An all-star, large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.An all-star, large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.An all-star, large scale epic movie that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
11K
YOUR RATING
- George Stevens
- David Lean(some scenes)
- Jean Negulesco(some scenes)
- Writers
- Fulton Oursler(book)
- Henry Denker(source writings)
- James Lee Barrett(screenplay)
- Stars
- George Stevens
- David Lean(some scenes)
- Jean Negulesco(some scenes)
- Writers
- Fulton Oursler(book)
- Henry Denker(source writings)
- James Lee Barrett(screenplay)
- Stars
- George Stevens
- David Lean(some scenes) (uncredited)
- Jean Negulesco(some scenes) (uncredited)
- Writers
- Fulton Oursler(book)
- Henry Denker(source writings)
- James Lee Barrett(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTelly Savalas shaved his head bald for his role as Pontius Pilate. He kept his head shaved for the rest of his life.
- GoofsThroughout the film there are shots of snow on the ground and snow on the mountains of Utah. Israel rarely gets any snow.
- Quotes
Jesus: Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves, and for your children. For a time is coming when men will say "blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore a child." And they will say to the mountains "fall on us," and to the hills "cover us," for if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
- Alternate versionsOriginal Cinerama version ran 260 minutes, subsequently cut over the years. The shortest version runs 141 minutes. Numerous versions have been shown on television. Network television print has only the main cast credits at the beginning and the technical credits at the end shown page-by-page (not "rolled up" as most prints), including a credit for "Cinerama". The most common version of the film shown today runs 195 minutes with all the credits rolled up at the beginning, and the end titles showing only the words "Released through United Artists". That particular version has been available on home video and cable TV.
Review
Featured review
Not Great, But Worth Seeing And Unfairly Criticized
As someone who had read the Bible and knows what goes where, I am easily critical of too-Liberal Biblical movies, which is usually the case....except for the last 40-some years when hardly any films were made on this subject at all.
My point is that this film gets toasted a lot, even by Christians, and I think unfairly. Yes, I became a bit annoyed the first few viewings when I would hear Jesus' speeches way out of order, or a few other things that really weren't 100 percent on the mark....or it just simply dragged.
However, after a long absence and my first look at this on the ultra widescreen (2.75:1) DVD, I was impressed. For instance, the scene with the Last Supper shows everyone at the table, which is impossible to do in a formatted-to-TV mode. There are other similar panoramic shots that are very impressive. gave me a new appreciate of the work director George Stevens did here. Of course, he was one of the best in his profession so it's no surprise this is nicely filmed.
Upon that recent viewing, I was please that none of Jesus' quotes are inaccurate and I have never had a problem with Max Von Sydow's portrayal of Christ. He had a penetrating eyes and spoke his lines with authority. Why he, too, gets bashed by a few people is unfair. He was just fine.
It's a sanitized message, nothing that "preachy" to turn off the unchurched, but I do think it was a bit too slow to go three hours and 20 minutes. In this case, lopping off 15-30 minutes might have helped. It's still worth viewing, no matter what your "religious" views.
My point is that this film gets toasted a lot, even by Christians, and I think unfairly. Yes, I became a bit annoyed the first few viewings when I would hear Jesus' speeches way out of order, or a few other things that really weren't 100 percent on the mark....or it just simply dragged.
However, after a long absence and my first look at this on the ultra widescreen (2.75:1) DVD, I was impressed. For instance, the scene with the Last Supper shows everyone at the table, which is impossible to do in a formatted-to-TV mode. There are other similar panoramic shots that are very impressive. gave me a new appreciate of the work director George Stevens did here. Of course, he was one of the best in his profession so it's no surprise this is nicely filmed.
Upon that recent viewing, I was please that none of Jesus' quotes are inaccurate and I have never had a problem with Max Von Sydow's portrayal of Christ. He had a penetrating eyes and spoke his lines with authority. Why he, too, gets bashed by a few people is unfair. He was just fine.
It's a sanitized message, nothing that "preachy" to turn off the unchurched, but I do think it was a bit too slow to go three hours and 20 minutes. In this case, lopping off 15-30 minutes might have helped. It's still worth viewing, no matter what your "religious" views.
helpful•8125
- ccthemovieman-1
- Jun 15, 2006
Details
Box office
- 4 hours 20 minutes
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