The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

The life of Jesus Christ.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Fulton Oursler (book), Henry Denker (source writings),

Stars:

Max von Sydow, Michael Anderson Jr., Charlton Heston

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max von Sydow	...	Jesus
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	James the Younger
Carroll Baker	...	Veronica
Ina Balin	...	Martha of Bethany
Victor Buono	...	Sorak
Richard Conte	...	Barabbas
Joanna Dunham	...	Mary Magdalene
José Ferrer	...	Herod Antipas
Van Heflin	...	Bar Amand
Charlton Heston	...	John the Baptist
Martin Landau	...	Caiaphas
Angela Lansbury	...	Claudia
Pat Boone	...	Angel at the Tomb
Janet Margolin	...	Mary of Bethany
David McCallum	...	Judas Iscariot

Storyline

George Stevens' epic production. "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" It is towards this climactic crossroads that the story of Jesus of Nazareth leads, and to which, at the final moment, it again looks back in triumphant retrospect. It is the anguishing crossroads where the eternal questions of faith and doubt become resolved. Star-studded cast includes Max Von Sydow (as Jesus), Dorothy McGuire (as Mary), Robert Loggia (as Joseph), Charlton Heston (as John the Baptist), Michael Anderson, Jr., Robert Blake, Jamie Farr, David McCallum, Roddy McDowall, Ina Balin, Janet Margolin, Sidney Poitier, Carroll Baker, Pat Boone, Van Heflin, Sal Mineo, Shelley Winters, Ed Wynn, John Wayne, Telly Savalas, Angela Lansbury, Paul Stewart, Harold J. Stone, Martin Landau, Joseph Schildkraut, Victor Buono, Jose Ferrer, Claude Rains, Donald Pleasence, Richard Conte and Cyril Delevanti.

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Plot Keywords:

john the baptist | faith | epic | infanticide | christianity | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 1965 (UK)

Also Known As:

George Stevens Presents The Greatest Story Ever Told

Filming Locations:

Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Stevens Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

225 min 199 min (edited) 141 min (re-issue) 225 min (premiere)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Landau has said in interviews that half of his part was deleted in the editing stage.

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Goofs

Differences from the Bible accounts, and other historical inaccuracies, are not being counted as goofs, especially when they're reliant on sectarian traditions or Renaissance/Baroque art.

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Quotes

Narrator: [first lines]
Narrator: In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I am He. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, was made nothing that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not. The greatest story ever told...

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Connections

Featured in Cinerama Adventure (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Hallelujah Chorus"
(uncredited)
from "The Messiah"
Music by George Frideric Handel

User Reviews

It Wasn't

While there were a few worthwhile performances in this film, it simply does not come close to living up to the title. The musical score was draggy or unoriginal, and the loading down of the film with every Hollywood star they could cram into the film just detracted greatly from the film. Von Sydow's Jesus was wooden and one dimensional. In the earlier released "King of Kings" Jeff Hunter gave you a Christ that was filled with the emotions and compassion of the son of God, while in this version it just wasn't there. Charlton Heston's John the Baptist was one of the few good things about the film, while, as much as I respect John Wayne as a star, his one line cameo was laughable and so unbelievable as to make one cringe. Claude Rains did shine out as Herod the great, while Telly Savalis might as well have been reading lines from Kojack.

It is not the worst film of all time. But the attempt to recapture the grandeur of the Bible Epic days was way lost here.