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The Living Christ Series

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Amazon

Genre
  
Biography, Drama

Running time
  
6 hours

Language
  
English

Language
  
English

6/10
IMDb

Director
  
John T. Coyle

Duration
  

Number of episodes
  
12

Country
  
United States

The Living Christ Series wwwchristiancinemacomcatalogimages5808living

Release date
  
1951 (1951)

Cast
  
Art Gil
,
Lawrence Dobkin
,
Martin Balsam
,
Jeanne Bates
,
Tyler McVey

Similar movies
  
Mary - Mother of Jesus (1999)

The Living Christ Series is a 1951 12-part drama television series about the life of Jesus Christ directed by John T. Coyle.

Contents

Plot

A television mini-series told the life of Christ in a version of the typical Hollywood serial film. Each episode was thirty minutes long, bringing the total running time of the series to what might have been considered an epic six hours long if the films had been shown consecutively. Filmed in color in 1951, it is notable for being one of the few American film series of that time in which Christ's face was actually shown. Since the early days of sound, American film producers had been afraid that some members of the audience would be alienated if an actor who did not fit the public's image of Christ was chosen to play the role, so virtually all had played it safe by showing Him only from the back or in long shot. Sometimes only Christ's hand would be seen. Foreign film makers, however, had no such doubts, and Christ was actually shown in such films as the French Golgotha (1935), the Mexican El Martir del Calvario (1952), and the 1953 British serial Jesus of Nazareth.https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Living_Christ_Series&action=edit#

However, The Living Christ Series was not meant to be shown in movie theatres, but more as an instructional, inspirational film in churches or on Sunday-morning television. Far from being a religious epic, the series was clearly shot mostly on soundstages and on a low budget, much like a typical television program of the era shot on film. Directed by John T. Coyle, the series featured mostly unknown actors or actors who appeared mostly in B-films. A notable exception was Lowell Gilmore, who played Pontius Pilate, and whose most famous previous role was as Basil Hallward in MGM's classic 1945 film The Picture of Dorian Gray. Character actor Lawrence Dobkin also appeared in the series, and Will Wright, perhaps most famous for appearing as Ben Weaver on several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, was cast as Herod. Martin Balsam also plays a small role. Screen unknown Robert Wilson, who would go on to practically make a career out of playing the role, portrayed Christ. Noted movie trailer announcer Art Gilmore served as narrator.

The Living Christ Series, like other similar religiously-themed films, was released by Cathedral Films. It has been released on VHS and DVD, both in separate volumes and in a boxed set.

Cast

  • Art Gilmore - Narrator
  • Robert Wilson×- Jesus
  • William Henry - Andrew
  • Tyler McVey - Simon Peter
  • Robert Bice - Matthew
  • Lawrence Dobkin -Caiaphas
  • Michael Whalen - Simon the Zealot
  • Lowell Gilmore - Pontius Pilate
  • Eileen Rowe - Mary the mother
  • References

    The Living Christ Series Wikipedia
    The Living Christ Series IMDbThe Living Christ Series Amazon.com