Evies Blog

This film is often compared with the 1961 “King of Kings”, and “Jesus of Nazareth”, but this one is by far my accepted of the three, because of the comely beauty of it, and Max von Sydow’s great portrayal of Jesus; his performance has a strength and boldness that is lacking in the other two, and therefore for me great 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 kindly one. He does a genuine job, and I especially like the scene after Lazarus has died…it is intellectual, and very engrossing.

George Stevens’ vision of the chronicle has a stark majesty, and is taken at a slow 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 Dependable Griggs, who took over from William Mellor when Mellor passed away during filming, is dazzling. There are scenes that have the composition and balance a delicate painting, with unbelievable detail, often framed by doorways or windows, and it’s a film I never tire of fair looking at. Graphic artists should design a point to scrutinize this film, as there is remarkable that can be learned from it. Alfred Newman also wrote a radiant win (with a minute benefit from G. F. Handel) which adds to the resplendent appeal of this film.

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

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With its sizable budget (over 20 million in 1965 dollars) it was a well-known 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 Make, and New Come By, losing out in all those categories to “Doctor Zhivago”. There is “artistic license” taken with the legend, but overall, it is a reverential, fairly moral telling.

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Total running time is 196 minutes.

“The Greatest Legend Ever Told” is certainly the most reverential treatment of the life of Jesus. The 1965 movie was based on the book by Fulton Oursler, which integrated the four Gospels into a single anecdote. To indulge in this task impartial spy at the different versions of what Jesus said on the ghastly according to each Gospel. Reconciling the various versions is not an easy task and while viewers may inquire of some of the specific choices, the only really necessary alteration is the death of Judas by throwing himself into the sacrificial pit of the Colossal Temple, a symbolism that is unnecessarily heavy handed.

The choice of Max Von Sydow to play Jesus is an inspiring selection to say the least. His diminutive Swedish accent and closely cropped beard are certainly in keeping with the reverential tone of the film, but I can not back wondering if this was something of a reaction to the more populist Jesus portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter in “King of Kings.” After all, this was 1965 and the Beatles invasion was underway making male hair length a hot express. This is a Jesus who is too solemn and too sedate for the most allotment. There is a nice moment where one of the fresh disciples comments that he likes Jesus’ name. The smile and “Thank you” that follow are one of the few glimpses of the charisma of the man from Galilee.

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The strength of the film is in the sparkling cinematography by William C. Mellor (who died on the state of a heart attack) and Actual Griggs, and scene composition under the direction of George Stevens. The opening narration goes from the opening verses of John shot over conventional Christian murals to a shot of the manager, ending with a shot of the hand of the baby Jesus as the narrator announces in a most simple manner, “The Greatest Chronicle Ever Told.” The juxtaposition of images and moments from the live of Jesus is prevalent throughout the film. When Mary and Joseph return from Egypt they recede the road to Nazareth that is lined with the crucified victims of the Roman occupation. The teach of John the Baptist is first heard over a series of aerial shots covering the many miles traveled by all those who came to hear him perform straight the map of the Lord.

Stevens shows a deft touch in the gigantic scenes lively crowds. The resurrection of Lazarus is down in a long shot, with the focus more on the faces of those who are witnessing the miracle rather than on the dependable emergence from the tomb. To the finale of the Hallelujah Chorus a trio of the faithful ran across the tedious to the gates of Jerusalem to spread the profitable news. There is also a astounding scene of the confrontation between the Roman soldiers and the crowd that had approach to the Temple to hear Jesus preach at night. The film also contains some nice minute touches. When Pilate presents Jesus to the people, the figure of Satan strides through the crowd to pronounce the first question for crucifixion. When Mary Magdalene remembers the promise of the resurrection and Thomas proclaims his disbelief, Peter looks up and sees the smiling face of Lazarus. The musical glean by Alfred Newman, Hugo Friedhofer and Fred Steiner is wonderfully attuned to what is on the veil.

The main scrape is not that there are so many stars in this film-Charlton Heston is an imposing John the Baptist, and Jose Ferrer as Herod Antipas, Sal Mineo as Uriah, and Van Heflin as Bar Amand all acquire admirably-but rather the cameo appearances that invariably detract from the moment. It is one thing to leer David McCallum, Jamie Farr and Russell Johnson in “before they were stars” roles, but it is quite another to suddenly glance Sidney Portier aid carry the obnoxious or John Wayne silhouetted against the darkening sky as a Roman Centurion. While such cameos may have worked in “The Longest Day” or “It’s a Angry Wrathful Furious Angry World” during the heyday of the fad, they most certainly do not work in this film.

I was surprised to learn this movie was filmed around the Lake Powell state of Arizona, having always assumed it had been filmed in the Holy Land. I would be keen to know which scenes were directed without credit by David Lean (who was finishing up “Doctor Zhivago” at the time) and Jean Negulesco (”Johnny Belinda” and the 1953 “Grand”) . I want to resist the impulse to credit my well-liked scenes to Lean rather than Stevens.

The reverential tone of the film ends up hurting the pacing so that it seems overlong at 3 hours and 14 minutes. Ultimately I choose the vitality of Zefferelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” and the monumental performance of Robert Powell as the quintessential Jesus. But there are several fair moments in “The Greatest Narrative Ever Told” and I always demolish up screening one version at Christmas and the other at Easter. The print obviously needs to be RESTORED and the film really should be seen in the widescreen format, although that makes the credits impossible to read.
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