[.ca] Greatest Story Ever Told (Widescreen)

Additional Features:
For any fan of George Stevens's expansive epic on the life of Christ, this restored version returns the film to its cinematic splendor. The print quality is magnificent. In one important way, the film even plays better decades after it was produced in 1965: the bevy of cameos is not as distracting. This mellowing-over-time approach was apparently part of Stevens's plan as revealed in one of two documentaries. A 20-minute segment made in 1965 is thinly veiled public relations but works as an intriguing time capsule capturing how massive moviemaking once was, with its large tent cities built to house cast and crew--in this case, in the remote areas of the Southwest. The new documentary is longer but is pieced together from the older featurette and interviews made for the 1984 documentary George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey. This film--labeled the "Roadshow Edition"--plays 199 minutes, just a smidgen longer than the standard cut. It's still an hour shorter than Stevens's rarely seen original cut. --Doug Thomas

From Amazon.com:
The life of Christ got an excessively long treatment (260 minutes, later trimmed to 195) in this 1965 film directed by George Stevens (The Diary of Anne Frank). Max von Sydow does beautiful work as Jesus--his spontaneous mourning at discovering his friend Lazarus has died is not like anything in other New Testament epics--and Stevens renders the familiar tale with a handsome authenticity. But the project is nearly undone by an unwise gimmick in which seemingly half of Hollywood's living stars at the time make brief (often very brief) cameo appearances, some of which are ridiculous. But there is a lot to like in the film, and Von Sydow's sensitive nobility sticks in the memory. --Tom Keogh

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.

huh?:
Okay-- this is the movie on 1 disc ... no extras ... that's it. Why did they bother? You can still buy the 2-disc edition and get all the extras. Very confusing marketing move. I'd also like to see the complete 260 minute version.

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.

the films not great but this is a beautifully acted christ:
this film has an absolutely beautiful, poignant performance from max von sydow as christ.more than robert powell, defoe or clavell von sydow gives us a poetic, highly nuanced performance as a human, sensatively emapthetic christ. von sydow does more with facial expressions, his eyes and gestures than defoe did with his writhing or clavell did with his masochism. powell came close but the quintessental acting role of christ belongs to von sydow. the film itself has an abundance of flaws, most notably all the star cameos, but watch it for sydow

The Longest Story Ever Told:
Having seen this movie twice now on TCM (in widescreen, no less), I still found my attention wandering away from the characters and towards the magnificent scenery. George Stevens last film was considered the biggest box office flop in Hollywood history until "Heaven's Gate" came out in 1980. And no wonder, while Max Von Sydow is fine as Jesus of Nazareth, the supporting cast and cameo appearences run the gamut from inspired (Ed Wynn as an blind old man) to the insane (John Wayne as a thoughtful Roman centurian). At times, this film seems more like a stylized retelling, rather than a faithful account. Take for example the scene of Jesus riding into Jeruselam on a donkey. Notice how nearly everyone is wearing spotless white garments. I guess the laundromat was just off camera. But the major problem is the elephant-walk pacing of the film. It simply takes way too long to tell it's story, despite how great it is. However, if there is a standout, it's the incredable scenery shot in perfect color hues and tones. What's even more inspired is that the film was shot on location in the American southwest. The mountains in the backgroud actually augment the "more than human" atmosphere that is the life of Jesus. So, while it takes forever to get there, we at least get to take the scenic route.