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Barabbas | Year: 1962 Directed: - Richard Fleischer Actors/Actresses: - Anthony Quinn - Silvana Mangano Fine character study.... This is a fine character study and classic portrayal by Anthony Quinn from the Pulitzer Prize winning novellete. What sets this one apart from the other Biblical films of the 50's and early 60's is its lack of "epic" proportions; that is, there are not the usual 50 familiar faces playing a variety of supporting roles. You've got Quinn as the principle, Arthur Kennedy as Pilate (brief), Ernie Borginine (brief), Jack Palance in another evil turn, and filled out by mostly fine Italian character actors. As a Christian, I'm always amazed at how this film reaches me on a spiritual level with each viewing; The soundtrack is innovative and quite extraordinary. A definite thumbs up. God Provides Special Effect On Cue Anthony Quinn gives a good, tortured portrayal in this speculative movie of what happened to Barabbas after the death of Jesus. Although a bit slow in places, the film manages to keep the viewer interested in what will become of this poor character. One fact about the film that a lot of people do not know is that the sequence featuring Christ's crucifiction was shot during a REAL solar eclipse. This lends an eerie and divine backdrop to the crucifiction and sets the mood for Barabbas' journey to his ultimate destiny. THE GIFT OF LIFE The late Anthony Quinn delivers a powerful, understated performance as the title character in "BARABBAS." Released on DVD with no fanfare, perhaps because of the overtly Christian theme, this crisp widescreen transfer does justice to an overlooked epic that came on the heels of "Ben Hur," a much bigger budgeted production that also dealt with a provocative spiritual story (a hate-filled Jew on the road to revenge stumbles across the Christ). Based on Nobel Prize winner Par Lagervist's acclaimed novel, the story is a fictional look at the real historical figure who was released when the angry, blood thirsty Jerusalem mob responds to Pilate's offer to free either Barabbas or Jesus. The metaphor of Jesus dying for all is made real in the life of the one literal man He replaced on the cross. A daring idea that becomes fully realized in Christopher ("Ben Hur") Fry's thoughtful screenplay as directed by Richard Fleischer. In many ways, this material was rehashed in "Gladiator" but without the Christian motif (the hints of Christians dying in the arena by Rome's edict were filmed but left on the cutting room floor). Quinn's Barabbas is a troubled brute who is haunted by his undeserved gift of life and freedom and especially the resulting notoriety. His journey of faith and the discovery of his own worth is arguably as profound and poetic as his great Zorba interpretation. The arena scenes with a gleefully sadistic Jack Palance are as good as anything in "Gladiator." No extras but the movie, digitally remasterd in Hi Definition, stands on its own. Buy Barabbas at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Barabbas Search with the Priority Search Engine on Barabbas This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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