From the Manger to the Cross
An early feature film portraying the life of Jesus, filmed on location in Palestine.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →WATCH • REFLECT • GROW
Movies & Videos
Explore early films inspired by the Bible. These historical dramatizations can prompt reflection; read the biblical passages for the source account.
Public Domain Movies
Watch these historical films here. The linked copies are listed as public domain in the United States by Wikimedia Commons; rights can differ elsewhere. Video files stream from Wikimedia Commons when you press play.
Vie et Passion du Christ
A hand-colored French film depicting scenes from the life and passion of Jesus.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Ten Commandments
Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 film opens with the story of Moses, followed by a contemporary drama about the commandments.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Star of Bethlehem
A Nativity film with English intertitles, from a print preserved at the Library of Congress.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Christus
An Italian film of the life of Jesus directed by Giulio Antamoro.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The King of Kings
Cecil B. DeMille’s early feature film about the life and ministry of Jesus.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Noah’s Ark
A drama connecting Noah’s flood with a story set around the First World War.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Judith of Bethulia
D. W. Griffith’s adaptation of the story of Judith. The Book of Judith is included in some Christian Bible traditions.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Blood of Jesus
Spencer Williams’s faith drama follows a woman facing a choice between good and evil after a shooting.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Go Down, Death!
A Spencer Williams drama in which a juke-joint owner plots against a newly arrived preacher.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Martyrs chrétiens
A French short depicting early Christian martyrs.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Light in the Dark
A surviving shortened version of a drama about a supposed Holy Grail and the hope it inspires.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Confession
A priest keeps a confession secret even when his brother is accused of murder.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Godless Girl
Cecil B. DeMille’s drama follows Christian and atheist teenagers through conflict and reform school.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The World and the Woman
A woman shunned by her community becomes known as a faith healer.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Joan the Woman
Cecil B. DeMille’s historical epic dramatizes the life of Joan of Arc.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →Jeanne d’Arc
Georges Méliès’s hand-colored short dramatizes the story of Joan of Arc.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The White Sister
A romance starring Lillian Gish about a woman who enters a convent after believing her fiancé has died.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →The Great Commandment
A young Zealot encounters Jesus’s teachings in this early Christian drama.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →San Sebastiano
An Italian short dramatizing the story of Saint Sebastian.
View source and film details at Wikimedia Commons →These films are period interpretations of biblical events, not Bible teaching or a replacement for Scripture. Playback availability depends on Wikimedia Commons and your browser.
More to explore
Read the daily devotionals, explore the Bible Study Center, or use the prayer guide as we develop original video resources.