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The Passover Plot Reviews

  • 1976
  • 1 hr 48 mins
  • Drama
  • NR
  • Watchlist
    Where to Watch

Dramatization of the controversial best-seller that posits an alternate version of the birth of Christianity. In this version, Jesus planned for His crucifixion by taking a drug that would simulate death. After His unconscious body was placed in the tomb, a religious sect known as the Zealots would secretly steal Christ's body from the tomb, then spread the rumor that He had risen, thus fulfilling Biblical prophecy.

This film on the life of Christ was adapted from the book by Hugh J. Schonfield, which discusses Christ as a political revolutionary. King plays Christ, here called by the Hebrew name Yeshua, in this version of his life, which has him setting up his own crucifixion as a plot against the Romans. The film is too talky, with almost every scene dependent on explanatory dialog to pull the plot strings, which also accounts for the film's snail's pace. Costume Designer Mendleson received an Oscar nomination for his work here.