The life of Jesus Christ on the big screen

At the end of the movie “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” as Jesus Christ is dying on the Cross and rain and lightning are crashing down, a Roman Centurion appears on screen and says, “Truly this man was the son of God.”

This voice is instantly recognizable as the one and only John Wayne. The Duke is only in the 2 1/2 hour-long movie for about three seconds but he makes his mark. And that is what was great about the biblical-epic movies from the 1950s and 1960s: They had a cast of thousands, many well-known actors, and cost millions. 

Let’s take a look at five pictures that would make for perfect viewing during Holy Week.

Source: IMDB.com and Wikipedia

THE ROBE (1953)

Richard Burton plays Marcellus Gallio, a Roman military tribune, whose unit is responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Burton wins the robe in a dice game and eventually converts to Christianity. The movie, the first film released in Cinema­Scope, cost $4.1 million and made $36 million at the box office. It also stars Jean Simmons and Victor Mature. It won an Oscar for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design; Burton was nominated for Best Actor but he lost to William Holden (Stalag 17). 

BEN HUR (1959)

This is an epic on every level. Massive, nearly $16 million budget, 10,000 extras, 2,500 horses. It won 11 Oscars and has been consistently ranked in the top 100 films of all-time. Oscar winner Charlton Heston stars as Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince, who after some intrigue is sold into slavery, becomes a champion chariot racer, one of the best scenes in movie history, meets Jesus Christ, who gives him water and later gives Jesus water after he has fallen carrying the cross. Hugh Griffith (Sheik Ilderim) also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Interesting fact: The title role was offered to Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Rock Hudson and Leslie Nielsen.
A must-see for any movie buff.

KING OF KINGS (1961)

Interesting fact: this movie was the first major studio film to show Jesus’ face; prior to this movie, usually just his hands were shown. It had a budget of $5 million, was a more manageable two hours and eight minutes long and did not have the over-the-top star cameos. Notably, Jeffrey Hunter played ­Jesus, Robert Ryan played St. John the Baptist, Siobhan McKenna played Mary, Rip Torn was Judas Iscariot, with Orson Welles narrating and Ray Milland the voice of Satan. It was not well-received by critics, but over the years the movie had grown in critics’ eyes. Definitely worth the watch.

BARABBAS (1961)

The movie is the story of the man the crowd screamed for Pontius Pilate to pardon, instead of Jesus Christ, who was condemned to death. Anthony Quinn is in the starring role; the movie is based on the Nobel prize-winning book of the same name. Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine were also in the picture. Filmed in Italy, it runs just over two hours long. Interesting fact: Depiction of the crucifixion was filmed during an actual total eclipse of the sun. ­Received very positive reviews at the time.

THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965)

The movie told the story of Jesus of Naza­reth from birth to death. It cost $20 million; now that may not sound like a lot, but it equates to $160 million in today’s dollars. 

The cast, just to name a few: Max von Sydow as Jesus; Dorothy McGuire as the Virgin Mary; Heston as John the Baptist; Claude Rains, in his final role, as Herod; Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate; Martin Landau as Caiaphas; Roddy McDowell as Matthew. In smaller roles: John Wayne, Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Angela Lansbury, Robert Blake, Pat Boone and Jamie Farr.

The film, nominated for five Oscars, was not a financial success, with most critics saying the cast of well-known actors in small, pop-up roles was distracting. It made just $15.5 million at the box office and put the brakes on biblical epics.