Barabbas (1961)

Synopsis: Barabbas is a man literally marked with the blood of Jesus. Before being crucified, Jesus is brutally flogged while tied to a post outside Barabbas's cell. When released Barabbas staggers into this... Barabbas is a man literally marked with the blood of Jesus. Before being crucified, Jesus is brutally flogged while tied to a post outside Barabbas's cell. When released Barabbas staggers into this post, covering his hands in Christ's blood. His life is never the same again. BARABBAS is a powerful, vigorous movie, unlike most of the slow and reverential, Biblical epics that were being made in the late fifties and early sixties. Also unlike most of those movies, BARABBAS was not directly based on the Bible; this may have been less constraining to Fleischer and his collaborators. The movie is based on Noble Prize winner Pär Lagerkvist's novel, and has dialogue by poet and dramatist Christopher Fry. Visually the movie is very robust. Fleischer and director of photography, Aldo Tonti, use large masses of color against neutral backgrounds—often suppressing brighter colors. Then, when they do allow bright light into the frame, it is dramatically striking. Also, as in most Fleischer movies the camera movements are bold and confident. Given Fleischer's visual style, it is perhaps not surprising that the brutal gladiatorial scenes in BARABBAS were not equaled for 38 years—until the Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe GLADIATOR (2000) was unleashed. This epic biblical drama tells the story of Barabbas, the criminal whose life was spared over Jesus Christ's. Arrested for murder and theft, Barabbas was to be crucified but, at the last minute, Roman leader Pontius Pilate allowed a mob to decide who should die: Christ or Barabbas. The crowd doomed Jesus, and Barabbas was released. But the former convict became racked with guilt and struggled to understand why so many people -- including Rachel, the woman he loved -- believed Jesus to be the son of God. His search for meaning continued through his experiences as a slave and a gladiator, up to the end of his life... [More]

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews, Vittorio Gassman, Arthur Kennedy, Valentina Cortese, Michael Gwynn

Director: Richard Fleischer

Director: Richard Fleischer
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Composer: Mario Nascimbene

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