The Big Sleep (1946) — PICK
The Good Dinosaur (2015) — PASS
Jesus of Nazareth (1977) — PICK
Key Largo (1948) — PICK
One of the greatest Jesus movies of all time and a pair of Bogey-and-Bacall classics are among the latest Blu-ray releases.
Franco Zeffirelli’s epic miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, new on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory, isn’t necessarily the best Jesus movie ever, but at over six hours long, it’s certainly the most Jesus movie ever — and an indispensable cornerstone in the “Bible movie” genre.
Robert Powell’s portrayal of Jesus is reverent and authoritative, though too ethereal, more successfully evoking Christ’s transcendence than his humanity. Olivia Hussey gives one of the best, most iconic portrayals of the Virgin Mary, and Zeffirelli makes excellent use of a brilliant cast, including Laurence Olivier, Claudia Cardinale, James Earl Jones, Peter Ustinov and Rod Steiger.
One caveat: Like earlier DVD editions, the new Blu-ray omits two notable scenes. One relates to the film’s most problematic departure from the Gospels, the exoneration of Judas and the scapegoating of a fictional Sanhedrin member; but the other is an important Last Supper scene in which Jesus predicts Peter’s denials and Judas’ betrayal. If you must have these overlooked scenes, you’ll need the Spanish or Australian Blu-rays — and a region-free Blu-ray player.
Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep, starring Bogey as Raymond Chandler’s tough private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as one of two beautiful daughters of Marlowe’s latest client, is among the most sheerly entertaining films I’ve ever seen and one of my all-time favorites.
The witty dialogue is hard-boiled and snappy, the electricity between Bogey and Bacall crackles, and the plot — well, you’ll never make sense of the plot, but who cares? Then there’s John Huston’s Key Largo, a tense thriller pitting Bogey against Edward G. Robinson as an aging gangster in a sweaty, claustrophobic setting, an old hotel in the Florida Keys.
Skip The Good Dinosaur, a gorgeously rendered, half-baked road movie about a timid young Apatosaur and a fierce young human. While skewing younger, it’s too grim and scary for little kids; imagine a version of Bambi that’s mostly thunderstorms, hunters and forest fires.
Caveat Spectator: The Big Sleep: Menace, gunplay and brief stylized violence; innuendo; oblique depiction of sordid goings-on. Teens and up. Jesus of Nazareth: Passion violence; a few scary scenes (e.g., slaughter of the innocents, an exorcism, etc.); a bit of discreet sexual content. Might be a bit much for sensitive kids. Key Largo: Menace and gunplay; some innuendo; alcohol abuse. Teens and up.