Joyful Jesus Actor Bruce Marchiano discovers the real Savior by Annette Wierstra       Two-thousand years after a humble carpenter’s son walked the dusty roads of Palestine His incredible influence is still being felt today. Nearly one-third of the world’s people call themselves His followers, even though He never led an army, or held the reins of power.     Just who is Jesus?     Filmmaker Reghardt Van Den Bergh and actor Bruce Marchiano set out to discover the answer for themselves. The result was the Visual Bible’s The Gospel According to Matthew, a word-for-word account of the book of Matthew.     Van Den Bergh peeled back two millenniums worth of religion to discover a Jesus who was not the melancholy figure commonly portrayed by popular culture — they discovered the Son of God was full of love and joy.     “I discovered a man explosively joyous,” says Marchiano, the actor who played Jesus with an ear to ear smile.     “He was the most exciting guy you’d ever meet in life, involved in the most exciting activities that anyone could ever imagine.”     Playing Jesus changed Marchiano’s life.     “I learned the value and excitement of living life as He did — which was basically giving His life away. My relationship with Jesus just isn’t the same,” says Marchiano.     It wasn’t the first time that Jesus changed Marchiano’s life.     Marchiano was raised in a Catholic home but didn’t know God personally.     “I grew up with a general awareness that there was a God out there,” he says. “But in terms of God being part of my life that wasn’t part of the program.”     Marchiano was too busy carving out an acting career in Hollywood to have time for religion and by 1989 everything appeared to be falling into place.     “I was skyrocketing in every way,” he says. “I was dating this knockout actress, and going from one television show to another and life long dreams were being realized.”     But within a few months, everything changed. The girl left, work slowed down and bad money management left him with next to nothing.     In desperation Marchiano turned to God.     “I remember literally being by myself in a park one day, getting down on my knees and crying out, ‘Jesus! You’ve got to save me!’ ” says Marchiano. “That day in the park I knew I needed to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.”     Marchiano doesn’t know why he was chosen for the role of Jesus, but he’s convinced it was part of God’s plan.     “I’m the epitome of the worst choice possible. And yet the Lord chose me to do it,” he says. “My whole life was leading up to that film.”     From hardship to Hollywood and back again, God was bringing Marchiano to Him.     “The Lord was using all that devastation to bring me to a place where I would cry out to Him,” he says. “I realized that my ego, my pride, my self confidence, and the money, and the girls, and the things in this life, the dreams meant absolutely nothing, and that He was everything.”     Director Van Den Bergh, also a new Christian, was looking for an actor who put God first in his life to play the role of Jesus. When he met Marchiano he knew he had the right man.     Marchiano says that prayer was “ninety per cent” of his preparation for the role.     “I begged Him to fill me with the personality of Jesus; joy, passion and love for people, forgiveness, and faithfulness and mercy,” he says.     Marchiano also had a rigorous workout regiment — Van Den Bergh wanted Jesus to look like a man who manually labored with his father.     “Every time I’ve seen Jesus in every other movie He’s very skinny, He’s very pale and His hands look like they just had a manicure. It just wasn’t that way,” says Marchiano. “We were determined to present Jesus physically.”     The finished film is powerful.     “It shows the reality of a God who loves the individual so desperately that He gives up all the glories of Heaven and comes down here, sticks His feet in the mud and allows a guy to nail Him to a piece of wood and bleeds to death, for one reason,” says Marchiano, “for love of the individual, no matter who they are or where they’ve been in their lives.”     The experience of repeating Jesus’ words, walking in His footsteps, and hanging on a cross intensified for Marchiano the magnitude of God’s love.     “It hit me for the first time,” says Marchiano. “The reality of what Jesus did for the likes of a sinner like me — the depth of His love for me and His desire for my companionship. It’s a day after which my life has never been the same.”     Since filming Matthew, most of Marchiano’s work involves ministry related to the film. He has published two books about his experience, In the Footsteps of Jesus (Harvest House Publishers) and more recently Jesus: Yesterday, Today, Forever (Harvest House Publishers). He has a ministry Web site (Bruce Marchiano.com) and also travels the globe with a speaking ministry.     “My life is about presenting Jesus to the world. I had this incredible experience and understanding of Jesus,” says Marchiano.     Now he wants to share it with everyone — it’s a calling he feels blessed to fulfill.     “I was talking to the director the other day. I said, ‘Do you realize how privileged we are?’ ” says Marchiano.     “There’s a lot of guys doing a lot of good work especially in the film world. But the Lord has given us His Son.”     The greatest story ever filmed by David F. Dawes     Some high-profile films of Christ’s life — such as Jesus Christ, Superstar or The Last Temptation of Christ — have presented seriously distorted views of Jesus. But there are some very worthwhile versions available on video. The Visual Bible: Matthew (1995) - Director Regardt Van Den Bergh has an impressive eye for striking images. Slow motion is used in unexpected ways, as in a scene involving the Pharisees admonishing the disciples. Sound is used creatively: as Jesus sits alone awaiting His Last Supper, the counting of Judas’ money is heard. Bruce Marchiano is marvelous as Jesus, playing an affectionate and joyful man who delights in working miracles; he is especially riveting in his denunciation of the Pharisees, progressing from indignation to sorrow. This is a wonderful film, conveying the story with freshness and passion. Jesus of Nazareth (1977) - Franco Zeffirelli’s epic mini-series is far and away the most comprehensive and thoroughly satisfying version of The Story. The script takes artistic license with its interpretation of Judas’ motives, but does so in a way that adds complexity to the Gospels without compromising them. Robert Powell brings great depth and sensitivity to the title role, presenting a multi-faceted personage with a wide range of emotions. The rest of the cast is excellent, and the cinematography, writing and direction all conspire to create an exquisite film of overwhelming emotional impact; altogether, a magnificent achievement. The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) - Despite his reputation as a Marxist atheist, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film is remarkably reverent. Enrique Irazoqui plays Jesus as a tenacious, fiery preacher, clearly focused on his mission. Pasolini uses a stark documentary style, often employing a handheld camera; this technique effectively places the viewer among the onlookers during the trial scenes. The soundtrack combines Bach chorales with old blues recordings; Odetta’s “Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child,” heard when the three kings honour the infant Jesus, is especially poignant. Artistically, this is the most challenging of all these films. Day of Triumph (1954) - The ministry of Jesus is seen through the eyes of scheming zealots attempting to manipulate him into proclaiming himself king. The script gives an astute perspective on the motivations of various Jewish factions. There is fine acting throughout; the standout is Robert Wilson as Jesus, who somehow conveys both authority and humility. There are some nice subtleties: as Jesus dies, the soldiers continue gambling below the cross, oblivious to the rising stormwinds. In its own modest way, this obscure little film is one of the most effective portrayals of the life of Christ. The King of Kings (1926 - H.B. Warner portrays a Jesus elevated beyond worldly concerns, but still capable of normal emotions. Aside from a silly romantic subplot involving Judas and Mary Magdalen, this is an intelligent, creative adaptation: Satan’s temptation occurs after the people proclaim Jesus king; when the adulteress is about to be stoned, Jesus writes the sins of the onlookers on the ground. The soundtrack combines hymns and classical music; the black and white images are effectively enhanced by the use of Technicolor in the Resurrection scene. Cecil B. DeMille’s crowning achievement, this is one of the finest films of the silent era. Originally published in Faith In View, a Christian Week video column. [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]