BARABBAS (1961) - Movie Review

Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Palance, Harry Andrews
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Writer: Christopher Fry
Runtime: 137 min
Rated: N/A
Buy This Movie: DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when the Jews chose Christ in his place. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiator arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons.

Review:

Based on the 1950 Nobel Prize winning novel of the same name by Pär Lagerkvist, "Barabbas" brings forth the story of the titular thief whose life was spared by the people of Jerusalem while Jesus was crucified. While unique in its premise, the film suffers from less than favorable comparisons to "Quo Vadis" and "Ben-Hur". However, it is perfectly watchable and much more complex than meets the eye.

The opening scenes in Jerusalem are the most intriguing, as we see Barabbas, played by Anthony Quinn, experience the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and the resurrection, moments that act as a catalyst to stir his heart and conscience. Fun fact: A real solar eclipse that took place on February 15, 1961, was used as a backdrop for Jesus' last moments on the cross during the crucifixion scene, and it looks amazing, giving it a distinctive surreal quality. Extra points for pure badass filmmaking.

Quinn is fantastic as the troubled character, whose inner turmoil weighs heavily on him. He has trouble reconciling his dark nature and cynicism with the teachings of Christ, and even when he arrives at a point where he sincerely wants to feel and believe like Christians do, he completely misinterprets everything and only begets more violence and darkness. For Barabbas the light is always a bridge too far. There is no miraculous transformation for him, and he never really changes, as evident from the very last line he utters at the end of the movie.

Director Richard Fleischer and writer Christopher Fry mostly do a good job with this character's journey, but one of the major changes from the book, which involves gladiators, grinds the movie to a halt so that the filmmakers can show off Cinecittà's recreation of the Colosseum and rip off "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus". Although I will admit it was kind of fun seeing Jack Palance hamming it up as a sadistic gladiator.

"Barabbas" is far from a perfect film, but it offers an interesting premise, a profound character portrait, lush production values and a great leading turn by Anthony Quinn. It definitely deserves a place among the better, if not necessarily the best, historical/religious epics in cinema history.

SCORE: 7.5/10