The Day Christ Died
| The Day Christ Died | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | James Cellan Jones |
| Starring | Chris Sarandon |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Martin Manulis |
| Production location | Tunisia |
| Cinematography | Franco Di Giacomo |
| Editor | Barry Peters |
| Running time | 142 minutes |
| Production company | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Budget | $2.8 million |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | March 26, 1980 |
The Day Christ Died is a 1980 American television film directed by James Cellan Jones, and produced by 20th Century Fox and CBS-TV. A dramatization of the last 24 hours of Jesus Christ's life, it is based on Jim Bishop's 1957 book of the same name. The book was co-adapted by James Lee Barrett, who, 15 years prior, had scripted The Greatest Story Ever Told for George Stevens.
Bishop, who did not accept the adaptation, had his name removed from the credits. He called the film "cheap revisionist history", and even tried unsuccessfully to change the film's title. The Day Christ Died was filmed in Tunisia, at a cost of US$2.8 million. It was broadcast by CBS-TV on Wednesday, March 26, 1980.