The Most Controversial Movies Based On The Bible Explained

When we talk about the television/film epic, "Jesus of Nazareth," we must first talk about its controversial director, Franco Zeffirelli, who was a "deeply conservative Roman Catholic, according to NPR. He was opposed to abortion and gay rights, and was also a member of a right wing political party in the Italian Senate. Yet even

When we talk about the television/film epic, "Jesus of Nazareth," we must first talk about its controversial director, Franco Zeffirelli, who was a "deeply conservative Roman Catholic, according to NPR. He was opposed to abortion and gay rights, and was also a member of a right wing political party in the Italian Senate. Yet even a conservative Catholic is not safe from criticism around his portrayal of Jesus.

Zeffirelli and producers consulted with "experts from the Vatican to the Leo Baeck Rabbinical College of London and the Koranic School at Meknes, Morocco" in order to make the six-hour spectacle "Jesus of Nazareth" as accurate as possible, yet even this was not good enough for American fundamentalist Protestants led by Bob Jones III, known for the private evangelical college Bob Jones University (via Time). Jones' criticism followed Zeffirelli's comment that he would portray Jesus as a gentle, simple man. Without even seeing the movie, Jones declared it "blasphemy." Following his statement, 18,000 angry letters were received by General Motors, which helped to fund the film. As reported by Time, the auto company backed out of sponsorship.

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