Miracle Maker [2000]

Amazon.co.uk Review

This animated feature-length life of Jesus boasts a stellar pedigree. Originally a BBC Wales production, it showcases the voices of some of Britain's finest actors in any medium: Ralph Fiennes as a brooding and humble Jesus, Miranda Richardson as Mary Magdalene, Richard E. Grant as John the Baptist and David Thewlis as Judas. The lovely, flute-heavy score is by Oscar-winner Anne Dudley (The Full Monty). And clearly a lot of expense has gone into the Claymation-like animation. But while it's hard to find fault with the rendering of this familiar story--it is respectful and definitely done, you might say, by the Book--it would have been nice if there had been a tad more joy, if it walked a bit lighter in its sandals. As it is, all the characters seem consistently subdued, whether they are expressing angst, rage, terror or bliss--none of which is helped by the figures' blank-eyed stares (if animators are becoming ever more sophisticated, why can't they get rid of those creepy blank gazes once and for all?). Still, the weight of having such formidable actors play these familiar roles lends the production a certain credibility, and parents looking for good religious videos that won't insult their kids' intelligence will be thrilled. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Captivating retelling of story of Jesus.......2007-06-22

Most Christian films do not inspire me. But I do love the Visual Bible Gospel of John and The Miracle Maker. The device of telling Jesus' story through the eyes of Tamara, the daughter of Jairus whom Jesus raised to life [and who just happens to have been a witness to many of the key events in the life of Jesus] is a clever one, which should appeal to young people and also older folk.

The film gave me great joy as I saw Jesus through the eyes of this little girl.

Anne Dudley [composer of music for The Full Monty and many other great films, which I haven't seen ...] does a terrific job with the music, and I enjoyed the way the Russian dolls were used for the characters in this story.

I also like the scene where Jesus the carpenter tells Mary, Martha and Lazarus he is leaving the carpentry shop to build something new for God.

The featurette included on the DVD about the making of the film is fascinating, too.

Highly recommended.

First-class animated film.......2006-08-24

I thoroughly recommend this story of the life of Jesus told through the eyes of a sick young girl, Tamar. It's definitely not just for children - I'm 39 and found it very moving - and the animation is excellent. Voice-overs provided by famous thespians such as Ralph Fiennes (Jesus) and Ian Holm (Pilate) add to its appeal. Having borrowed it from a friend, I was impressed enough to purchase a copy for myself.

The Miracle Maker dvd.......2005-03-14

I loved this film. Had it on vhs .Just bought it on dvd. Read the review about it not being genuine widescreen. Tempted to send it back after reading that. But ended up opening it so can't return to shop. Hoped reviewer was wrong as no one else had mentioned it. But to my disgust reviewer was right . I compared the vhs to the dvd and Warner Brother(or whoever made the discision to do this)realy have just snipped the top and bottom off! Words of `if anyone taketh away from...` spring to mind. But on a positive note , the visual quality and sound that you expect from DVD's saves this edition.

Widescreen JOKE.......2003-12-05

I love this film. I've had the VHS release for a long time, and it always bothered me that after the opening credits the widescreen aspect was cropped to normal fullscreen (4:3). So when this DVD was released I was overjoyed...
Short lived joy, though. When I ran the VHS and DVD side by side, it is clear that the "widescreen" isn't anything but the 4:3 with the top and bottom cropped. Is this a sick joke by Warner (or whoever released this)?
When a movie is released on VHS usually the sides are cropped. Could we have them back please, instead of losing the top and bottom as well???
Very good movie--shame about the 1.77:1 aspect.
(The one star is for the DVD shamble, the film deserves ******).

The Miracle Maker.......2003-04-06

I was completely enchanted when I saw this version of the Jesus story. It's a film I can come back to every now and then, and part of it will always choke me up. Whether it's Jesus Baptism, the crucifixion or especially the closing scene following the resurrection. I end up with a dented heart and a lump in my throat.

The characters are very 3 dimensional and are well rounded. All the main points behind the Gospel message are there. The animation, as with the forerunning TV series "Testament" (regarding 6 different Old Testament stories). Different animation techniques are used to emphasize different parts of the story, and this helps maintain interest. I would thoroughly recommend this to all age groups, and people of all backgrounds: this is an inoffensive and very emotional way of portraying the Gospel. It will be interesting to compare this with the live action film "Passion" which is also being made by Icon productions (Mel Gibsons production company).

I would recommend this to teachers - throw away the text books for one afternoon, and let the kids watch this instead... just before the Good Friday/Easter break. It should make for some good and interesting discussion that will heavily benefit childrens education I am sure.