Siegmund Lubin directed a series of 31 short films in 1898 when he understood the popularity of the two previous Passion Play films had in the United States. He decided he could do it better and claimed to make a more close reenactment of the real Oberammergau play(instead of simply making a dupe of the Edison film). Apparently, he directed the movie in his backyard, building backdrops that moved in the wind and engaging family, friends, and neighbors as actors(who subsequently could be found drunk at the time of filming). It was a hasty production, with sometimes very bad quality shots, but it became very popular. Lubin sent copies to convents, missions, and prisons for free(together with viewing equipment) to spread the film. The end result had a length of around 60 minutes and totaled 6300 feet of film. In the 1903 magazine, however, the film was shortened and edited down to 3700 feet. By then he had also engaged 25 artists for over one year to color the film by hand. The content of the film focused much more on the life of Jesus containing many episodes not represented in the other plays.