The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Director: George Stevens
Starring: Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Charlton Heston

Synopsis:
An all-star cast deliver the story of Jesus Christ from the Nativity to the Resurrection.

Impressions:
I remember seeing part of this film as a kid and it left an impression on me that's remained all this time. I was looking forward to seeing it again in its entirety. Perhaps it would've been better if I hadn't. On its face, this movie looks like The Longest Day for the Bible in terms of scope of the production and the star-studded cast. At first, the subject matter compels me to withhold criticism, but then I remind myself that it isn't the subject matter I'm criticizing but rather its treatment by the filmmakers and that's open season.

This film didn't fare so well critically and while the average viewer is often at odds with professional film critics, I'd have to say that they're on the money with this one. The movie is a slog for the most part. If it at least maintained strict fidelity to the source material, I'd grant them that, but it plays rather loose and so doesn't score many points on that front. I realize that you can't do a literal verbatim adaptation of the Bible for the screen, but it seemed like the writers couldn't quite settle on a solemn portrayal versus what we might call a more vernacular approach. By this I mean that while there are quite a few quotations directly from the Bible, there's also a lot of dialog of a casual nature, almost as if they were trying to contemporize the story to make it more accessible to the modern audience. Perhaps if they'd gone a little further, it would've at least been interesting on that note, but being neither hot nor cold, I spit it out.

In an effort to put stars in various roles, there's a lot of miscasting at work, but some good choices as well that almost make the film worth seeing. Max von Sydow is oddly groomed for the role of Jesus. The way his hair is cut and his beard trimmed was a bit distracting for me, but appearance aside, his portrayal was rather bland except for near the end when he was preaching in the Temple. Though brief, Claude Rains was quite good as Herod the Great (his final role) and I liked José Ferrer portrayal of Herod Antipas as an aloof man, much in contrast to the effeminate fop Luca De Dominicis portrayed him as in The Passion of the Christ. Donald Pleasance used his villainous chops to good effect as Satan and Charlton Heston's booming voice worked well in the role of John the Baptist. Van Heflin's small role as Bar Armand was also good. Perhaps the most maligned of all the celebrity cameos is John Wayne as the centurion on Cavalry. His single line could've used another take and that's all I'll say on the matter.

Despite the budget, costuming isn't that great and while some of the sets are striking, I've seen better elsewhere. Bluntly, on all fronts, this story has been told better elsewhere. If you have an interest in any of the case or wish to see this as a piece of cinema history, go right ahead, but if you're looking for one of the better film adaptations of Christ's story, seek and ye shall find... elsewhere.

Rating:
50/50