Greatest Story Ever Told DVD

 ENJOYABLE
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Submitted by a reviewer (N.S.W. AUSTRALIA) 
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 read the gospels yourself!
if you want the truth about Jesus, read the new testament.
Submitted by www.rbrockway41 (holmen,wi)
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 Flawed, but the best ever of its kind
George Stevens made "The Greatest Story Ever Told" in a deliberately subdued, and extremely reverential style that many found slow and boring. Previous Biblical epics about Christ, "King of Kings," in particular, were anathema to Stevens because they not only completely rewrote the scriptures, but concentrated on spectacle more than the story of Christ. Stevens made the best film about Jesus ever to grace the screen by concentrating not on costumes and battle scenes, but on the written words of Christ and his deeds. Max Von Sydow does a splendid job as Jesus, giving the many familiar words of the gospels new significance and dignity. To see him cry at the death of his friend Lazarus; get furiously angry at the money lenders in the temple; and genuinely suffer on the cross adds a human element previously not seen in such films. Though blasted in 1965 for excessive use of big-name stars in cameo performances, most of those stars are unfamiliar to today's audiences. I found several distracting when I first saw the film in 1965, and today find only John Wayne's destruction of the line, "Truly this man was the son of God," as hard to swallow now as it was then. Shot in Ultra Panavision 70, and presented in Cinerama (at least during its original, first run screenings), "The Greatest Story Ever Told" has some of the most astoundingly beautiful scenes ever put on film. Much of the film, if taken as individual shots, would result in genuinely spectacular photographs. Unfortunately, on the TV screen, the necessary letter-boxing makes much of this difficult to appreciate. This is indeed a film to be seen on a plasma HDTV set! Alfred Newman's score is excellent, and Stevens' decision to use the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah to conclude each half of the film works just fine, despite the critical savaging such a choice received in 1965. To me, even more effective is the use of Verdi's Requiem during most of the Crucifixion, with the soft, sombre music in the foreground, and the sounds of the crowds deliberately subdued in the background. I know of very few films that I saw 38 years ago that stand up to the test of time as well as "The Greatest Story Ever Told" does. The DVD transfer is generally excellent, and the extras, particularly "He Walks in Beauty," are genuinely interesting. A truly fine film, flawed to a degree, but up there at the top with some of the best.
Submitted by emaidel (Aurora, CO, USA)
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 The Second Greatest Movie about Jesus
The Greatest Movie being Ben-Hur This movie has two great thing's going for it that Ben-Hur does. Both Ben-Hur and The Greatest Story Ever Told were flimed with Ulta Panavision 70 This means both movies have the widest widescreen aspect ratios of any films ever. Charlton Heston appears as John The Baptist and he played the title character in Ben-Hur.
Submitted by a reviewer (Blaine, MN TPC of the Twin Cities)
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Have you seen this movie?