Other depictions examined include the 1961 "King of Kings," the "Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)," "The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1966)," "Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)," the controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ," and a 1977 made-for-television film, "Jesus of Nazareth."

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints liked that film's balance between humanity and divinity so much, "they tried to buy the film out of admiration for its accomplishments," he said. The attempt proved fruitless. It portrayed a Jesus "not too human and not too divine," Fox said.

In that depiction, Jesus is shown as "the master biblio-therapist relating the story of the Prodigal Son." In examining the film's details, Fox said he believes the director's interpretation was "very close to (LDS Church founder) Joseph Smith's interpretation" of events and relationships that Christians hold sacred.

Conversely, Fox said Mel Gibbon's recent tortured portrayal in "The Passion of the Christ" presented an image "that for some becomes almost monotonous. For me, it was a wax image you often see portrayed in European churches," emphasizing the gore and agony of Christ's scourging and crucifixion.

That film "simply plunges viewers into a protracted agony," he said.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com