Professor David Peimer
Portrayal of Jesus in Film
Summary
Professor David Peimer discusses the portrayal of Jesus in contemporary films, focusing on selected movies that depict the story in diverse ways. Emphasizing the imaginative nature of retelling historical or mythical narratives, the lecture explores films such as Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Pasolini’s take on the gospel story, Mel Gibson’s controversial The Passion of the Christ (2004), and Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). The discussion delves into the artistic choices, interpretations, and impact these films have on shaping cultural consciousness.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a professor of theatre and performance studies in the UK. He has taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and New York University (Global Division), and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has written eleven plays and directed forty in places like South Africa, New York, Brussels, London, Berlin, Zulu Kingdom, Athens, and more. His writing has been published widely and he is the editor of Armed Response: Plays from South Africa (2009) and the interactive digital book Theatre in the Camps (2012). He is on the board of the Pinter Centre in London.
It’s in an era where you show images and then you show the advert a Kit Kat or whatever. Where so many things seem just thrown out, spewed out endlessly on the internet and on TV. So much noise and clutter that goes on in the mind of constant barrage. How do you find stories that represent intentional values.
Yes. Flavius Josephus, a Jewish scribe who became a Roman citizen around the time of the destruction of the temple. He was part of the siege of Jerusalem and then joined the Romans, Vespasian, and so on. He eventually ends up in Rome and wrote these books of the history of the Jews where he mentions that there was Christ.
Yes. There is an anti-Semitic approach because Caiaphas is shown in a pretty cardboard cutout manner, and he’s obviously the Jewish guy, who is pushing for Christ to be crucified and killed basically. So Gibson gives it that twist in terms of the anti-Semitic approach.