Customer Reviews

Visual Bible: The Book of Matthew [VHS]

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3 star:		(1)
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This is a lovingly crafted production of The Gospel According to Matthew, and is a treasure to own for repeated viewing. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, it is visually beautiful, with marvelous detail in the costuming and set design; it has a cast of mostly unknown actors, anchored by Richard Kiley and Bruce Marchiano. Notable in the cast is Gerrit Schoonhoven, wonderful as Peter, and Marcel Van Heerden as John the Baptist.
Kiley is fabulous as an aging Matthew, who is dictating his gospel to two scribes, and with his resonant voice he narrates portions of the dramatization of Jesus' life.

Bruce Marchiano is remarkable in the long and difficult part of Jesus. His portrayal is strong, warm and accessible. It is a Jesus who laughs and hugs people, and the first two tapes are largely in this upbeat mood, with it not getting dark and dramatic until the entering of Jerusalem on the third tape.
Marchiano is the only one in the cast with an American accent, which at first sounds odd, especially since his voice has an uncanny resemblance to Kevin Costner's, particularly when speaking with force and emotion (perhaps they both hail from the same area of the country), but this initial reaction is soon forgotten as one gets engrossed in the film.
Marchiano is an expressive actor, and so natural; he is hilarious in Ch. 7:3-5 (the speck in your brother's eye), and so moving in the parable of the wedding feast (Ch. 22:7-14), and 23:3-39, when Jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees. It's a powerful performance, nuanced and full of insight, and will inspire the mind and feed the soul.

Taken from the New International Version, the language is contemporary, and is understandable to all, making it an excellent introduction to the Bible for children.
Vol. One, Chapters 1:1-9:1; 58 minutes.
Vol. Two, Chapters 9:2-14:36; 58 minutes.
Vol. Three, Chapters 15:1-23:39; 70 minutes.
Vol. Four, Chapters 24:1-28:20; 64 minutes.

Bruce Marchiano shines in this depiction of Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of Matthew - the Visual Bible, which is a "word for word" walk through the entire Gospel. Richard Kiley stars as "Matthew" at a later age, and you see him speaking the words to a couple of scribes who are recording the words of Christ for posterity and future generations. It is an amazing sight, and work of art.

Marchiano, in a unique portrayal of Christ, draws us into the drama and emotion of the life of Christ, and we experience the tension and intrigue as He sets the scene for what is to come. I recommend this film highly. There are approximately four(4) installations of this series, and for a bargain, it can be gotten through some of these auction sites. It's a definite for your film library!!

This 4 volume set is a word for word quotation of the Scripture in the NIV translation. Filmed on location in the Middle East and Africa, events of the Bible are expertly enacted by a believable group of actors. Bruce Marchiano's portrayal of Jesus is life changing. His performance is marked with love and joy. The God of love would certainly have enjoyed healing and building relationships with the people He had created. I was especially touched by Jesus' tenderness. I could not give any movie a higher recommendation.

These are good quality tapes. The movie was great and the man who played Jesus was fantastic. I liked the fact that Jesus smiled and laughed and joked around. This is the way I always pictured Jesus being. Another thing I liked about the tapes is that you can see the verses from the NIV shown at the bottom right and if you would like, you can follow along with your Bible. The words in the movie are from the Bible. I would tell everyone to get it, you will not regret it. The price is extremely low compared to other places that I have found. Great movie!!!

This film reveals a Jesus far different than the serious and detached version one usually sees in other films. In this four hour, word-for-word, account of "Matthew", Bruce Marchiano remarkably portrays Jesus as who He was - a first century Jewish man...compassionate...loving... giving...sorrowful...joyful...REAL. Even his physical appearance was "real" - weather beaten...slightly dirty tunic...hair flying. I highly recommend this film - you'll fall in love with this Jesus. I understand that Bruce has plans to produce "The Gospel According to John" but needs support - I hope he gets it because we need another film as "real" and as good as "Matthew"!

I watched this video many yrs ago and STILL call to mind the imageries it has indelibly imprinted on my spirit. Reading the Word, the gospels in particular as well as just imagining Jesus as I talk to Him has been heightened and is so much more rich. Won't it be so amazing to see Him one day! for reals!? YES! You will not be the same after seeing this version of Matthew. It's important to know that the script is 100% the Word of God, and yet it's not dry... it's riveting.

Excellent move of the Bible story Gospel of Matthew. This helps a person understand The Truth/Gospel. Prompt delivery

but after seeing it a few times, the protrayal of Jesus seemed to get too shallow. There's a few solid scenes, but there's too much frosting on this cake.