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The Greatest Story Ever Told
(1965),
Director: George Stevens, rated G
A Richly Rewarding
Entertainment Experience for the Entire Family
  Starring:
Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Charlton Heston, Michael
Anderson Jr., Carroll Baker, Telly Savalas, Ina Balin, Claude
Rains, Victor Buono, Richard Conte, Joanna Dunham, José Ferrer,
Van Heflin, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, David McCallum,
Roddy McDowall, Sal Mineo, Donald Pleasence, Ed Wynn, Sidney
Poitier, John Wayne
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- good
"Go now, and teach all
nations. Make it your first care to love one another and to find
the kingdom of God, and all things shall be yours without me
asking. Do not fret then for tomorrow; leave tomorrow to fret
over its own needs, for today... today's troubles are enough." -
Jesus
Why watch this?
There are some truly great moments in this long, plodding
Biblical epic.
Plot Summary:
This epic biblical drama chronicles the life of Jesus Christ,
beginning with the nativity in Bethlehem. It follows his journey
as he gathers disciples, spreads his teachings and performs
miracles throughout the Holy Land. The narrative culminates in
his eventual crucifixion in Jerusalem and subsequent
resurrection, depicting the foundational story of the Christian
faith.
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Dad's Preview:
In the 60's, Hollywood made several star-packed epic films. A
few always come to mind:
The Longest
Day (1962),
How the West
Was Won (1965) and the retelling of the New Testament.
It's hard to knock a film about the life of Jesus, but there are
two things that hurt this effort. First, the infusion of
Hollywood's biggest actors, many in sixty-second cameos
appearances, only distracts from the holiness of the story.
Second, I am not a fan of the stoic portrayal of Christ himself.
If Jesus was a human, you cannot glean that fact here. Max von
Sydow's aloof portrayal is so god-like, that I can't believe
anyone could relate to Him. That's a lot to sit through for over
4 hours and 20 minutes. Still, I will always love Charlton
Heston's turn as the fiery John The Baptist, and Telly Savalas
as Pontius Pilate. This epic covers a lot of the Bible and that
should be good enough for most. |
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George Stevens
Productions; United Artists |
