The Miracle Maker (1999 film)

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The Miracle Maker (Welsh: Gwr y Gwyrthiau)^[1] is a 1999 British-Russian-American stop motion-animated film about the life of Jesus Christ, through the eyes of Tamar; the terminally ill daughter of Jairus, a priest in Capernaum. Hand-drawn animated cartoons are used to distinguish flashbacks, parables, stories, spiritual encounters and visions from the main plot, which is all in stop motion. (The daughter of Jairus is not named in the New Testament.)

The Miracle Maker film appeared in the Welsh language on VHS: S4C Video in 1999 and TV: S4C in 2001 and later in English Cinemas-throughout the United Kingdom on BBC 1 in 2002. It had its American premiere on ABC in 2000, while Artisan Entertainment, and later Lionsgate, held the home video rights.

The film was directed by Derek Hayes and Stanislav Sokolov. It stars the voice of Ralph Fiennes as Jesus, and numerous other well-known actors.

The film ends with Anne Dudley's "Pie Jesu" for solo boy soprano and orchestra.

Plot[]

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Main Story: Life of Jesus in the New Testament

Jesus leaves home and prepares to start His Father's Work[]

100 years into the Roman Occupation, Jairus and his sick daughter Tamar travel to Sepphoris, where their friend Cleopas knows a doctor that may be able to help Tamar. The doctor confides to Jairus that there is nothing that can be done while Tamar witnesses Jesus, a carpenter building a new synagogue, protects a deranged woman, Mary Magdalene, from the jeers of the townspeople. Jesus visits his mother, Mary, who recalls his birth, the visit of the Wise Men and his conferring with the elders at the Temple. He later travels to the Jordan River to be baptised by John the Baptist, where he is spoken to by a voice from Heaven. Jesus wanders out into the wilderness, where he is repeatedly tempted by Satan. After Jesus rebukes Satan he goes to stay with his friend Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary.

Jesus begins his Ministry in Galilee[]

Tamar and her mother Rachel listen to Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders in the fields near Capernaum. Meanwhile priests debate the legitimacy of Jesus's teachings while Judas, one of the zealots plotting an uprising against the Romans, believes Jesus is the Messiah come to lead the people to a glorious victory over Rome.

Judas decides to follow Jesus and leaves the zealots, who mock him. Shortly afterward, four fishermen; Simon, Andrew, James and John confront Matthew the tax collector about having to pay taxes despite not having caught any fish. Jesus arrives and commandeers Simon and Andrew's boat to preach to the crowd from the water, where he tells the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Jesus tells the fishermen to row out into the deep and cast their nets. A skeptical Simon eventually complies and, much to the fishermen's surprise, they haul in an extremely large catch. Simon tearfully recognises Jesus as the Messiah.

Jesus teaches, performs miracles and upsets the authorities[]

Simon the Pharisee, an elder of the Capernaum Synagogue, is visited by Ben Azra, one of the Temple priests, worried about the possibility of Jesus causing a revolt. Jesus teaches using the example of a man with a plank in his eye trying to remove a speck from another's eye and forgives the sins of the paralytic man, healing him. Jesus proceeds to free Mary Magdalene of the demons who possess her and choose his twelve apostles, changing Simon's name to Peter. The leaders of the synagogue invite Jesus to their house, where he tells Mary Magdalane her sins are forgiven, causing Ben Azra and Simon the Pharisee to condemn Jesus as being in league with the Devil.

Tamar's illness worsens, but Jairus is hesitant to take her to Jesus as the leaders of his synagogue claim that anyone who follows Jesus is an enemy of God. Jairus goes to Jesus when Rachel pleads with him to ask Jesus to save their daughter, but Tamar dies before Jesus is able to help her. Jesus encourages Jairus to remain faithful, enters his house and raises Tamar, who awakens fully healed. Jairus, Rachel, Cleopas and Tamar begin to follow Jesus, who learns that King Herod has killed John the Baptist and mourns for him. Ben Azra meets with Herod, who agrees that Jesus must be dealt with to prevent Pilate from reporting any uprisings against Rome.

Jesus goes to Jerusalem[]

Jesus and all his followers make the journey from Capernaum to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, on the way Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus is told that Lazarus is dying but does not go to him immediately. Ben Azra tells the high priest Caiaphas that he witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead and he could lead an uprising against Rome, Caiaphas reasons that Jesus can be disposed of.

Pilate captures Barabbas, a friend of Judas, who has become disillusioned with Jesus. Jesus enters Jerusalem, followed and greeted by adoring crowds, turns the tables of the traders at the Third Temple, validates the payment of taxes to the Roman Empire and predicts his own death. The temple priests begin to plot to subdue Jesus and Judas, now believing Jesus to be a false Messiah, resolves to betray Jesus to save himself and the Jewish people. He offers his services to Ben Azra, who is looking for a way to arrest Jesus away from the crowds.

Jesus is condemned and crucified[]

Jesus and his followers eat the Last Supper in secret, where Jesus tells his disciples they will abandon him and tells Judas to go and do what he has to do. Cleopas and Jairus ask Jesus to explain all that they don't understand, to which Jesus replies that they will understand soon. He goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he refuses a final temptation by Satan to flee while he still can, praying for God's will to be done. Judas leads the authorities to Jesus, who is arrested while the disciples flee. Judas is overwhelmed with guilt and tries to appeal to Ben Azra, who dismisses him. Jesus is tried by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, is mocked by Herod and sent to Pilate, who despite having an intense dislike for the Jews, finds no case against Jesus. Ben Azra instructs a crowd to call for the crucifixion of Jesus and the release of Barabbas and Caiaphas blackmails Pilate into condemning Jesus to death. Jesus is led up to Golgotha and crucified while his followers look on, with his last words Jesus proclaims ‘It is finished’ and dies, the curtain in the temple that separates the Holy of Holies is torn in two.

Jesus rises from the dead[]

Jesus's body is laid in a tomb and his followers mourn for him. Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb on Sunday morning to find it empty, but she encounters Jesus in the garden. She brings Peter to the empty tomb, where he also encounters Jesus. The disciples are told by Peter he has seen Jesus risen and that Cleopas and Jairus encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus, Thomas remains doubtful until Jesus appears before the disciples. Jesus gathers all his followers on a mount, gives the Great Commission before ascending into heaven, Tamar tells the others that the Kingdom of God has come.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

• Ian Holm, who plays Pontius Pilate, also played the role of Zerus in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.

Reception[]

Renee Schonfeld wrote it was "Birth of Christianity artfully animated; biblical violence."^[2]

See also[]

• List of animated feature films
• List of stop-motion films

References[]

External links[]

• The Miracle Maker at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
• The Miracle Maker at IMDb
• The Miracle Maker at Rotten Tomatoes