Notes from around the Human Experience…
CAPSULE 1970’S MADE FOR TV MOVIE REVIEW: Jesus of Nazareth: It had been many years since we’ve seen this generally critically acclaimed movie. We were still kids and religion was a big part of our life back when Jesus of Nazareth first aired and we remembered being utterly spellbound watching this with mommy and daddy.
We’re middle aged now and our spiritual path is different, but Jesus of Nazareth was still compelling to watch. Whether you believe the Bible is the divine word of God or the world’s best selling novel, to deny its influence is folly, and in this spirit it was pleasant to revisit the characters we grew up with again.
Dry, Technical Matter: The movie was produced by the British, which is why a bunch of Romans and Jews running around the Middle East make everything sound like tea at Buckingham Palace.
More Dry, Technical Matter: Assorted historians and scholars might have gotten their shorts in a knot over the fact there was a death scene for Joseph that wasn’t included in the Bible and that there were some made-up characters and Judas gets treated better here than in the Gospels, but they are quibbling. The movie is generally faithful to Biblical accounts.
In Living Color With An All-Star Cast: While the movie is well-stocked with superb acting performances, three stand out as having been example of parts perfectly cast.
Leading Off: Robert Powell was a brilliant choice to play Jesus because Powell conforms perfectly to how most of the Western world has long pictured Jesus. Powell did more than look the part, however, because there were times when Powell did his work so well it seemed as if the Son of Man Himself had returned to Earth, gotten his SAG card, and gone to work.
Oh Yeah: Michael York as John the Baptist and Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate were equally brilliant, too.
Editor’s Note: Following is the Daily Dose rating scale: The Very Best/Excellent/Very Good/Good/A Steaming Pile
Final Ranking: The Very Best. We don’t issue the highest rating too often here at your Daily Dose, but Jesus of Nazareth has aged so well that we feel it deserves it. Plus, in case there is a hell, we don’t want to end up there for annoying the Big Guy by not giving a movie about his only begotten Son a top rating.
IT’S NOT THE HEAT…WELL, YEAH IT IS: Death Valley, California has a high temperature of 134 degrees on this date in 1913, the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Death Valley has only held this record since 2011, when a 136 degrees temperature in Libya was decertified by the people in charge of these things.
Live, Via Satellite: Mankind’s first communications satellite, known as Telstar 1, is launched on this date in 1962. Though Telstar would start relaying private images the following day, the first public broadcast didn’t come until July 23. The first images were of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower side by side. President John F Kennedy wasn’t ready for his news conference in time, so viewers were treated to exciting footage of Tony Taylor of the Philadelphia Phillies flying out to right field.
There Sure Is A Lot Of Dry, Technical Matter Today: Telstar’s 14 watts of power were produced by 3,600 solar panels on its exterior. It could handle 600 telephone calls and a single black and white TV channel.
You Have Interns For This Crap,Right?: Since then Telstar has been the name of numerous other telecommunication satellites, and Telstar 18 was launched in 2004.
Showoff: Erden Eruc, a Turkish-born American, begins first solo, human powered circumnavigation of the globe on this date in 2007.
We Are Not Making This Up: Eruc first pulls out of Bodega Bay, California and rows across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. He bikes across Australia then rows to Africa, bikes across Africa then rows to Venezuela. He bikes across Venezuela then rows to Louisiana, where he then bikes back to Bodega Bay, arriving on July 21, 2012.
QuoteBook: Why should kingdoms differ from human beings? They are born. They grow. They die.– Gore Vidal, Creation
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: The first women’s tournament at Wimbledon was held in 1884.
Today’s Stumper: What is the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth? – Answer next time!
