"A magnificent film, handled with reverence, artistic appreciation and admirable restraint" (NewYork Daily News), this glorious epic is an inspiring, grand-scale recreation of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from His humble birth and teachings to His crucifixion and ultimate Resurrection. Lavishly produced at a cost of $20 millionan enormous amount for the timeand honored with five 1965 Academy AwardÂ(r) nominations*, this exceptional motion picture is exquisitely beautiful. Now fully restored to its original theatrical brilliance with intermission and overture, it is truly The Greatest Story Ever Told. *Cinematography (Color), Original Score, Art Direction (Color), Costume Design (Color), Special Visual Effects
The life of Christ got an excessively long treatment (260 minutes, later trimmed to 195) in this 1965 film directed by George Stevens (The Diary of Anne Frank). Max von Sydow does beautiful work as Jesus--his spontaneous mourning at discovering his friend Lazarus has died is not like anything in other New Testament epics--and Stevens renders the familiar tale with a handsome authenticity. But the project is nearly undone by an unwise gimmick in which seemingly half of Hollywood's living stars at the time make brief (often very brief) cameo appearances, some of which are ridiculous. But there is a lot to like in the film, and Von Sydow's sensitive nobility sticks in the memory. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
He is what the world needs today:
This movie more than any other has always brought tears to my eyes. It is so close to the real Jesus and gives a better idea of the Man that He was in life on earth. His goodness, His kindness, and His holyness is of a Person we can and should try to follow. If we did this, the world would be a much better place today. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would like to see Him taken out of schools or His Ten Commandments tossed, for they are not that hard to follow, and they keep us "civilized"... more info
Mediocre Performance:
It appeared to me that this film had high expectations in the 60's especially with the lavish production, but there are obvious faults. First, it appears it was filmed around Arizona and perhaps near the Colorodo River or possibly the Grand Canyon areas. Acting is terribly weak and I could not push my belief beyond these faults to allow the film to move me. With the spiritual theme such as this film portrays, the acting should have be somewhat distant of American dialect but it is clearly too American. One... more info
The Greatest Story Ever Told (Movie Only Edition):
The Greatest Story Ever Told To begin: the desert cinematography reminded me of a John Ford's western.
In fact it was filmed in some of the same locales. The American Southwest is a beautiful place, but it was not the right choice for a biblical epic. Of course, the music of Alfred Newman was beautifully performed with parts of Handel's Messiah and Verdi's Requiem tossed into the mix. The Messiah's pieces were a bit jarring to one's concentration. The music and the cinematography... more info
The Greatest Story Ever Told:
A ponderous retelling of the life of Christ with Swedish actor Max von Sydow in the role of Jesus. Swedish Jesus is hard to accept. Even von Sydow admitted difficulty. He comes off as a spaced-out caricature. Maybe a man who never sinned has to be this way. I have wondered why it was no sin when Jesus angrily drove the moneychangers from the temple with a whip. The cast is a "Who's Who in Hollywood," and the fun part is to pick out famous people. John Wayne is the Roman Centurion at the cross. "Truly, this... more info
