Casting Jesus for the silver screen has always been tricky. The actor must project a sense of both

Casting Jesus for the silver screen has always been tricky. The actor must project a sense of both divinity and humanity. To sell tickets,he must also be a handsome, leading-man type. In the new movie “Son of God,” Jesus is played by Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado, whose appearance has been compared to Brad Pitt. Here are some of the actors who have played Jesus over the decades:

v Jeffrey Hunter, “King of Kings,” 1961: This film was nicknamed “I was a Teenage Jesus” because of Hunter’s youthful teen-idol looks, but actually he was in his 30s.

v Max von Sydow, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” 1965: Director George Stevens cast the admired Swedish actor as Jesus and surrounded him with Hollywood actors like John Wayne, who had one line: “Truly this man was the son of God.”

v Ted Neeley, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” 1973: Neeley became the “rock star Jesus” as the star of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera on both stage and screen.

v Willem Dafoe, “The Last Temptation of Christ,” 1988: The film was one of the few to present a Jesus conflicted about his identity and vulnerable to earthly temptations.

v Jim Caviezel, “The Passion of Christ,” 2004: One of the most controversial movies ever made, due both to its graphic depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion and to allegations of anti-Semitic content.

“24 Hours on Earth” (9 p.m., BBC America): The epic two-part “24 Hours on Earth” takes pains to examine, in great detail, how various animals and plants adapt over the course of a single day as conditions around them change. And somehow, they make it really interesting.

TV listings, B6

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Polish group to screen film

YOUNGSTOWN

Polish Youngstown will present a free screening of episode one of “The Decalogue” at 6 p.m. at the Liberty Building 42 N. Phelps St., downtown, as part of its Lenten reflection events.

“The Decalogue” is a series of 10 one-hour television films inspired by the Ten Commandments. Film director Krzysztof Kieslowski explores Biblical principles through personal stories in the series, which was made in 1989. “The Decalogue” is in Polish with English subtitles.

Film school student Auggie Heschmeyer will introduce the screening and present a talk. He will also host a post-screening discussion at Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts. Heschmeyer spent last summer in Warsaw working on Poland’s largest film festival.

Saxophone recital and master class

YOUNGSTOWN

A free saxophone recital featuring Dana School of Music professor James Umble and members of the Youngstown State University saxophone studio, plus guest artist Chien-Kwan Lin of the Eastman School of Music, will be at 8 p.m. March 17 in Room 2326 of Bliss Hall, on the YSU campus. A master class, open to the public for observation, is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Bliss Hall, also in Room 2326 where Lin will offer instruction to members of the YSU saxophone class. For information, call the Dana at 330-941-3636.