The Greatest Story Ever Told Blu-ray Review

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Now available for download and on Blu-ray from MGM Studios is the 1965 classic, The Greatest Story Ever told, directed by George Stevens.  This Academy Award®-nominated film chronicles the life of Christ, from his birth to resurrection 33 years later.  Jesus is played by the beloved Max von Sydow, who is also known for roles in such films as Flash Gordon, Minority Report, Shutter Island and dozens more.

I have seen several productions of the life of Christ, from the uber-realistic (and graphic) Passion of the Christ, to the outlandishly speculative Last Temptation of Christ.  However, I have never seen this particular iteration of the story.  It’s very typical for its era, with massive sets and huge location shots.  Co-star Charlton Heston of Ben-Hur fame was completely at home in this production as John the Baptist.

Although I’m no Biblical scholar, the script seemed to stay fairly close to the source material.  It seemed to take few liberties with recorded history, unlike other semi-Biblical productions, such as The Prince of Egypt (1998).  All of the sets, props, animals and costuming were true to the period, lending a generous amount of authenticity to the scenes.  Stevens is an excellent director, framing his shots so perfectly that some moments seem to be taken straight from classic artwork.  I wish there had been more color imbued into the film, but overall it’s a very beautiful piece that has translated well to Blu-ray.

There were a few aspects of this depiction of Jesus that I wasn’t crazy about.  Max has beautiful, bright blue eyes, and while that translates well onto the screen, I have a hard time imagining Jesus, a Jewish carpenter with those eyes.  Of course, no one was there to witness this, so there’s no harm in it, but I always find it oddly interesting whenever Jesus is given a Western makeover of sorts.

The characterization of him was quite dour as well.  In this film, Jesus rarely cracks a smile and doesn’t seem to have any joy in his heart, save for a short moment with some village children, and later at his ascension.  Director Stevens did have this Jesus exude most of the fruits of the Spirit (love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), but the lack of joy in this presentation gave the entire 3-hour film a very somber tone.  This isn’t necessarily a criticism, but more of a simple comment to inform viewers.

Those issues aside, The Greatest Story Ever Told is a beautiful piece, well worthy of its award nominations.  I had my children watch it with me, and it was very educational for them.  This film was not meant to be an entertainment piece.  Stevens wanted to tell the Christ story in a straightforward manner without any embellishment, and he certainly succeeded.  It’s an educational, dignified, reverent work of art that would be perfect viewing during the Easter season.

The Greatest Story Ever Told Blu-Ray Features

• Two archival behind-the-scenes documentaries, examining the film as well as George Stevens as a director:

• He Walks in Beauty (14 minutes)
• Filmmaker (27 minutes)

MPAA Rating: G
Running Time: 199 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 29, 2011

Director: George Stevens
Writers: Fulton Oursler, George Stevens, et al
Starring: Max van Sydow, Charlton Heston and Dorothy McGuire

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Posted by Laura Hartness on Apr 23 2011. Filed under Blu-ray Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry