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Starring Anthony Quinn in the title role, Barabbas was released in 1961 in the midst of a wave of widescreen epics based on biblical characters. The screenplay, by playwright Christopher Fry (who also contributed to Ben-Hur), is an unusually intelligent one. Further assets are the imaginative, sparingly orchestrated score by Mario Nascimbene and a handsome production design by art director Mario Chiari that is so rewarding to the eye in Aldo Tonti's often dazzling cinematography.
Many scenes, such as Christ's crucifixion, are shot and staged like tableaux in a style reminiscent of the great masters of art. And director Richard Fleischer surpasses anything Ridley Scott achieved years later in Gladiator: he fills the huge arena--a vast Roman amphitheatre--with a gladiatorial school of hand-to-hand combat, a parade of elephants, and a den of lions, and then caps his production with a riveting and thrillingly mounted duel between Jack Palance, careering round the circumference of the arena in his chariot, and Barabbas dodging him on foot. --Adrian Edwards
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "deepest" of the Biblical epics...,
By just some guy (USofA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barabbas (DVD)
I've seen just about all of the Biblical epics, but this one has always been my favorite because of the deeper character development. Except for the beginning of the movie, where Barabbas has been released instead of Jesus, the story is completely speculative. But the journey the story takes is quite moving and unpredictable and thought-provoking. It's probably the only older Biblical movie that actually touches upon the struggle for faith in Christ and the consequences of advertising that faith in a society that outlaws it. Barabbas is a man in anguish, full of guilt and indecision, but tries hard to repress his emotions and his humanity when he's imprisoned and enslaved in a mine for many years. When he's partnered later with another slave, this time a devout Christian, Barabbas resents and then envies this other man's joy in the face of hardship. Is life nothing but hard work and then death, with nothing to look forward to? Nothing to sustain you? Just a bleak end? It's the sort of questions Barabbas faces, even when trying to remain detached. He's a simple man throughout the movie, almost stupid and barbaric, but you can see that deep down he's trying to be a good man. Trying! So, compared to other Biblical movies, this one really touches upon what it means to be human, what it means to have faith, rather than dealing with cardboard cutout characters and flashy special effects. Not to say that the movie is lacking spectacle. The sets are wonderful and massive, and the gladiator fights are huge and violent. As you watch the crowds moving and cheering in the background, you can't help but think: Everyone is real back there. No CGI, no computer manufactured people. It's amazing how they were able to make such large sets and fill them with so many people.As for the DVD itself, it's beautifully transfered and in its original widescreen aspect ratio. Very sharp and clear, one of the best looking DVDs I own. No special features, which is only a slight disappointment. After all, this has been a favorite movie of mine for years, so I was cautiously celebrating when I haerd the DVD was going to be released. "Cautiously" only because I worried they might cut corners and release a cheap looking DVD. But I was pleasantly surprised that it looks better than I expected. Bottom line: If you want depth with your spectacle, this is the best choice. And the DVD quality is superb! 'Nuff said.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
God Provides Special Effect On Cue,
By jessie h. riggs, jr. (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barabbas (VHS Tape)
Anthony Quinn gives a good, tortured portrayal in this speculative movie of what happened to Barabbas after the death of Jesus. Although a bit slow in places, the film manages to keep the viewer interested in what will become of this poor character. One fact about the film that a lot of people do not know is that the sequence featuring Christ's crucifiction was shot during a REAL solar eclipse. This lends an eerie and divine backdrop to the crucifiction and sets the mood for Barabbas' journey to his ultimate destiny.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Widescreen Barabbas finally,
By
This review is from: Barabbas (DVD)
After years of waiting, finally there is a widescreen version of this great movie (which is the ony way to see these widescreen epics and the only way to do them justice). So much for the good news. Unfortunately, Barabbas hasn't been granted the same deluxe treatment of other equally deserving epics of the 50's and 60's. I mean going to huge epic movies back then was quite an experience not unlike going to the Opera and you got treated to an introductory musical Overture, an Intermission with Entre'act music and sometimes even Exit music. In line with this treatment for other epics (now restored on Laser Disc/DVD versions), Barabbas was no exception. It originally included a Bolero-like overture of Mario Nascimbene's main theme, an Intermission at the end of the Mines sequence (you can see the abrupt cut into the next scene at the fields where the intermission has been deleted from the all versions of the movie currently available), and an Intermezzo (on the theme for the arrival to Rome)previous to the continuation of the second part of the movie. Until Mario Nascimbene's innovative score is restored, we should still wait for a definitive restored version of Barabbas. The Circus scenes are probably the best ever filmed, and are up there with similar sequences of Ben-Hur and Gladiator. (Spartacus is a great movie but does not include Circus action). I hope some day we get the Deluxe verson of this great epic.
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