Barabbas

Director: Richard Fleischer Richard Fleischer

Overview

"Richard Fleischer's biblical drama Barabbas comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 4.0. English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the theatrical trailer. Columbia/TriStar deserve credit for doing such a fine job with the picture quality for this older film. Fans of the film and genre enthusiasts will not be disappointed with this disc."

Product Details

Release Date:	03/05/2002
UPC:	0043396077508
Original Release:	1962
Rating:	NR
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:17:00
Sales rank:	18,671

Special Features

Digitally mastered audio & anamorphic video; Remastered in hi-definition; Widescreen presentation; Audio: English 4.0 (Discrete Surround); Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese; Theatrical trailer; Interactive menus; Scene selections

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anthony Quinn	Barabbas
Silvana Mangano	Rachel,Christ
Arthur Kennedy	Pontius Pilatus
Ernest Borgnine	Lucius
Jack Palance	Torvald
Vittorio Gassman	Sahak
Katy Jurado	Sara
Harry Andrews	Peter
Norman Wooland	Rufio
Valentina Cortese	Julia
Michael Gwynn	Lazarus
Douglas Fowley	Vasasio
Robert Hall	Gladiator Captain
Laurence Payne	Disciple
Ivan Triesault	Emperor
Joe Robinson	Gladiator
Guido Celano	Scorpio
Spartaco Nale	Overseer
Enrico Glori	Important Gentleman
Carlo Giustini	Officer
Frederick Ledebur	Officer
Gianni De Benedetto	Officer
Rina Braido	Tavern Reveler
Tullio Tomadoni	Blind Man
Maria Zanoli	Beggar Woman
Arnoldo Foà	Joseph von Arimathea
Giovanni Di Benedetto	Soldat,Officer
Simone Signoret	Actor
Mario Nascimbene	Composer

Technical Credits

Christopher Fry

Nigel Balchin

Diego Fabbri

Ivo Perilli

Pär Lagerkvist

Richard Fleischer	Director
Christopher Fry	Screenwriter
Dino De Laurentiis	Producer
Nigel Balchin	Screenwriter
Diego Fabbri	Screenwriter
Ivo Perilli	Screenwriter
Pär Lagerkvist	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Overlong and at times ponderous, Barabbas has the look and ambition of classic Biblical epics, but it lacks the life and vitality necessary to break into the top ranks of that genre. Barabbas is not a bad film of its kind; it simply doesn't rank up there with The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur. The fault certainly doesn't lay with its star. Anthony Quinn gives a commanding performance, albeit one limited by an inferior script. Still, epics of this sort don't call for carefully nuanced character explorations; they call for someone who can take hold of the film and never let go, and Quinn fills that role admirably. If Quinn occasionally goes a bit over the top, that's almost really to be expected. There's also some fun scenery chewing by Jack Palance, and some game attempts from Arthur Kennedy and Vittorio Gassman to help keep things moving. The cast gets no help from the screenplay, which is short on logic and characterization, and long on dull dialogue and ineffective repetition. Richard Fleischer's direction is too uneven to make up for the script deficiencies; he does very well with some sequences, including the stunning real-life solar eclipse sequence and the gladiator segment, but on others things fall flat. And pacing is an issue, especially in the middle section. Even with its flaws, there's enough spectacle and fanfare to keep fans of the genre interested.