I am watching this incredible 1977 miniseries for the umpteenth time. Robert Powell is beyond perfection. It has held up through all these years. An interesting fact is that Sir Lew Grade's and Zeffirelli's first choice to portray Jesus was John Lennon. John began reading everything he could on Jesus, including the Bible, of course. Billy Graham sent him all sorts of material and books, I've heard. But all this came too soon after "that" comment, and protests were heavy and vocal. John decided to bow out rather than have people not watch because of him. John was changed by the all he read, encouraged in a faith path by George Harrison. Three days before John died, he was asked by a radio interviewer if he believed in Heaven. "Oh, I do, I do...." There is also a wonderful documentary, "The Real Jesus of Nazareth," with Robert Powell, originally cablecast in 2017 on the National Geographic Channel, I think it was. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11326626/ Powell travels to the Holy Land accompanied by a bevy of biblical scholars to see where Jesus walked, lived, was most likely entombed. He also relates some interesting stories from the filming of "Jesus of Nazareth." He tells of filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, the solemn atmosphere, after which the actors and crew were in tears. Powell meets a priest in Jerusalem who decided to take Holy Orders because he was so moved by his portrayal of Jesus. At times Powell seems overwhelmed — almost detached — by what he's experiencing. Understandably so. If you ever feel your faith wavering, either production should see you through your personal desert.
A rather poorly edited (breaks suddenly go to black) version of "Jesus of Nazareth" is viewable on BritBox or the Freevee app (lots of ad interruptions). The DVD set can be purchased on Amazon or as a digital download. "The Real Jesus of Nazareth" is viewable via the Paramount app's free trial if you're not a subscriber. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075520/ Also available for purchase. IMDb gives viewing options. Just look for the yellow box to the right, immediately under the title/trailer box. I hope you take time to watch both. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for that, really helpful. So are these two different shows? Or different versions of the same show.
Please read my descriptions, note the years indicated behind each. The first (1977) is a drama on the life of Christ, the second program is a documentary on the Holy Land featuring the actor who played Christ in the 1977 drama. I thought I made that clear, so, sorry. Look up both on IMDb to get details.