«The King of Kings» (1927), dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Lead role: H. B. Warner (1876–1958)
Christ here is almost an icon, inspiring awe: not a man, but a symbol of the divine.

«The Gospel According to Matthew» (1964), dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini
Lead role: Enrique Irazoqui (1944–2020)
Christ is ascetic, almost a revolutionary, with a sense of challenge to the system. He does not comfort.

«Jesus Christ Superstar» (1973), dir. Norman Jewison
Lead role: Ted Neeley (b. 1943)
Christ becomes a man of the 70s: doubting, vulnerable. Much inner conflict and fear — what does it mean to be Christ?

«Jesus of Nazareth» (1977), dir. Franco Zeffirelli
Lead role: Robert Powell (b. 1944)
The most “canonical” Christ on screen. Calm, gentle — the ideal balance of divinity and humanity.

«The Last Temptation of Christ» (1988), dir. Martin Scorsese
Lead role: Willem Dafoe (b. 1955)
A radically human Christ. He fears, he doubts. The theme of free will versus predestination.

«The Passion of the Christ» (2004), dir. Mel Gibson
Lead role: Jim Caviezel (b. 1968)
The focus is almost entirely on suffering. Christ as victim — maximum empathy through physicality.

1927 → Christ as icon
1964 → Christ as revolutionary
1973 → Christ as a man of doubts
1977 → Christ as the ideal image
1988 → Christ as existential choice
2004 → Christ as suffering
2026 → Christ as?