Jesus of Nazareth (Season 1)

Jesus of Nazareth (1977) is Franco Zeffirelli's sweeping television drama, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Spanning several hours, it traces the life of Christ with the scale and care of a major motion picture.

The story carries the viewer from Bethlehem through years of wandering and teaching, on to the trial, the cross and what followed. Robert Powell plays Jesus with a still, wide-eyed intensity that became the production's signature. Zeffirelli assembled an astonishing ensemble around him: Olivia Hussey as Mary, plus Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer, Rod Steiger and Ian McShane as Judas. Each scene is staged like a Renaissance painting brought to life.

This British-Italian production shot across the deserts of Morocco and Tunisia and aired at Easter for decades in dozens of countries. It's a slow, deliberate watch for people who want weight in every episode rather than pace. Stream Jesus of Nazareth (1977) online on iFILM.