The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

12/28/06

So on Monday I decided to take a break from the tried and true secular Christmas movies I love, to view something a little more directly related to the origan of the holiday (because lets face it, White Christmas is about Vera-Ellan's legs, not Jesus). The Greatest Story Ever Told is director George Stevens over-ernest 1965 epic on the life of Christ. The first half of the film is a mis-mash, which I was able to get through largely by playing 'Spot the has been actors' out of the films all star cast (i.e. "Look its Van Heflin"). I decided I needed to break-up the film, so I didn't watch the second half until today, and its much stronger then the first, but of course the 'Easter saga' is the strongest part dramaticaly of the story of Jesus. Max Von Sydow (the bad guy in Minority Report) is a very scerene Jesus, who pretty much sets the tone for this plodding epic. Straight Biblical adaptations tend to be sluggish and boaring, which is sad, but helps explain how Gibsons 'blood bath' version of Christs Passion, proved to be among the most sucessful as a work of art (which after going back and forth on my opinon of that movie, I've decided The Passion most certanly is).