916)
The King of Kings (Cecil B. Demille, 1927)
Ecco Homo (Julien Duvivier, 1935)
King of Kings (Nicholas Ray, 1961)
Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (George Stevens, 1965)
Son of Man (Gareth Davies, 1969)
Jesus Christ Superstar (Norman Jewison, 1973)
Godspell (David Greene, 1973)
The Gospel Road (Robert Elfstrom, 1973)
Jesus of Nazareth (Franco Zeffirelli, 1977)
The Messiah (Roberto Rossellini, 1978)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (Terry Jones, 1979)
Jesus (John Krish & Peter Sykes, 1979)
The Day Christ Died (James Cellan Jones, 1980)
The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988)
Jesus of Montreal (Denys Arcand, 1989)
The Judas Project (James H. Barden, 1992)
The Revolutionary (1996)
Matthew (Visual Bible, Regardt van den Bergh, 1996)
The Book of Life (Hal Hartley, 1998)
Jesus (Roger Young, 1999)
Mary, Mother of Jesus (Kevin Connor, 1999)
The Miracle Maker (Derek W. Hayes & Stanislav Sokolov, 2000)
The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004)
Facts About Jesus Films
The first American actor to play Jesus was
Jordan Willochko in The Passion Play of Oberammergau (1898). It was
shot on a rooftop in Manhattan
The most watched film in the history of the
world is Jesus by Campus Crusade. This film, originally made by Universal
Studios, has been shown by missionaries to over 5 billion people (the
population of the world is just over 6 billion).
The most translated film in the world is also
the Jesus movie by Campus Crusade. 769 languages and growing. The
second most translated film is "Gone With the Wind," at
around 100 languages.
Most films portray Jesus with blue eyes and
sometimes with blond hair. Having come from Jewish parents in that
region, at that time, Jesus had to have dark hair and dark eyes.
The Gospel Road featured songs by Johnny Cash,
who was the movie's producer.
Quo Vadis? (1951), The Robe (1953), Salome
(1953) and Ben-Hur (1959) feature pivotal scenes in which the main
character encounters Jesus.
Many agree that one of the most bizarre moments
in film history occurs in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), when
we see John Wayne as the Roman Centurion utter, as only he can, the
line, "Truly this man was the Son of God." The angel at
the tomb is Pat Boone. It was shot in Utah.
Jesus was featured in a porno film called Him
(1974).
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) never satirizes
Jesus, as many thought. Its humor focused on a guy named Brian who
everyone thought was the Messiah.
A British television series entitled Son of
Man (1969) featured an interesting physical portrayal of Jesus. The
actor, Colin Blakely, was overweight.