Rating: 
Summary: A Powerful And Visually Stunning Work.
Review: "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is the best film I have ever seen based on the life of Christ. This is a movie that understands it's spiritual elements and know how to use them with stricking effect. It's also visually stunning with some great cinematography. The screenplay is smart and understands Biblical literature. But the best element of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is the performances. Max Van is incredibly good here. This is one of the greatest Biblical epics ever!
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Way Up
Review: I have seem most of the biblical movies ever filmed. The Greatest Story Ever Told on a scale of 1-10 gets a 20 from me... Fantastic casting and directing. Well done!
Rating: 
Summary: "Greatest Story Ever Told" Review
Review: Although I prefer "Jesus of Nazareth" over all the Biblical films depicting the life of Christ, this film comes in at a close second ("King of Kings" is enjoyable although loses most of it's luster when compared to "Greatest"). Max Von Sydow (with those piercing blue eyes) turns in a notewrothy portrayal as Jesus and should have at least gotten an Oscar nod for his performance. Charlton Heston with his booming, commanding voice and rugged, masculine physique is the idyllic John the Baptist and should have been an Oscar contender in the supporting actor catagory, Dorothy McGuire is radiant as the Virgin Mary ( even if she does have a small role--which should not have been so relegated) and Jose Ferrer gives a wry, yet somewhat gruff portrayal of Herod Antipas while Claude Raines is a terrifying Herod the Great. Telly Savales is rather mediocre as Pontius Pilate, Angela Lansbury as his wife Claudia, should have had more than one line and John Wayne should never have been offered a part in the film. Despite the few minor flaws this is an enjoyable film and does not lack the essence of the Gosples.
Rating: 
Summary: a decent, moving movie
Review: It was a great movie, with a great list of actors, Max Von Sydow, Charleston Heston, to name a few. Some of it wasnt very biblical, and they could have put some special effects in and more miricles, but all in all it was a very good movie, rent it first though before you buy. :) God Bless
Rating: 
Summary: Jesus Christ Never Existed.
Review: 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' is a famous film that a number of people know about or have seen. Most people fail to realize all of that doesn't matter because Jesus Christ never existed!! Jesus Christ is a mythological figure the church has exploited for hundreds of years and now the film industry has for almost a hundred years. There is absolutely no archeological or historical evidence that he existed. Even if he did exist, it would be highly unlikely he would have received that kind of punishment.
It is a shame that a con artists like these filmmakers are using this mythological figure to make millions of dollars. People have to start swaying away from the church and its manipulations and start looking at the hard facts. Jesus Christ and the crucifixion never happened.
Rating:
Summary: Jesus Christ Never Existed.
Review: 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' is a famous film some people have seen or at least heard about. Most people fail to realize all of that doesn't matter because Jesus Christ never existed!! Jesus Christ is a mythological figure the church has exploited for hundreds of years and now the film industry has for almost a hundred years. There is absolutely no archeological or historical evidence that Jesus Christ existed. Even if he did exist, it would be highly unlikely he would have received that kind of punishment.
It is a shame that con artists like these filmmakers are using this mythological figure to make millions of dollars. People have to start swaying away from the manipulations of the church and the filmmaking industry and start looking at the hard facts. Jesus Christ and his crucifixion never happened.
Rating:
Summary: a majestic, beautifully filmed epic
Review: This film is often compared with the 1961 "King of Kings", and "Jesus of Nazareth", but this one is by far my favorite of the three, because of the exquisite beauty of it, and Max von Sydow's powerful portrayal of Jesus; his performance has a strength and boldness that is lacking in the other two, and therefore for me much more believable. Sydow was only known to fans of Ingmar Bergman's films at the time, having starred in the Swedish director's "The Seventh Seal" among others, and was a surprise choice to play Jesus, and a good one. He does a marvelous job, and I especially like the scene after Lazarus has died...it is brilliant, and very moving.George Stevens' vision of the story has a stark majesty, and is taken at a leisurely pace; it is also quite verbal, with some of the major events in the gospels not pictured, but spoken of instead.
Filmed in Arizona and Utah, the cinematography by Loyal Griggs, who took over from William Mellor when Mellor passed away during filming, is glorious. There are scenes that have the composition and balance a fine painting, with extraordinary detail, often framed by doorways or windows, and it's a film I never tire of just looking at. Graphic artists should make a point to see this film, as there is much that can be learned from it. Alfred Newman also wrote a lovely score (with a little help from G. F. Handel) which adds to the aesthetic appeal of this film. In the huge star-studded cast, some performances are truly memorable, like Claude Rains as a bitter and devious Herod, and Jose Ferrer excellent as his son Herod Antipas; Charlton Heston's ferocious, wild-man John the Baptist is impassioned and perhaps more like the actual Baptist than some of the tamer portrayals. With its huge budget (over 20 million in 1965 dollars) it was a critical and commercial failure when it was released, but it has had a long life, and is being watched today while some successful films of the mid-'60s quite forgotten, and will continue to be appreciated by everyone who likes Bible epics. It was however, nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color Cinematography, Costume Design, and Original Score, losing out in all those categories to "Doctor Zhivago". There is "artistic license" taken with the story, but overall, it is a reverential, fairly accurate telling.
Total running time is 196 minutes.
Rating:
Summary: "Greatest Story Ever Told" Review
Review: Although I prefer "Jesus of Nazareth" over all the Biblical films depicting the life of Christ, this film comes in at a close second ("King of Kings" is enjoyable although loses most of it's luster when compared to "Greatest"). Max Von Sydow (with those piercing blue eyes) turns in a notewrothy portrayal as Jesus and should have at least gotten an Oscar nod for his performance. Charlton Heston with his booming, commanding voice and rugged, masculine physique is the idyllic John the Baptist and should have been an Oscar contender in the supporting actor catagory, Dorothy McGuire is radiant as the Virgin Mary ( even if she does have a small role--which should not have been so relegated) and Jose Ferrer gives a wry, yet somewhat gruff portrayal of Herod Antipas while Claude Raines is a terrifying Herod the Great. Telly Savales is rather mediocre as Pontius Pilate, Angela Lansbury as his wife Claudia, should have had more than one line and John Wayne should never have been offered a part in the film. Despite the few minor flaws this is an enjoyable film and does not lack the essence of the Gosples.
Rating:
Summary: Second Worst Biblical Movie Ever!
Review: This ranks down there with "Jesus Of Nazareth" as my least favorite Biblical movies.The horrible acting and dialog are totally devoid of feeling.My favorite in this theme,is still "King Of Kings",and though Jeffrey Hunter plays another blue-eyed Jesus,in my opinion this is still the ONLY Biblical movie with a truly likeable Jesus character and that whole film really touches me,where the above two mentioned,make me feel nothing!The acting is so bad that both of those actually make me feel aggravated! Sorry, but "King Of Kings" rules for me!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Miscast Stories Ever Filmed
Review: I'm honestly wondering if many of those folks who gave this 5-star rave reviews saw the same film as I have, several times...
First, you need to separate the subject matter from the film. Just becauise the film is about the life of Jesus doesn't automatically make it an untouchable masterpiece of cinema.
While I definitely give Stevens his props -- there are some truly magnificently-done scenes here, and the film as a whole remains watchable -- the attempt to, it seems, put most of Hollywood in the film willy-nilly almost sunk the whole thing. In addition, certain elements of Christ's life one would consider key are completely glossed over.
Von Sydow (who incidentally, may be the only actor to have played both Jesus and Satan, not to mention an exorcist) tries; he really does. He makes an interesting Christ, certainly far more believable than Jeffrey Hunter's blue-eyed, always immaculately-groomed version in King of Kings. His acting ranges from OK to incredible, and he's on-screen for almost the entire film. He brings a definite sincerity and warmth to the role, even if the scipt gets a bit too heavy-handed at times, but in the final analysis, his peformance alone isn't enough to sustain the whole movie.
The rest of the cast is split between just OK or just plain wrong/bad. Dorothy Macquire as Mary was... well, an unexpected choice, but she actually fared far better than many others. The actress who played Mary Magdeline was completely mediocre;in this film, maybe Claudia Cardinale would've been the best choice.
Claude Rains could've phoned in his part. Sidney Poiter,Roddy M, Martin Landau and even Sal MIneo were surprisingly effective.
But some of the other casting was just strange or ill-conceived.
Watch the film objectively and see if you don't agree with some of this:
Both Heston and Ferrer (and even Pleasance) were WAY over the top, and not in a good way at all. Telly Savalas looked like he was bored, and delivered his lines appropriately. The Barabbas scene was flatter than a surfboard. Victor Buono tried too hard to be slimy. Angela Lansbury is a great actress, but was completely wasted here. Van Heflin was trying too hard. Ed Wynn as Isiah and Shelly Winters as a healed person? Huh? And of course, the crown jewel; John Wayne as the Roman officer supervising the crucifixion. His one line brings the definition of "wooden" to dizzying new heights.
They're only some; there are scores more of miscasts. And yes, while many of them are indeed little more than cameos, they all add up to derail the film from what it could've been. As it stands, you actually find yourself laughing at some of the performances. A sincere effort, but too ambitious overall.
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