The television series "Jesus of Nazareth" was an Italian-English co-production, created by Vincenzo Labella for RAI and Lew Grade for the British independent production company ITC.
Two important Italian filmmakers had already tackled the life of Christ: Pier Paolo Pasolini with "The Gospel According to Matthew" and Roberto Rossellini with "The Messiah". However, the intent of the two co-producers was different: they aimed to create an educational work of the highest quality with an international scope, to be shot in English and distributed worldwide.
The screenplay was written in the autumn of 1974 by English writer Anthony Burgess, Italian screenwriter Suso Cecchi d’Amico and Zeffirelli himself, with constant consultation from experts of various religious denominations. To trace and present in Christ’s words the continuation and fulfillment of centuries of Jewish teaching, it was essential to create a film that was not only perfectly faithful to the Gospels but also historically accurate. The film would use the plausibility created by cinema to showcase, in addition to Christ's humanity, the social and anthropological context.
Between the end of 1974 and the beginning of 1975, Zeffirelli focused on finding locations that could represent the Israel of Christ’s time. He scouted in Italy, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt. Finally, filming took place in Morocco and Tunisia, where the most important sets were built.
The Archive holds 37 large plates with Zeffirelli’s drawings for the setting of all the film's environments.
A cast of great international actors was assembled around the lead Robert Powell, all agreeing to a modest payment of $30,000 (about €10,000 today). The first among them was Laurence Olivier, the son of a Protestant pastor and a close friend of Lew Grade and Zeffirelli, who chose the role of Nicodemus.
Aired in many countries in 1977, the series received nearly unanimous critical acclaim and massive public success, reflected in spectacular television ratings. A shorter version of the series was later adapted and distributed as a film.