Stars: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Palance, Arthur Kennedy, Valentina Cortese, Harry Andrews, Katy Jurado, Michael Gwynn

Director: Richard Fleischer

Summary: Dramatic biblical epic telling the story of Barabbas, the thief and murderer who was freed in place of Jesus and spent the rest of his life haunted by his ghost.

When thief and murderer Barabbas (Anthony Quinn) is freed by the people of Judea rather than Jesus of Nazareth, the criminal struggles to understand why he was chosen to live. Rachel (Silvanno Mangano), the woman he loves, becomes a follower of Jesus, whom she believes has risen from the tomb. Barabbas, however, is unconvinced. Caught preaching, Rachel is stoned to death. Barabbas is sentenced to life working in the sulphur mines. Years later, when Barabbas is chained to Sarak (Vittorio Gassman), a Christian, the mines collapse. Barabbas and Sahak escape, and are taken to Rome and trained to fight. In the Coliseum, Barabbas eventually faces the villainous Torvald (Jack Palance). Academy Award-winning director Richard Fleischer's fictional look at one of the New Testament's most stirring passages showcases strong performances all around.

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Starring Anthony Quinn in the title role Barabbaswas released in 1961 in the midst of a wave of widescreen epics based on Biblical characters. "It begins where the other big ones leave off", declaims the trailer. The screenplay, by playwright Christopher Fry (who also contributed to Ben-Hur), is an unusually intelligent one: listen out for Barabbas' final encounter with the Apostle Thomas, for example. Further assets are the imaginative, sparingly orchestrated score by Mario Nascimbene and a handsome production design by art director Mario Chiari that is so rewarding to the eye in Aldo Tonti's often dazzling cinematography.

Like the other Biblical epics of the day, in its original theatrical incarnation Barabbashad an intermission and orchestral intermezzo which is sadly missing from this version. (It occurred at the point where Barabbas emerges from a 20 years exile in the sulphur mines in Sicily, allowing the audience to dwell on his recuperation before we next encounter him. He now appears muscled and bronzed ploughing the verdant fields outside Rome in all too quick a fashion!). Many scenes, such as Christ's crucifixion, are shot and staged like tableaux in a style reminiscent of the great masters of art. And in Fleischer's hands this film surpasses anything Ridley Scott achieved years later in Gladiator: he fills the huge arena--a vast Roman amphitheatre--with a gladiatorial school of hand-to-hand combat, a parade of elephants and a den of lions, and then caps his production with a riveting and thrillingly mounted duel between Jack Palance, careering round the circumference of the arena in his chariot, and Barabbas dodging him on foot. The supporting cast, who sport a variety of accents call for some tolerance, however.

On the DVD:Barabbason disc comes devoid of any extra features other than trailers for it and another contemporaneous blockbuster, The Guns of Navarone. --Adrian Edwards

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
Year:	1961
Release Date:	March 25, 2002
Runtime:	127 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 10133
Keywords:	Barabbas, General, Wide, Screen, Drama, Biblical
Genre:	Drama