Barabba (1961)

Réalisateur:

Richard Fleischer

Scénaristes:

Christopher Fry (screenplay)
Pär Lagerkvist (novel)

Date de sortie:

10 octobre 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Aventure | Biographie | Drame

Accroche:

"The motion picture that begins where the other big ones leave off"

Intrigue:

Barabbas, the criminal that Pontius Pilate induced the populace to vote to set free, so that Christ could be crucified, is haunted by the ghost of the prophet for the rest of his life.

Plot Keywords:

Crucifixion | Ancient Rome | Religion | Christianity | Gladiator

Avis des utilisateurs:

Just Where Do Some of Those Peripheral Bible Characters Go?

Ensemble

Anthony Quinn	...	Barabbas
Silvana Mangano	...	Rachel
Arthur Kennedy	...	Pontius Pilate
Katy Jurado	...	Sara
Harry Andrews	...	Peter
Vittorio Gassman	...	Sahak
Norman Wooland	...	Rufio
Valentina Cortese	...	Julia
Jack Palance	...	Torvald
Ernest Borgnine	...	Lucius
Arnoldo Foà	...	Joseph of Arimathea (as Arnoldo Foa')
Michael Gwynn	...	Lazarus
Laurence Payne	...	Disciple
Douglas Fowley	...	Vasasio
Guido Celano	...	Scorpio

Autre(s) titre(s):

Barabbas (UK) (USA)

Durée:

137 min (TCM print) (DVD release)

Pays:

Italy

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

2,20 : 1

Son:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (Westrex Electric Recording) (35 mm prints)

Classification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM14 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:12

Lieux de tournage:

Arena di Verona, Verona, Veneto, Italy

Société:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Anecdotes:

The solar eclipse that takes place during the crucifixion scene was the real thing, an event for which director Richard Fleischer delayed shooting in order to capture the ethereal nature of the phenomenon.

Goofs:

Continuité: The gladiator that Tovald kills from the two-horse chariot remains on his back. The next shot, however, shows him on his chest.

Guillemet:

[after being released from jail, Barabbas enters a tavern]
Barabbas: Here's a fine sight. Six weeks and nobody's moved!

Connexions De Film:

Référencé sur "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman (#6.15)" (1993)

Just Where Do Some of Those Peripheral Bible Characters Go?

I've often wondered at times from a literary as well as religious point of view what happens to some of the peripheral cast of characters in the Scripture. I'm sure that's a question that more than a few have pondered on, whether they are believers or not.

Case in point is Barabbas. All we know about him is that he was the guy that the mob shouted for when offered a choice between pardoning him or Jesus of Nazareth. Some tradition has him as a common bandit, others have him as a rebel against Rome.

As played by Anthony Quinn, Barabbas is a troubled soul. As the message of Jesus of Nazareth spreads, Barabbas is unsure of what his role is. He's realized he's been a participant in something historic to say the least. But people treat him differently. The early Christians view him with some resentment. To Pontius Pilate, played by Arthur Kennedy, Barabbas is still a no good bandit. Of course Barabbas gets himself arrested again and begins his odyssey.

The movie is an adaption of a novel by Swedish Pulitzer Prize Winning writer Par Lagerkvist and a Swedish film adaption had already been filmed prior to this international cast epic. Might be interesting to view it side by side with this one. I'm sure the Swedish film didn't have half the budget this one did.

The movie fuzzes certain issues as films of this type generally do. Pacifism is a tenet of the early Christian faith of those hiding in the catacombs. Turning the other cheek is a big thing. But Anthony Quinn isn't a Christian so his modus operandi isn't exactly turning the other cheek.

Some top flight professionals are in this cast. The aforementioned Arthur Kennedy as Pilate, Silvana Mangano as Barabbas's girl friend who becomes an early convert, Vittorio Gassman as Sahek who is Barabbas's martyred Christian friend and most of all Jack Palance in a scene stealing performance as the top gladiator in Rome. You should watch this film for him alone.

The message the film tries to convey is that Barabbas in and of himself wasn't important. Jesus's life and death were pre-ordained and it could have been Barabbas or any of hundreds of others who could have been where he was.

But the way certain folks enter into biblical stories does give writers a whole lot of license to construct wholly fictional lives around them. This is as good a film as any for that purpose.