Barabbas (1961)

Set in Jerusalem, a condemned thief and brigand named Barabbas (Anthony Quinn) is given his freedom by Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy) in a Passover custom. The condemned man to die in his place is Jesus Christ. For the remainder of his life, he seeks to understand this Christian faith. Based on the acclaimed novel by Par Lagerkvist (previously filmed in 1953 in Sweden) and directed by Richard Fleischer (VIOLENT SATURDAY). Lagerkvist's novel is almost existential in Barabbas' quest to understand this faith in an unseen God without which he is unable to accept the concept of life after death. While elements of Lagerkvist's book remain in the movie, it seems clear that the film makers wanted to make a movie epic along the lines of SPARTACUS and BEN HUR. Unfortunately, in execution it seems closer to peplum (those Steve Reeves gladiator movies) than a genuine film epic. Still, one has to admire an attempt to add a complexity to the usually mindless biblical epic. The excellent score is by Mario Nascimbene. With Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine, Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman, Katy Jurado, Valentina Cortese, Harry Andrews and Norman Wooland.