Ramon Pareda Films. One of the first Mexican biblical films, Jesus de Nazareth was made in response to the Cristero War. The violent uprisings by devout Catholics against the secularizing administration of President Plutarco Elías Calles and the government’s brutal reprisals wracked Mexico during the 1920s. By the time the film was made in 1942, the government’s aggressive anticlerical stance had been relaxed and the conflict was mostly resolved.
Celebrated actor, producer, and director Ramón Pereda produced the film. José Díaz Morales directed. Argentinian José Cibrián played Jesus and Aurora Walker played the Virgin Mary.