The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Director:

George Stevens
(more)

Writers:

Fulton Oursler (book)
Henry Denker (source writings)
(more)

Release Date:

9 April 1965 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Plot:

The life of Jesus Christ.

Plot Keywords:

Epic | Jesus Christ | Faith | John The Baptist | Narration

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars.

Cast

Max von Sydow	...	Jesus
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	James the Younger
Carroll Baker	...	Veronica
Ina Balin	...	Martha of Bethany
Victor Buono	...	Sorak
Richard Conte	...	Barabbas
Joanna Dunham	...	Mary Magdalene
José Ferrer	...	Herod Antipas
Van Heflin	...	Bar Amand
Charlton Heston	...	John the Baptist
Martin Landau	...	Caiaphas
Angela Lansbury	...	Claudia
Pat Boone	...	Angel at the Tomb
Janet Margolin	...	Mary of Bethany
David McCallum	...	Judas Iscariot
Roddy McDowall	...	Matthew
Dorothy McGuire	...	The Virgin Mary
Sal Mineo	...	Uriah
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Shemiah
Donald Pleasence	...	The Dark Hermit - Satan
Sidney Poitier	...	Simon of Cyrene
Claude Rains	...	King Herod
Gary Raymond	...	Peter
Telly Savalas	...	Pontius Pilate
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Nicodemus
Paul Stewart	...	Questor
John Wayne	...	Centurion at crucifixion
Shelley Winters	...	Woman who is healed
Ed Wynn	...	Old Aram
John Abbott	...	Aben
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Captain of lancers
Michael Ansara	...	Herod's commander
Robert Blake	...	Simon the Zealot
Burt Brinckerhoff	...	Andrew
Robert Busch	...	Emissary
John Considine	...	John
Philip Coolidge	...	Chuza
John Crawford	...	Alexander
Frank DeKova	...	The tormentor (as Frank de Kova)
Cyril Delevanti	...	Melchior
Jamie Farr	...	Thaddaeus
David Hedison	...	Philip
Russell Johnson	...	Scribe
Mark Lenard	...	Balthazar
Robert Loggia	...	Joseph
John Lupton	...	Speaker of Capernaum
Peter Mann	...	Nathanael
Tom Reese	...	Thomas
Marian Seldes	...	Herodias
David Sheiner	...	James the Elder
Frank Silvera	...	Caspar
Joseph Sirola	...	Dumah
Abraham Sofaer	...	Joseph of Arimathaea
Harold J. Stone	...	Gen. Varus
Chet Stratton	...	Theophilus
Michael Tolan	...	Lazarus
Ron Whelan	...	Annas
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Bakalyan	...	Good thief on cross (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth	...	(uncredited)
Marc Cavell	...	Bad thief on cross (uncredited)
Jay C. Flippen	...	Drunken soldier (Herod Antipas' court) (uncredited)
Kay Hammond	...	(uncredited)
Dal Jenkins	...	Philip (uncredited)
Celia Lovsky	...	Woman behind railings (uncredited)
Victor Lundin	...	Centurion guard (uncredited)
Dorothy Neumann	...	(uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Jacob of Bethlehem (uncredited)
Joseph V. Perry	...	Archelaus (uncredited)
John Pickard	...	Peter's accuser #2 (uncredited)
Frank Richards	...	(uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	(uncredited)
Johnny Seven	...	Pilate's aide (uncredited)
Mickey Simpson	...	Rabble rouser (uncredited)
Norm Taylor	...	Roman Soldier at Crucifixion (uncredited)
Randall Taylor	...	Male Baby Extra (uncredited)
Renata Vanni	...	Weeping woman (uncredited)
Ronald Walkshorse	...	Male Child Extra (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	(uncredited)
Jimmy Yates	...	Herodian Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
George Stevens
David Lean		(some scenes) (uncredited)
Jean Negulesco		(some scenes) (uncredited)

Writing credits
Fulton Oursler		(book)
Henry Denker		(source writings)
James Lee Barrett		(screenplay) and
George Stevens		(screenplay)
Carl Sandburg		uncredited

Produced by
Frank I. Davis	....	executive producer
George Stevens	....	producer
George Stevens Jr.	....	associate producer
Antonio Vellani	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Loyal Griggs
William C. Mellor

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress
Argyle Nelson Jr.
J. Frank O'Neill		(as Frank O'Neil)

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Art Direction by
William J. Creber		(as William Creber)
Richard Day
David S. Hall		(as David Hall)

Set Decoration by
Fred M. MacLean		(as Fred MacLean)
Ray Moyer
Norman Rockett

Costume Design by
Marjorie Best
Vittorio Nino Novarese

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ridgeway Callow	....	assistant director
William Hale	....	second unit director
Richard Talmadge	....	second unit director
John Veitch	....	assistant director

Art Department
Sam Gordon	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles E. Wallace	....	sound

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special visual effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special visual effects
J. McMillan Johnson	....	special visual effects
Clarence Slifer	....	special visual effects
Jan Domela	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	effects camera operator (uncredited)
Albert Simpson	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Henry Wills	....	stunt coordinator
Carol Daniels	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Johnny Hagner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Neil Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Norm Taylor	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Terhune	....	stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited)
Henry Wills	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
R.B. Garig	....	grip
Homer Plannette	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Intlekofer	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Hal Ashby	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Eliot Elisofon	....	color coordinator (uncredited)

Music Department
Ken Darby	....	choral supervisor
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Alfred Newman	....	conductor
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator
Hugo Friedhofer	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Fred Steiner	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gene Clinesmith	....	driver

Other crew
John Dutton	....	script supervisor (as John C. Dutton)
Carl Sandburg	....	creative associate
Tony Van Renterghem	....	director of research

Production Companies

• George Stevens Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1975) (USA) (TV)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• United Artists (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1965) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Fox-MGM (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

George Stevens Presents The Greatest Story Ever Told (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

199 min (edited version) | USA:141 min (re-issue version) | USA:225 min (premiere version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

South Korea:All | West Germany:6 (f) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972)

Filming Locations:

Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

George Stevens Productions

Trivia:

Director George Stevens originally hired 550 Navajos from a local reservation to be Roman legionnaires, but they couldn't stay on the set for very long and eventually went back home to participate in a tribal election. Stevens replaced them with ROTC cadets.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The conversation between Jesus and Pilate contains a few lines that are not mentioned in the Biblical text; when Jesus says he is the Son of God and Pilate responds by saying "Which god? Mars, Jupiter, etc" or words to that effect.

Quotes:

Narrator: [first lines]
Narrator: In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I am He. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, was made nothing that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not. The greatest story ever told...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Passion: Films, Faith & Fury (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Hallelujah Chorus

A Letter from George Stevens, Jr.

On 9/18/00 I received a letter from George Stevens, Jr., replying to my earlier letter to him encouraging his support of his father's four-hour, "uncut," version of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" preparing for dvd. I had suggested in my letter that the original version was undoubtedly his father's artistic vision and thus was the one worthy of preservation for dvd.

Stevens, Jr. responded, in part, " . . . the dvd of 'The Greatest Story Even Told' is underway and MGM-UA has found the original negative of the four-hour version of the film.

There has been a good deal of confusion about the 'official' version of 'The Greatest Story Ever Told.' In recent years I became satisfied that the 3 hour and 20 minute version was the one that my father considered his picture. That came as a result of conversations with Toni Vellani, who worked with my father and has since passed on, and others.

My father, according to Toni, rushed the film for its first two premieres and immediately, at his own initiative, started trimming it to the 3:15 version. He was pleased with this cut. . . .

There was a later shorter version that my father authorized UA to make in an effort to recoup some money -- and that version which ran under 3 hours is of no value at all.

Frankly, I will be interested to see what the additional 40 minutes represents in the long version because, over the years, I've been familiar with the version that runs approximately 3:15. . . ."

This generous explanation from Mr. Stevens, Jr. certainly reveals the intracacies of the purely artistic process as balanced with the business aspect. It also makes one aware that the assumption that the "cut" version was not the preference or the adequate representation of the director, may be inaccurate. In any event at this point, the four-hour dvd version of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is most eagerly awaited.