Cheap The Greatest Story Ever Told (DVD) (Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Dorothy McGuire) (David Lean, George Stevens, Jean Negulesco) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Greatest Story Ever Told

Visually magnificent but disappointing
Visually magnificent, George Stevens' epic retelling of the life of Christ has much to recommend it, particularly the performance of Max Von Sydow as Jesus, but it seems so much in awe of its subject that, though it succeeds in presenting Jesus as God, it fails in presenting Him as God in human form. Did Jesus really walk this Earth? He certainly did, but I doubt that the Jesus depicted here would have ever been put to death. It is entirely too obvious that He was the Son of God. Who would have doubted Him? "The Greatest Story Ever Told" reminds me of a stained glass window: It is truly beautiful to look at, yet it never succeeds in appearing three dimensional. The film's biggest handicap, however, is the endless parade of "guest stars" (especially such incongruous figures as John Wayne and Pat Boone) whose appearance cheapens the subject matter, putting it on a par with such all-star extravaganzas as "Airport" and "The Poseidon Adventure." The film is still very much worth seeing (probably more so in the widescreen edition), but falls far short of its intentions. Franco Zefferelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" is vastly superior.

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Jesus Christ Never Existed.
'The Greatest Story Ever Told' is a famous film some people have seen or at least heard about. Most people fail to realize all of that doesn't matter because Jesus Christ never existed!! Jesus Christ is a mythological figure the church has exploited for hundreds of years and now the film industry has for almost a hundred years. There is absolutely no archeological or historical evidence that Jesus Christ existed. Even if he did exist, it would be highly unlikely he would have received that kind of punishment.
It is a shame that con artists like these filmmakers are using this mythological figure to make millions of dollars. People have to start swaying away from the manipulations of the church and the filmmaking industry and start looking at the hard facts. Jesus Christ and his crucifixion never happened.

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a majestic, beautifully filmed epic
This film is often compared with the 1961 "King of Kings", and "Jesus of Nazareth", but this one is by far my favorite of the three, because of the exquisite beauty of it, and Max von Sydow's powerful portrayal of Jesus; his performance has a strength and boldness that is lacking in the other two, and therefore for me much more believable. Sydow was only known to fans of Ingmar Bergman's films at the time, having starred in the Swedish director's "The Seventh Seal" among others, and was a surprise choice to play Jesus, and a good one. He does a marvelous job, and I especially like the scene after Lazarus has died...it is brilliant, and very moving.

George Stevens' vision of the story has a stark majesty, and is taken at a leisurely pace; it is also quite verbal, with some of the major events in the gospels not pictured, but spoken of instead.
Filmed in Arizona and Utah, the cinematography by Loyal Griggs, who took over from William Mellor when Mellor passed away during filming, is glorious. There are scenes that have the composition and balance a fine painting, with extraordinary detail, often framed by doorways or windows, and it's a film I never tire of just looking at. Graphic artists should make a point to see this film, as there is much that can be learned from it. Alfred Newman also wrote a lovely score (with a little help from G. F. Handel) which adds to the aesthetic appeal of this film.

In the huge star-studded cast, some performances are truly memorable, like Claude Rains as a bitter and devious Herod, and Jose Ferrer excellent as his son Herod Antipas; Charlton Heston's ferocious, wild-man John the Baptist is impassioned and perhaps more like the actual Baptist than some of the tamer portrayals.

With its huge budget (over 20 million in 1965 dollars) it was a critical and commercial failure when it was released, but it has had a long life, and is being watched today while some successful films of the mid-'60s quite forgotten, and will continue to be appreciated by everyone who likes Bible epics. It was however, nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color Cinematography, Costume Design, and Original Score, losing out in all those categories to "Doctor Zhivago". There is "artistic license" taken with the story, but overall, it is a reverential, fairly accurate telling.
Total running time is 196 minutes.