A captivating four-part film based on events from the Bible, supplemented by fictional scenes from the childhood of Jesus Christ.

The first part of the film focuses on the events surrounding Jesus’ birth and flight to Egypt; the second part explores his return to Israel; and the third and fourth parts take place in Israel after his return from Egypt, focusing particularly on Jesus’ life in Nazareth.

The story is threaded throughout by the persecution of the young Jesus, who is, however, under God’s protection and thus escapes the dangers set for him, primarily by Herod’s henchmen.

Many scenes show the young Jesus playing with his peers, and the plot is interwoven with Jesus’ visions from his adult life.

It is especially important to point out to younger viewers that many of the events in the film are fictional, drawn either from the apocrypha or other non-biblical sources.

Italy / West Germany, 1987

Crew: Franco Rossi;

Cast: Irene Papas, Roberto Posse, Zuzana Martínková, Roberto Bisacco, Alessandro Gassman, Bekim Fehmiu, Pierre Clémenti, Nouri Bouzid, Franco Interlenghi;

Parents’ Guide:

Men exposed from the waist up. A woman offering herself to Zephyr (the man who wants to kill Jesus).

An attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Men being killed. Several instances of fights between men or duels with weapons. A criminal being beaten with a club. Jesus’ friend being blinded.

Both Mary and Joseph lie. A fictional story, often based on the apocrypha. Jesus’ disobedience or mischief, as well as a minor act of selfishness in one scene—or even Jesus performing miracles as a child—are all elements that contradict either Jesus’ sinlessness or the message found in the Bible. The narrative frequently implies that one’s life is not, to a large extent, in one’s own hands. The superstition of Jesus’ friend, who believes that the course of life’s events is determined by the roll of the dice.

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