Jesus of Nazareth
   

                        The Reason Behind the "Extended Version"
 
As far back as I can remember, Jesus of Nazareth was, and remains, the benchmark by which all films about Christ are measured. I vividly remember growing up watching it every Easter, always completely awestruck every time Christ appeared on screen. One day, I came across production still photographs that were not included in the final cut, which led me to believe that deleted scenes might exist somewhere. As time passed, I resolved to search for this footage to incorporate it into the film, despite its already substantial running time of over six hours. I felt it was well worth the effort—at least for my own satisfaction—if there were indeed deleted scenes that would be wonderful to include. For me, one of the most significant of these was the "Temptations in the Desert".

When I purchased Franco Zeffirelli's book, Jesus: A Spiritual Diary, I read that he had indeed filmed the sequence but chose to cut it at the very last moment. Sadly, it now survives only in photographs. Therefore, I set out to reconstruct this scene using those stills alongside desert footage, eliminating the need to turn to other biblical films to witness this sequence. Consequently, I collected further footage to finally complete my vision, whilst also including additional scenes that I have always held close to my heart.

This version is in no way intended to replace Franco Zeffirelli's masterpiece. Rather, it is for those who, like myself, desire a more comprehensive biblical narrative within a film so many of us cherish. In his book, Zeffirelli himself mentions that he had wished to include more scenes. Painstaking work has been poured into this edition; it is strictly a fan project and is not for sale. It stems purely from a desire to satisfy a church boy's dream of seeing an almost complete story of Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is the film that I will hold closest to my heart for the rest of my days.

For more information regarding this extended version, please look under the MEDIA section under Questions and Answers, or click here.