The Greatest Story Ever Told

Rating:
Summary: A Great Portrait Of Our Lord For Believers and Non-Believers
Review: The Greatest Story Ever Told has made a great portrayal of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. It starts with His birth and ends with His ascension. It is guarenteed to touch the hearts on non-believers and increase the faith of believers. It makes you feel like your there with Jesus,listening to His words through this movie. It has inspired me to be more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit has moved through this movie. God Bless the actors and makers. I advise it for anyone who is confused and wants to find the truth,for this film will touch your heart and lead you to church and the Bible and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And I also advise it to all believers who just want to watch a great film centered around our Lord Jesus. Jesus Loves You!

Rating:
Summary: 2.75:1 BIBLICAL EPIC!
Review: THRE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD may not be the best film ever made on the life of Jesus, but it's darn near close! Fine acting with breathtaking visual effects makes this film one that never ceases to entertain or inform! Max Von Sydow is a good actor, and his performance in this film as the Messiah is exceptional (his best ever.). And he is helped by an awe-inspiring cast (including Charlton Heston, Telly Savalas, Rody McDowell and John "Duke" Wayne), and the brilliant use of portions of Handel's masterpiece "MESSIAH," as well as a brilliant score by Alfred Newman. This film is amazing, and now it is preserved in it's breathtaking Cinescope Widescreen Format (2.75:1 Aspect Ratio), and has enough special features that'll keep you involved until Jesus returns, and He WILL RETURN! God be praised! Grade: A+

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Summary: I got restless legs during watching
Review: Now I know why this movie was nicknamed 'The Slowest Story Ever Told'. The only thing I particularly liked was Alfred Newman's great music score. He cleverly uses bits form Handel's Messiah and Verdi's Requiem and composes a Bach-like music that caries much of the picture through it's dullest moments.

I think all the scenes could have done in half the time and I think that would've given a likeable movie. But not this way.
I got bored and my legs sored at the end.

Rating:
Summary: A Respectable and Dignified Representation of Christ.
Review: During the film, I was slightly disappointed. I felt there was something lacking in the script, and I kept criticizing Max Von Sydow's actions as Christ. Afterwards, however, my mind changed a great deal. As a Christian, I would not be surprised if other Christians have wondered about what Jesus of Nazareth was really like. I have talked with my priest on this issue -- Jesus viewed from a human standpoint, or from a divine standpoint? Did Jesus know with all his heart that he was the One, and was he dignified in all that he did? How sure was he of himself, and what did he do when he approached controversial situations? I felt that The Greatest Story Ever Told portrayed Christ as a man who KNEW he was from up above, and that that was the way he carried himself (quite a contrast from Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ). And when I came to realize this, I became even more impressed with the carefulness of Sydow's acting ability, and the director's ability to capture the sensitivity of Christ who knew he was the Son of God as well as the Son of Man. Sydow plays a very composed Christ, one who thinks quietly, moves in a most calm manner, is most sure of his path in his life, fearless, all-knowing, and most dignified. He was incredibly contemplative and was careful with his powers -- As God, he had the capabilities of performing miracles non-stop, but knowing that faith alone saves the sinner, he was careful with his treatments. The simple appreciation and care for this issue earns this movie 5 stars. I gave it four, however, because while it is one of my most beloved portrayals of Christ and the story of his life, there are some parts during the film where the screenplay seems to be lacking. For example, the revival of Lazarus -- we don't even get to see Lazarus' body, and the people just come down the hill to report that he is alive. I felt that if they had done a scene where Lazarus came out and was atleast visible, it would have felt more like a miracle. With deciding not to show his living body, doubt comes upon the viewer since the news that is reported is from those who claimed to see it. It is kind of funny that I speak of doubt in regards to this film.

I'm not an expert on Scripture, however, from reading these other reviews I've picked up that this is one of the most accurate portrayals of Christ's story. On the issue of whether or not Jesus was a confident Son of God or an indecisive and fearful one (the one portrayed by Dafoe in The Last Temptation of Christ), I would suggest that Sydow's portrayal is probably more accurate. This is not because it is the more comfortable and comforting choice, but because throughout the history of Christianity, God's appearances through angels, apparitions, voices, signs, and miracles have all been pretty clear and unquestionable. If you hear God, you will know it...none of that liberal--I'm-trying-to-find-my-calling-from-God-and-I-think-it-is-one-of-the-several-above-choices mumbo jumbo. In the Catholic tradition, God doesn't mess with our heads. If He chooses to reveal Himself to us, we will KNOW, and there will be no question about what He wants from us. The same controversy arises in the Joan of Arc films -- the television series starring Leelee Sobieski, and the Hollywood version, "The Messenger" starring that girl from the 5th Element. In the tv film, Sobieski portrays a most dignified and confident Joan. In the Hollywood series, Joan is portrayed as a nutty schizophrenic who is neither coherent or sure of her position and what God wants from her (or if God is even speaking to her at all). Unfortunately, records can only carry so much content and the rest is left to speculation. It will have to be judged by the Church's history of consistency with recorded divine interventions from God.

After viewing this movie, I grew such a confidence, and also strength, in the living Christ. It was truly a very Holy and peaceful portrayal. I recommend this film to anyone curious of what the living Christ might have been like, and those who want to come to know Christ's story, whether Christian or not.

Rating:
Summary: The slowest movie ever made.
Review: A beautiful and reverent film, nearly undone by its glacial pace. It's a long, long 3 hours from Jesus' baptism to his resurrection in this star-studded behemoth, with guest appearances ranging from the sublime (Charlton Heston) to the ridiculous (John Wayne as a Roman centurion). Max von Sydow is an excellent Jesus, portraying him with grace and sincerity. Scenery and sets are excellent, with beautiful widescreen cinematography throughout. George Stevens clearly made this film from his heart, and it deserves viewing for its reverent and straightforward approach.

Rating:
Summary: The Second Best Movie About Jesus!!
Review: The Greatest Story Ever Told is a wonderful movie and my second favorite Jesus movie, my #1 favorite is Jesus Of Nazareth. The Greatest Story Ever Told is very good and I liked most of the actors except John Wayne, he was badly miscast, don't get me wrong, he is a good actor but his accent just sounded funny and out of place in this movie and his performance lacked emotion, kind of sounded like he was reading from a cue card but besides that minor drawback it is a very good movie about Jesus and is worth having in a Jesus video collection!

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Summary: WIDESCREEN JESUS
Review: It's unlikely that He traveled much more than a hundred miles from where he as born, He never wrote a book and historical records make note of only 30 or so days of His life. Yet He impacted history more than any other life. Hollywood has made a number of films on the life of this man named Jesus. He's often portrayed as a pretty, blue-eyed Caucasian a la Jeffrey Hunter in the under-rated "King of Kings" (crudely referred to as "I was a Teen Age Jesus" during production). New on DVD is George Stevens' massive, stately, "GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD". Although the box says this is the restored roadshow version at three hours and 19 minutes, it's my understanding the original release was nearly an hour longer. Stevens corralled just about every star in Hollywood for a cameo and it was distracting on initial release, but not so viewing it today as many of these once famous faces are less so. The film has wonderfully composed shots, in majestic or minimalist sets with exquisite lighting and deep shadows. Max von Sydow is about as good as one can expect in an impossible role. However, a stop-motion puppet Jesus from Russia with the voice of Ralph Fiennes is probably the most artistic and powerful of all movie Christs in "THE MIRACLE MAKE". This remarkable look at the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Jairus' daughter, a girl Jesus raised from the dead, is haunting and beautiful. Filmed as a coproduction with Mel Gibson's Icon Entertainment in association with a 2-D animation house in Wales and a 3-D puppet and miniature crew from Moscow. The end result is a marvelous piece of filmmaking that gets better on repeated viewings. The meaning of this solitary Life is not diluted in any way. Other characters are voiced by Julie Christie, Richard Grant, William Hurt and Miranda Richardson. The wonderfully evocative flute-heavy score is by Anne Dudley. The "making of" featurette is worth the price of the disc.

Rating:
Summary: Under rated "Jesus Film"-
Review: "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best, Jesus films to come out of Hollywood. It may not be 100% accurate, but it certainly follows the Gospel story more closely than other films, such as "King of Kings".Max Von Sydow is very good as a quietly dignified Jesus of Nazareth, and Charlton Heston gives a great performance as John The Baptist. Indeed, Heston almost steals the show in the first half of the film. Telly Savalas is also very good,as a calculating and sinister Pontius Pilate.This film is often singled out for criticism by viewers and critics alike, due to all the cameos in the picture. And it does seem that every actor in Hollywood of this period appears in one role or another. But don`t let this ruin your enjoyment of the movie.The cameo thing was a common Hollywood ploy in epic, high budget films of the `60s. "How the West Was Won,"The Longest Day,"and certain other films of the time used the same gimmic, to draw in theater goers.Taken as a whole,'The Greastest Story Ever Told" is a very moving film on the life of Christ, with above average acting and a beautiful music score.Definately worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: A product of its time
Review: I really hated giving this movie 2 stars. It had a lot of unrealized potential. From a scriptural perspective, I'd give it a C+. It got some things right, but a lot wrong or off. It did a good job with Lazarus (something most other movies skip), but a bad job with the disciples and the unscriptural representation of Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross.

From a production perspective, it wasn't too bad but the timing of the movie is dated. Today we like faster paced action and the movie seems to plod along to modern tastes. In 1965 it may have been only a little slow.

I've watched many of the Jesus related films that are out there. And my recommendation is to go with the one by Campus Crusades in 1977 (the Jesus film) or the Lawrence Olivier one (Jesus of Nazareth).

Rating:
Summary: really good.
Review: I think this movie is really good to a sense it was made like in the 60's, so i got to give them credit for making a great movie back then.In every jesus movie (except a few) jesus is always shown as carrying the full cross, and they force simon of cyrene to carry the cross for jesus.In this movie simon see jesus staggering under the wight of the cross and volunteers to help jesus he holds the cross and carrys the cross ALONGSIDE jesus till the romans force him away,little bit of a twist. but didnt judas supposedly hang himself from a tree, in this movie he supposedly throws himself into the firery flames in the temple? But above all this movie is excellent despite some flaws. should be seen by everyone