Barabbas (Widescreen)

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

Overlong and at times ponderous, Barabbas has the look and ambition of classic Biblical epics, but it lacks the life and vitality necessary to break into the top ranks of that genre. Barabbas is not a bad film of its kind; it simply doesn't rank up there with The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur. The fault certainly doesn't lay with its star. Anthony Quinn gives a commanding performance, albeit one limited by an inferior script. Still, epics of this sort don't call for carefully nuanced character explorations; they call for someone who can take hold of the film and never let go, and Quinn fills that role admirably. If Quinn occasionally goes a bit over the top, that's almost really to be expected. There's also some fun scenery chewing by Jack Palance, and some game attempts from Arthur Kennedy and Vittorio Gassman to help keep things moving. The cast gets no help from the screenplay, which is short on logic and characterization, and long on dull dialogue and ineffective repetition. Richard Fleischer's direction is too uneven to make up for the script deficiencies; he does very well with some sequences, including the stunning real-life solar eclipse sequence and the gladiator segment, but on others things fall flat. And pacing is an issue, especially in the middle section. Even with its flaws, there's enough spectacle and fanfare to keep fans of the genre interested. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Digitally mastered audio & anamorphic video
Remastered in hi-definition
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 4.0 (Discrete Surround)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Theatrical trailer
Interactive menus
Scene selections

This 1962 Biblical epic was adapted by Christopher Fry from the novel by Pr Lagerkvist. Anthony Quinn stars as Barabbas, the thief who was pardoned in place of Jesus. For the rest of his life, the guilt-ridden criminal tries to justify his existence and to determine his place in the scheme of things. Along the way he encounters the self-righteous pomposity of Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy), the stoning of Sara (Katy Jurado), the gladiatorial sadism of Torvald (Jack Palance), and the burning of Rome. The film's unbilled Christ is played by Roy Magnano, the brother of Quinn's second-billed costar Silvia Mangano. Watch for the genuine solar eclipse during the Crucifixion sequence, an effect that director Richard Fleischer spent several days preparing for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

• Side #1 --
  • Play Movie
  • Subtitles
    • English
    • French/Franais
    • Spanish/Espaol
    • Portuguese/Portugus
    • Subtitles Off
  • Theatrical Trailer

Side #1 --
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [3:21]
2. "Scourge Him." [1:34]
3. Custom of the Season [6:13]
4. Rachel [2:00]
5. "The Light Has Left Us." [9:02]
6. A Promise Kept [4:13]
7. The Disciples [3:54]
8. Lazarus [6:49]
9. Dangerous Talk [3:18]
10. Death by Stoning [3:28]
11. Remembering the Way [1:39]
12. No Death for Barabbas [1:21]
13. The Sulfur Mines [3:54]
14. Sahak [6:19]
15. Sign of the Cross [6:05]
16. End of the Underworld [4:26]
17. Working the Fields [7:04]
18. The Coliseum [7:00]
19. Gladiator School [4:54]
20. Games of Life & Death [3:31]
21. The Charge: Sedition [5:02]
22. Execution at Dawn [5:43]
23. The Emperor's Favorite [4:36]
24. Barabbas vs. Torvald [3:49]
25. The Catacombs [4:54]
26. "Rome Is Burning!" [7:37]
27. Peter [5:07]
28. Into His Keeping [4:00]