Movie · 1965 · Drama, History · 3h 19m · G · English
Curator score: 1.3/10 (13.4K ratings)
Only once in a lifetime... an entertainment so rich... an experience so rewarding...
Overview
From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.3/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
George Stevens
Production
George Stevens Jr. Productions
Cast
Max von Sydow, Michael Anderson Jr., Carroll Baker, Ina Balin, Victor Buono, Richard Conte, Joanna Dunham, José Ferrer, Van Heflin, Charlton Heston, Martin Landau, Angela Lansbury, Pat Boone, Janet Margolin, David McCallum, Roddy McDowall, Dorothy McGuire, Sal Mineo, Nehemiah Persoff, Donald Pleasence
Curator Review
Verdict
A stately, old-school biblical epic with impressive scale, handsome compositions, and a serious reverent tone, but it’s also famously long, slow, and emotionally distant. Best approached as a piece of 1960s roadshow spectacle rather than a gripping drama.
Best for
viewers interested in biblical epics and religious cinema
fans of large-scale 1960s Hollywood roadshow productions
people who appreciate grand location photography and classical production design
George Stevens completists
Skip if
you want a lively, character-driven Jesus film
you’re impatient with slow pacing and solemn storytelling
you dislike long runtimes and intermission-era epics
you prefer more intimate or psychologically vivid religious dramas
Overview
George Stevens mounts the life of Jesus as a monumental studio-era pageant, with vast landscapes, elaborate crowd scenes, and a cast that seems to include half of classic Hollywood. The film’s ambition is undeniable, and its visual grandeur still lands in places, especially when it leans into monumental framing and ceremonial scale.
Worth noting
But the movie’s reverence is also its biggest limitation. It often feels more like an illustrated scripture than a drama, moving with a heavy, deliberate pace and keeping its central figure at a distance. That restraint can read as austere or even inert, depending on your tolerance for solemnity.
Bottom line
For viewers who love biblical epics, roadshow presentation, and the craftsmanship of old Hollywood spectacle, it remains a notable artifact. For everyone else, it may feel like a beautifully mounted endurance test.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Leighton Trent (3★) · 105 likes
If your mom made you watch this on or around every religious holiday as a child, can George Stevens' Biblical behemoth still be the greatest story ever told?? 🤔
Andrew Warren (3★) · 97 likes
52 Weeks, 52 Religious Films
I was excited, but a little nervous going into George Stevens’ The Greatest Story Ever Told. I was excited because it was directed by Stevens, who directed A Place in the Sun, a film I absolutely adore. But I was nervous because this is a 3:20 behemoth of a film, structured like the roadshow American epics of the 50’s and 60’s, with an overture and an intermission. And like those epics, it’s an absolute stunning… more
shookone (2★) · 93 likes
good anti-capitalist propaganda watch for you and your grandma during the Easter holidays, so you both can peacefully fall asleep in the armchair for three hours after tea time.
Monty Python got really stiff and lame here though, what a pity. in return the british jokers got a big budget for some beautiful shots and Max von Sydows deeply tragic blue eyes. cool beans, you dynamic slug, you!
anjy (3★) · 91 likes
that jesus fella seems pretty powerful
Colin the dude (2★) · 75 likes
I swear that the entire 200 minute run time is in 0.5 speed. The Messiah? More like the Molasses. But as a George Stevens completist, you still have to watch it. That's the bad news. The good news is that he subbed the Middle East for the Grand Canyon, so you at least get to stare at the majesty of that place for long periods of time; as baffling as it is to see Jesus preaching on the cliffs of… more I swear that the entire 200 minute run time is in 0.5 speed. The Messiah? More like the Molasses. But as a George Stevens completist, you still have to watch it. That's the bad news. The good news is that he subbed the Middle East for the Grand Canyon, so you at least get to stare at the majesty of that place for long periods of time; as baffling as it is to see Jesus preaching on the cliffs of… more