BARABBAS (1961)
Action and adventure extraordinaire Richard Fleischer turned to religious spectacle for the sole time with BARABBAS, to give the peripheral biblical character of the title some light. Best known as the man whose life was spared at the expense of Jesus', Barabbas (Anthony Quinn) struggles mightily with the choice Pontius Pilate had given to the masses and remains haunted by it on his path from freed convicted criminal to gladiator to seeker of faith. This elaborate production — the second screen version of Nobel Prize–winner Pär Lagerkvist's novel — boasts a wonderful supporting cast brimming with familiar faces, including Arthur Kennedy, Katy Jurado, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance, Ernest Borgnine and a teenage Sharon Tate, who can be glimpsed as an extra. DIR Richard Fleischer; SCR Christopher Fry, from the novel by Pär Lagerkvist; PROD Dino De Laurentiis. Italy/U.S., 1961, color, 137 min. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 137 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, June 07, 2024
Genre: Epic
