Barabbas (1961)

Barabbas, the criminal that Pontius Pilate induced the populace to vote to set free, so that Christ could be crucified, is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Christopher Fry (screenplay), Pär Lagerkvist (novel)

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Barabbas
Silvana Mangano	...	Rachel
Arthur Kennedy	...	Pontius Pilate
Katy Jurado	...	Sara
Harry Andrews	...	Peter
Vittorio Gassman	...	Sahak
Norman Wooland	...	Rufio
Valentina Cortese	...	Julia
Jack Palance	...	Torvald
Ernest Borgnine	...	Lucius
Arnoldo Foà	...	Joseph of Arimathea (as Arnoldo Foa')
Michael Gwynn	...	Lazarus
Laurence Payne	...	Disciple
Douglas Fowley	...	Vasasio
Guido Celano	...	Scorpio

Storyline

Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when Pilate manipulated the crowd into to pardoning him, rather than Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.

---

Plot Keywords:

crucifixion of jesus | peplum | jerusalem | early christians | 1st century | 

---

Taglines:

Now! Step Into a World of Passion and Upheaval

---

Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barabbas

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min (TCM print) (DVD release)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 36131 delivered on 19-12-1961.

---

Goofs

Torvald never casts his net at his second victim. Instead, he tramples the man beneath his chariot. Yet when he returns to his starting point to prepare to face Barabbas, the net has vanished and he must be supplied with a new one before the action can begin again.

---

Quotes

Emperor: Gladiator Barabbas, you're becoming quite a legend among us, I hear. For your remarkable persistence in life, we have a traditional answer to this public acclaim. We make you a free man. We give you your liberty. Here is the symbol of your freedom!
[holds up a carved staff for everybody to see, then tosses it into the arena next to Barabbas' feet; he picks it up and slowly exitst the Coliseum]

---

Connections

Referenced in Lights, Camera, Action!: A Century of the Cinema: The Grand Illusion (1996)

User Reviews

"Give me Barabbas!"

BARABBAS rocks. We saw it at the drive-in in the early 60's and the whole family loved it, all nine of us. I'm not always enamored with Anthony Quinn. Sometimes he seems conceited. But as Barabbas he is brilliantly humble, yet powerful. This is by far, his best movie ever. His faces say a thousand words a thousand times. It's as though he was transformed and really became the character, not played it. He is stoic and disturbed, tortured by the crisis within his soul. Barabbas is the man the crowd chose over Christ and this is a fictionalized account of his life after Christ was crucified. Jack Palance gives the second greatest performance of his life as the man who trains, and sometimes kills, gladiators. That evil laugh. That face. What corner of hell gave birth to this man? It's almost as good as his Jack Wilson gunfighter role in Shane. Palance is so mean in Barabbas that all sorts of pacifists would gladly kill him if they had the chance. There are a couple of slow spots but the sets are fantastic and the story is great.

How did Jack Palance sleep at night?