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    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - G 4 Mins Read

    Greatest Story Ever Told, The (1965)

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    This four-and-a-half-hour (!) film (critics dubbed it The Longest Story Ever Told) begins in the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4BC.

    Told by three magi that a new king has been born in Bethlehem, Herod (José Ferrer) orders a massacre of local children, sending black-clad horsemen to charge with drawn spears on a playground full of wide-eyed infants.

    Jesus (Max von Sydow) survives the purge, and we rejoin him at the age of about 30 when he is tempted by a mean old hermit (Donald Pleasence): “How’d you like to be the ruler of all this, hmm?” the hermit asks (indicating the Arizona landscape which is doubling as Palestine for the film).

    Those familiar with the gospels will gather that the hermit is supposed to be Satan trying to turn Jesus away from God.

    Those not familiar may be quite confused as to why Jesus is hanging around in the desert with a random troglodyte.

    Jesus heals a few of the sick, but the supernatural side of the miracles is played down. They’re depicted as if they could be mainly the result of his charisma. Lazarus is raised from the dead in a long shot, so you can’t really see what’s going on. The feeding of the 5,000 and turning water into wine are mentioned, but not shown.

    When The Greatest Story Ever Told was released, there was criticism of its parade of cameos by famous actors. Some appearances still raise a giggle, including Charlton Heston as a shouty and bouffanted John the Baptist, and Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate (he was cast as Kojak years after making this film, but it’s still difficult to watch this without expecting him to drawl to Barabbas: “Who loves ya, baby?”).

    The most infamous cameo is that of John Wayne as the centurion at the crucifixion. Drenched in unconvincing fake rain and grimly clutching a wooden sword, Wayne deadpans: “Truly, this man was the Saaahn of Gaaaahd.”

    Whether or not you believe that the life of Jesus is the greatest story ever told, it has captivated millions of people for over 2,000 years and exerted a massive influence on world history. Somehow, though, the filmmakers managed to turn this profound source material into a movie less well-told than Dude, Where’s My Car? and longer than all four gospels put together.

    The movie was shot in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Pyramid Lake in Nevada represented the Sea of Galilee, Lake Moab in Utah was used to film the sermon on the mount, and California’s Death Valley was the setting of Jesus’ 40-day journey into the wilderness. 47 sets were constructed, both on-location and in Hollywood studios.

    Jesus
    Max von Sydow
    James the Younger
    Michael Anderson Jr.
    Veronica
    Carroll Baker
    Martha of Bethany
    Ina Balin
    Angel at the Tomb
    Pat Boone
    Sorak
    Victor Buono
    Barabbas
    Richard Conte
    Mary Magdalene
    Joanna Dunham
    Herod Antipas
    José Ferrer
    Bar Amand
    Van Heflin
    John the Baptist
    Charlton Heston
    Caiaphas
    Martin Landau
    Claudia
    Angela Lansbury
    Mary of Bethany
    Janet Margolin
    Judas Iscariot
    David McCallum
    Matthew
    Roddy McDowall
    The Virgin Mary
    Dorothy McGuire
    Uriah
    Sal Mineo
    Shemiah
    Nehemiah Persoff
    The Dark Hermit (Satan)
    Donald Pleasence
    Simon of Cyrene
    Sidney Poitier
    King Herod
    Claude Rains
    Peter
    Gary Raymond
    Pontius Pilate
    Telly Savalas
    Nicodemus
    Joseph Schildkraut
    Questor
    Paul Stewart
    Centurion at Crucifixion
    John Wayne
    Woman Who Is Healed
    Shelley Winters
    Old Aram
    Ed Wynn
    Aben
    John Abbott
    Herod’s Commander
    Michael Ansara
    Simon the Zealot
    Robert Blake
    Andrew
    Burt Brinckerhoff
    John
    John Considine
    Chuza
    Philip Coolidge
    Alexander
    John Crawford
    Melchior
    Cyril Delevanti
    Thaddaeus
    Jamie Farr
    Philip
    David Hedison
    Balthazar
    Mark Lenard
    Joseph
    Robert Loggia
    Nathanael
    Peter Mann
    Thomas
    Tom Reese
    Herodias
    Marian Seldes
    James the Elder
    David Sheiner
    Gaspar
    Frank Silvera
    Dumah
    Joseph Sirola
    Joseph of Arimathaea
    Abraham Sofaer
    Gen. Varus
    Harold J. Stone
    Theophilus
    Chet Stratton
    Lazarus
    Michael Tolan
    Annas
    Ron Whelan

    Director
    George Stevens

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