Customer Reviews

The Living Bible Collection - The Greatest Stories Ever Told

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This series, while possibly seeming a little dated as far as films go, is simply fantastic!
This is a 5 DVD set with hours and hours of 15 minute(+/-) Biblically accurate segments following the course of the Bible. I would suggest this set to anyone wishing to learn more about the Bible, and the King and creator of the Universe Jesus Christ.
All praise be to Him!!!

WOW! WHAT A COLLECTION!

Anyone who loves the Bible, or wants to get to know the Bible, will truly appreciate this collection.

5 DVDs comprehensively walk you through many of the most popular stories of the Bible. Also, this collection is very simple, beautiful, and very much in accordance with Scripture.

Also, anyone who appreciates the old and classic movies of the 50's will love this collection as well (created 1952).

All in all, this collection has enough for everyone. Again, it is timeless and classic, just as is the Holy Bible.

You will certainly love it...all 13 hrs and 33 minutes.

Angelo
NYC

The early 1950s saw the release of two epic church produced movies on the life of Christ. The first was the 6 hour production of "The Living Christ" (1951) which was presented in 12 half-hour installments. This was followed one year later with another 6 hour film - also serialized into twelve 30 minute segments - entitled "Jesus, the Christ" (1952). The later is the first of four films to appear on "The Living Bible Collection". The significance of these two films is that they are the strongest pictures to date on the life of Jesus; this 1952 version being my personal favorite. "Jesus, the Christ" like "The Living Christ" uses a combination of narration and acting to advance the action. Unlike "The Living Christ"; however, this film keeps the "Hollywood" scripts to a bare minimum and opts for straight scriptural dialogue. As a result, there is a heavier emphasis on off-screen narration to fill in the gaps. If there is a downside to this choice, it's in terms of character development. There is actually less conversation between the characters, so in terms of a film viewing experience, we really don't get to know all of the key players in detail. The disciples, in particular, recieve the short end of the stick; they are a pretty faceless bunch. When in direct comparison to "The Living Christ", this movie is a bit less structured, a bit less colorful, a bit grittier, and perhaps a bit lower in budget. Some of the actors presented here are less than professional - Peter being the main offender. Complaints are relatively minor;however, as this film is very comprehensive and has tons to offer.
Early on, this picture establishes the abusive behavior of the Roman troops towards the Jewish citizens. The climate is ripe for social unrest and the zealot movement is gaining strength. Those who oppose open violence are crying for a spiritual revolution and are turning to the scriptural promise of the coming Messiah. The action is cut to Mary in her room; the angel - an off-screen voice - tells her that she will bear the Son of God. Okay, we see Mary visit Elizabeth (who is pregnant with baby John); we see a disheartened Joseph comforted by an angel; and we see the couple travel to Bethlehem for the Roman census. As there is no room at the inn, the innkeeper offers his stable to Mary and Joseph. The angel informs the shepherds that the Christ has been born and they travel to the stable to see and praise Him. An accurate nativity scene follows. The action picks up with the wise men - more than three in this film - following the star. They are summoned by Herod the Great and they tell him of the birth of the "new" king. The wise men bring gifts to baby Jesus at Mary and Joseph's home. Herod orders the massacre of the innocents, but no action scenes follow in this film. The angel tells Joseph to flee Egypt and he and his family return to to Nazareth only after the death of Herod the Great. Young Jesus' trip to Jerusalem is also present in this film.
The second episode in this series deals with the entire story of John the Baptist from his birth to his death. This movie even covers the stories related to his parents. We see him preaching repentance at the River Jordan; we see him confronted by the Pharisees; and we see him baptize Jesus. Well, sort of...actually we see the wet hem of Christ's robe. I believe Hays Codes in the 1950s prevented viewers from seeing sacred acts on film and in some cases from seeing the image of Jesus at all - thus the "faceless" Jesus films of the time. Anyway, John declares that Jesus is the Lamb of God and tells his followers that the impact of Jesus' teachings will increase beyond his own ministry. While the arrest of John is not shown in this picture, his imprisonment is covered. A cute Salome dances - in the most non-erotic outfit of them all - for Herod Antipas. This Herod is not so reverent of John and is quick to give the order for his beheading. The Herod Antipas/John the Baptist relationship is better explored in "The Living Christ", but this film offers a greater comprehensive overview of the Baptist's life.
Now, let's look at Jesus in this film. Well, he certainly is divine. The miracles performed in this movie are as follows: Jesus cures Simon Peter's mother of fever; he heals a nobleman's dying son; he heals a paraplegic; he drives a demon from a madman; he restores sight to two blind men; he heals 10 lepers; he cures an epileptic boy; he raises a widow's son from the dead; he is transfigured; he heals a man crippled for 38 years; he heals a withered arm; he raises Lazarus from the dead; and he is resurrected. Oddly enough, this movie totally skips over Christ's temptation in the wilderness! Oh well, a film can only fit so much in. Jesus also teaches in this picture and usually to his disciples. He teaches them the Lord's Prayer and an indepth and visual parable of the unforgiving servant. We see the sinful woman wash Jesus' feet at the home of Simon the Pharisee and Jesus recites his parable; we see a very short Sermon on the Mount; and we see Jesus speak to the Samaritan woman at the well - which leads to him teaching in her town.
Okay, let's turn to Nelson Leigh's portrayal of Christ. On a physical level he is a "semi-living room Jesus". He has a distinct caucasian look complete with flowing auburn hair and a trimmed beard; he also dresses in white for most of the movie - though he does change his clothes in this film!!! Leigh; however, is more charasmatic than "flat out" handsome. He is also a bit too old for the part as the real Jesus was in his early thirties. With all physical issues aside and with the sole exception of his extremely stiff "crucifixion" dialogue, Nelson Leigh turns in one of the strongest portrayals of Christ in movie history. I really like the fact that his Jesus is so serious and so focused about his mission on earth. He is somewhat stiff and "Shakespearian" in approach, yet he is not arrogant. This aspect seperates him from the normal human beings without promoting anything demeaning or creepy. Let's face it, while Jesus is fully human, he is something different do to his full divinity. Nelson Leigh's Christ also displays the needed compassionate side; this actor is able to shift effortlessly betwwen kindness and concern. While he smiles on occasion, his portrayal is more that of Jesus the leader; the Christ who has a mission at hand; the Christ who has little time to spare. Not surprisingly, Judas is also stereotyped; he looks like an evil wizard against the backdrop of the other disciples.
Another highlight of this picture is the Last Supper scene. This version is one of the most emotional renditions committed to film. Jesus' interaction with the disciples is first rate and Nelson Leigh's performance as the patient and sympathetic Christ is excellent. This outing also includes the foot washing sequence; a heartwrenching scene displaying Christ's humility and one which serves as a precursor to his self sacrifice. A lengthy Garden of Gethsemane scene follows and contains most of the Biblical events connected with this story. How about the Messiah's moment of despair? Well, Nelson Leigh fairs better than some other actors, but even he misses the mark as the emotionally suffering Christ. His "film Jesus", like most others is just too stoic in the Garden. Okay, after his arrest, Jesus is tried by a genuinely sympathetic Pontius Pilate. This guy really goes to bat for Jesus and actually pleads for the crowd to spare Christ's life. It is odd how Pilate is is portrayed from so many different angles in cinema. We don't actually see Jesus being tortured in this film, but unlike its 1951 counterpart, "The Living Christ", we do see Christ's death march to Golgotha. The result is both touching and powerful. Now, having liked Nelson Leigh's "kind but stern" Jesus for over 5 hours, his time spent on the cross is a let down!!! His Christ dies a very unemotional, stoic, and Shakespearian death. For the record, during the same year, 1952, Christ died a much more convincing death in the otherwise inferior film, "El Martir del Calvario". The film gets back on track with the tomb and resurrection scenes and Leigh returns to the wonderful Jesus he portrayed before the crucifixion. Ths movie covers more post resurrection action than any other Jesus film I've seen. "The Living Bible Collection" also contains the epic "The Acts of the Apostles", the epic "Old Testament Stories", and the short film "The Power of the Resurrection". I believe that all of the films wre produced by the same church organization. Well worth your time and money!!!

Well worth the money. Very realistic presentation. Can't see how it could be any better. In this day and age, of course, there'd be better acting. But, it's certainly good enough.

I was looking for this series that I saw over 40 yrs ago in church. I was disappointed that the music and voices were dubbed over the original. I found someone who posted most of this on youtube and comparing the original 1952 series to the 1980 revision, it should have been left alone (it was much better). Wish I could find the original series without the 1980 dubbing. Other than that I thought it was a well done life of Jesus.

I grew up with these films and always loved them, and the other reviewers are absolutely right that they are very Biblically faithful and entertaining. My one quibble with this DVD set is only with the Jesus Christ episodes. The set presents versions of these films that have been altered from the original 1952 versions (apparently altered in 1981 & 1982, according to the copyright dates given in the credits). The 1952 originals were 15 minutes a piece in length and had different title sequences and here they are combined into half-hour episodes, which in and of itself is not particularly awful...HOWEVER! The one thing I really dislike about these re-invented versions is that the audio for each one has been completely re-dubbed...with different music (much of which is very dated compared to the more timeless underscoring used in the originals) and even worse all of the dialogue and narration has been re-dubbed by a studio cast of (not very stellar) voice actors. As is usually the case with dubbing, it causes the acting to play as very stilted and unnatural, which certainly isn't the case if you're hearing the original audio (in particular, Nelson Leigh's line delivery as Jesus was far superior to the dubbing you hear in this version). Having watched these films hundreds of times with their original soundtracks, it's difficult for me to watch them re-dubbed. I know that this wouldn't matter to most, since the message is still intact and very well-presented...I would just have preferred to have ALL of the films in their original forms, which is how the Old Testament and Apostles films on the other three discs are presented.

The content of these DVD's appear to be Biblically faithful, however, being produced in the early 1950's, they will appear "corny" or "outdated" if intended for use in Sunday Schools, youth groups or with any generation of ages under 40, and may be ineffective for evangelism or Bible teaching for those age groups.

This is in no way a reflection on the seller; the package arrived quickly, and in perfect condition.