Barabbas (1961)

Directed by

Richard Fleischer

Genre

drama film, sword-and-sandal film

Country

Italy, United States

Runtime

2h 12m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 181 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A man named Barabbas is pardoned instead of Jesus. He then struggles with his life and faith after that event.

epicdramaticgrandiosesolemnintensebleakhistorical

What happens

Barabbas (Italian: Barabba) is a 1961 religious epic film directed by Richard Fleischer and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, expanding on the life of Barabbas, from the Christian Passion narrative in the Gospel of Mark and other gospels. It stars Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Katy Jurado, Arthur Kennedy, Harry Andrews, Ernest Borgnine, Vittorio Gassman, and Jack Palance. The screenplay is based on Swedish author Pär Lagerkvist's 1950 novel. The film was shot in Verona and Rome. It included many highly acclaimed scenes, including a battle of gladiators in a Cinecittà film studio mock-up of the Colosseum, and a crucifixion shot during an actual total solar eclipse. It was released in Italy on December 23, 1961, and in the United States by Columbia Pictures on October 10, 1962. In Italy, the film was nominated for three Nastro d'Argento Awards (Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design). A previous film version of the novel, in Swedish, had been made in 1953. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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• The Invincible Gladiator (1961)
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