|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On this Good Friday, we've got to ask: which actor
has been the finest Jesus of all?
Maybe Max von Sydow.
Six foot four, voice like sugar-coated
steel, he played Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told." And man, he's got some good karma. He was a priest in "The Exorcist" and can
literally speak in tongues, being fluent in Swedish, English, French and
Italian. Unfortunately, he's also played
his share of baddies, including Ming the Merciless ("Flash Gordon"), Vigo the
Carpathian ("Ghostbusters 2") and Devil the, um, Devil ("Needful Things"). That's just way too much negative karma.
Maybe someone more
modern, like Jim Caviezel from "The Passion of the Christ." He mixes a tough guy swagger (from playing
soldiers in "GI Jane," "The Rock," and "The Thin Red Line") with an
intellectual sensitivity (he speaks Latin and Aramaic, no way!). Unfortunately,
his resume includes a stint on "Murder, She Wrote." That's a sin that can't be forgiven.
How about someone
unexpected? Victor Garber was a nice Jesus in
Godspell, but - sorry - the iconic Jesus does NOT sing and dance.
Christian Bale was good in "Mary,
Mother of Jesus," but he'll always be just Batman. Willem Dafoe presents the same problem. He was great in "The Last Temptation of
Christ" but, unfortunately, he's just Spider-Man's nemesis Green Goblin.
One of the best is Robert
Powell, from "Jesus of Nazareth." So
handsome, so soft-spoken. And, ironically,
since he's famous for almost nothing else, he IS Jesus, just Jesus.
But, to that point, we
suggest less Messiah is more Messiah. "Ben-Hur"
was written by Civil War general Lew Wallace, was directed by William Wyler,
starred Charlton Heston, and won a gazillion Academy Awards. But its iconic moment, its literal
come-to-Jesus moment, is when Ben-Hur, shackled in a prison gang, falls exhausted
in the desert heat. And then, HE
appears, bearing a
gourd of water that saves the day. After
which, he just...stands there...and Rome...trembles.
Good God.
Who IS that guy? He's filmed from the back; we don't see his
face; he wasn't even credited in the movie. He's an opera singer from San Francisco, in his one and
only film role. Honest. His name is Claude Heater. Cast for his beautiful face and magnificent
voice, he will be forever remembered for his sandaled feet, and for his epic,
awesome, silence.
Lord, he was good.
You can now read previous installments of
the quick Sliver in our online archive.
Just go here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs015/1103023679528/archive/1103033975377.html
|
|
|
