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The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
9 April 1965 (UK) moreAwards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Birthday Suits: Oscar-Snubbed (From FilmExperience. 10 November 2009, 5:11 PM, PST)
Happy 80th to Max von Sydow
(From Get The Big Picture. 10 April 2009, 3:32 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
It Wasn't more (78 total)Cast
(in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)
Directed by | |||
| George Stevens | |||
| David Lean | (some scenes) (uncredited) | ||
| Jean Negulesco | (some scenes) (uncredited) | ||
Writing credits | ||
| Fulton Oursler | (book) | |
| Henry Denker | (source writings) | |
| James Lee Barrett | (screenplay) and | |
| George Stevens | (screenplay) | |
| Carl Sandburg | uncredited | |
Produced by | |||
| Frank I. Davis | .... | executive producer | |
| George Stevens | .... | producer | |
| George Stevens Jr. | .... | associate producer | |
| Antonio Vellani | .... | associate producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Alfred Newman | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Loyal Griggs | |||
| William C. Mellor | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Harold F. Kress | |||
| Argyle Nelson Jr. | |||
| J. Frank O'Neill | (as Frank O'Neil) | ||
Casting by | |||
| Lynn Stalmaster | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| William J. Creber | (as William Creber) | ||
| Richard Day | |||
| David S. Hall | (as David Hall) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Fred M. MacLean | (as Fred MacLean) | ||
| Ray Moyer | |||
| Norman Rockett | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Marjorie Best | |||
| Vittorio Nino Novarese | |||
Art Department | |||
| Sam Gordon | .... | property master | |
Sound Department | |||
| Charles E. Wallace | .... | sound | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| A. Arnold Gillespie | .... | special visual effects | |
| Robert R. Hoag | .... | special visual effects | |
| J. McMillan Johnson | .... | special visual effects | |
| Clarence Slifer | .... | special visual effects | |
| Jan Domela | .... | matte painter (uncredited) | |
| Cliff Shirpser | .... | effects camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Albert Simpson | .... | matte painter (uncredited) | |
| Matthew Yuricich | .... | matte painter (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Henry Wills | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Carol Daniels | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| John Epper | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Johnny Hagner | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Loren Janes | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Neil Summers | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Norm Taylor | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
| Bob Terhune | .... | stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited) | |
| Henry Wills | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| R.B. Garig | .... | grip | |
| Homer Plannette | .... | gaffer (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| John Intlekofer | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Hal Ashby | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Eliot Elisofon | .... | color coordinator (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Ken Darby | .... | choral supervisor | |
| Jack Hayes | .... | orchestrator | |
| Alfred Newman | .... | conductor | |
| Leo Shuken | .... | orchestrator | |
| Hugo Friedhofer | .... | composer: additional music (uncredited) | |
| Fred Steiner | .... | composer: additional music (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Gene Clinesmith | .... | driver | |
Other crew | |||
| John Dutton | .... | script supervisor (as John C. Dutton) | |
| Carl Sandburg | .... | creative associate | |
| Tony Van Renterghem | .... | director of research | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- United Artists (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1975) (USA) (TV)
- Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
- United Artists (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1965) (France) (theatrical)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Fox-MGM (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
- Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
199 min (edited version) | USA:141 min (re-issue version) | USA:225 min (premiere version)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.76 : 1 moreCertification:
South Korea:All | West Germany:6 (f) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Filming began using 3-strip Cinerama process. After three days of filming with the 3-strip camera, the production switched to 70mm Ultra Panavision 70. moreGoofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the film Judas Iscariot kills himself by jumping into a fire, but the Gospel accounts of this story say he hung himself. Also, after the Gospels, at the beginning of the Book of Acts, it is reported that Judas also died when he fell and his body split open, perhaps in the act of hanging himself. No where is his death associated with a fire. However, the director certainly was aware of these reports. As in other scenes in the movie, he may have decided to use a theatrical device to suggest something to the audience. Because Hell is popularly linked with fire, the implication may be that Judas sent himself to Hell, as if he literally jumped into it. moreQuotes:
Narrator: [first lines]Narrator: In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I am He. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, was made nothing that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not. The greatest story ever told...
more
Soundtrack:
Hallelujah Chorus moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (78 total)
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While there were a few worthwhile performances in this film, it simply does not come close to living up to the title. The musical score was draggy or unoriginal, and the loading down of the film with every Hollywood star they could cram into the film just detracted greatly from the film. Von Sydow's Jesus was wooden and one dimensional. In the earlier released "King of Kings" Jeff Hunter gave you a Christ that was filled with the emotions and compassion of the son of God, while in this version it just wasn't there. Charlton Heston's John the Baptist was one of the few good things about the film, while, as much as I respect John Wayne as a star, his one line cameo was laughable and so unbelievable as to make one cringe. Claude Rains did shine out as Herod the great, while Telly Savalis might as well have been reading lines from Kojack.
It is not the worst film of all time. But the attempt to recapture the grandeur of the Bible Epic days was way lost here.