Customer Reviews

The Face - Jesus in Art

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This is a fabulously beautiful documentary of iconography of Christ through the centuries, and the narration and background music are overall (i.e., in spite of occasional oddities) perfect complements. I sort of wonder why Mel Gibson and Ricardo Montalban were asked to serve as narrators here, but Gibson gets extra points for pronouncing Hagia Sophia so creditably :-) The bit where the computer graphics move from face to face is marvelous. The music for the interior of the cathedral at Chartres is, surprisingly, rather brutal; and (I think I remember this running during a shot of San Giovanni in Laterano) the synthesized "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place" from the Brahms German Requiem is an odd choice, though it doesn't sound godawful. For me, a composer with an artist wife, the low point was some of the (by turns) hideous and sickly-sweet modern stuff, because it is certainly possible to do new work which is beautiful, and to do beautiful work which is not saccharine - and iconography of Christ ought to be beautiful, and ought not to be sugary. But these moments occupy relatively little space. Occasional weird things in the narration - how, exactly, are Christ's features in Michelangelo's "Final Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel those "of Apollo"? - there is glancing reference to the Sistine Chapel being the "most private chapel in the world," yet considering the flood of tourists which passes through it every day, it is actually, more likely, the most PUBLIC chapel in the world. For the most part, though, the narration is simply informative, and balanced. Our century, with its own morbid preoccupations, holds the grotesque work of Hieronymous Bosch in high regard; and the narration rightly says that it inspires horror; we then move to the Chartres cathedral, and quotations from the age to the effect of the beauty of the architecture and art raising our earthly souls to an awareness of heaven - and here, in this seeming aside, we have the heart of iconography. The depiction of Christ serves a spiritual purpose, it is not a mere exercise for a modern artist to express his personal dissatisfaction with the world around him (like the Belgian artist who self-servingly "equates" public dislike for his "art" with the sufferings of Christ ... puh-leeze ... his beef is with an allegedly "cynical and stupid" public, but perhaps he should have taken a good look in the mirror).

But these (for me) flaws are abundantly compensated for, there are wonders which space does not allow for much more than listing ... the ancient Ethiopian icons, with the peculiarly primitive heads, no less devotional; a peek at Raphael's "Triumph" in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican (in the same room facing the School of Athens, though generally less famous except to artists and theologians); the incomplete sculpture Michelangelo had intended for his tombstone; Rembrandt's self-portraiture in the Crucifixion (i.e., one of those raising the cross ... nothing like the self-proclaimed martyrdom of the Belgian, above) and the Descent from the Cross; the Veronica icon, and the Pantocrator from the monastery at Mt Sinai.

Some wonderful surprises, too, such as the "three-headed" Latin American depictions of the Trinity which, while they are dubious as iconography, are fascinating cultural and artistic documents; and a Latin American Last Supper, featuring a roast pig at the Passover which must be a visual malopropism for the ages ....

Beautiful, stunning and informative.

From the earliest images of Jesus to modern time, this documentary covers an enormous variety of styles, from many countries. One glaring omission, is that it does not include any Russian icons, but that aside, this is worthwhile viewing for anyone interested in the history of Christian art. Many of the world's masterpieces have Jesus as the central image, and this film starts with some of the best, by Giotto, and his fabulous frescoes in a 14th century chapel in Padua.

Among the myriad of images, some of my favorites are an exquisite statue, probably the earliest known (about the year 290) of a young Jesus as "The Good Shepherd" from the Vatican, the work in the St. Catherine Monastery at Sinai, many replicas of The Mandillion, the original which is said to have been lost in a fire, and "The Light of the World" by William Holman Hunt, a 19th century English artist.
There are the great masters like Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rembrandt, and Grunewald, as well as 14th century Ethiopian images, Latin American art, some from Asia, and one from India in the Islamic tradition that is a curiosity piece.
It also examines illustration in the most widely distributed image of Jesus, Werner Sallman's "Head of Christ", as well as more contemporary examples by African American folk artist William H. Johnson, Marc Chagall, and Andy Warhol.
It ends with the extraordinary stained glass windows at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Written by Dr. James Clifton and directed by Craig MacGowan, one of the visual techniques this film uses to great effect is the morphing of many images. It has several narrators, among them Mel Gibson, Edward Herrmann, Ricardo Montalban and Patricia Neal, and has a wide array of musical selections as a soundtrack. Filmed in widescreen, the color reproduction is excellent, and total running time approximately two hours.
As many call Jesus "the image of the invisible God", and man has been made in God's image, this documentary states, "is it any wonder that the faces given to Christ are as numerous as the peoples of the earth".

this is a clever work which looks at the evolution (and not much at the history!) of the representation of jesus's face, over a period of time overlapping christendom. not sure how comprehensive it is but it seems so. at the limit, it could be viewed as a good timeline of (christian) iconography.

full rich with spectacular visuals brought about by the use of morphic transformations. when the show is over, the viewer is left definitely thinking.

it appeals well to those interested in the history of religions (especially christian), art historians, and everybody in between.

This is simply one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It is visually stunning, and well-researched. This should be required viewing for any introductory art history class, as well as for any person who intends to travel and wants to understand some of the art they will be seeing.

I purchased this movie for a Spirituality in Art humanities class and I wish I had only heard of it sooner! Stunning images, nice selection of narrators, and none of those preachy annoying professors being interviewed. I hate that part of "educational tv" where the expert just shows off. None of that here. An excellent look at representations of the Savior through many cultures. A must have.

Very informative and incredibly well done. A thorough history of how the face of Jesus has been depicted throughout the ages. I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone with an interest in Art History or Christianity.

Jerry M.
Michigan

It describes and shows how the longing to have Jesus'image on print has inspired the most beautiful art! I especially loved the computer work where they take all the faces of Jesus and have it changed every half second so you see before your eyes quickly the faces of Jesus through the centuries. Some of the art even moved me to tears and some pieces of art I have never seen before. Truly a great effort!

I had to watch this video for a college course in the use of images in art. i originally thought it was going to be one of those run of the mill, boring jesusin art videos. the instant that the images of christ started to morph into each other....i was hooked. for once in my academic career i DID NOT fall asleep when shown a video at 8am...three cheers to the creators of this marvelous and very informative video..

This video has been a blessing-- I orginally viewed it during the Easter Season. It is a beautifully written, filmed and narrated work of art in it's own right. A reverend but wholly joyful testamant to the love and awe that man has tried to offer back to God in his desire to portray Jesus, the Christ in each of their own times. It was compelling to see how artists at each moment in time sought to picture the Christ for their audiences-and more --how they speak to us even now. It was fascinating to see how each time frame sought to answer Jesus' question to us --"Who do you say I am?"

This film will appeal to a wide audience. It takes you on a historical, yet artistic journey through the faces of Jesus. There is a great evolution in his image. It is very interesting how the church or state influenced its artists. Not only is the film technically well done, but it is also very well researched. The movie is divided into parts, but this only helps to focus on the different aspects of the life of Jesus. I loved this film for the history and the art. And I am eternally awed by the common inspiration.