Barabba Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
"The motion picture that begins where the other big ones leave off"
Now! Step Into a World of Passion and Upheaval
The man of violence in whose place Christ died
Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when Pilate manipulated the crowd into to pardoning him, rather than Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.
| Anthony Quinn | Barabbas |
| Silvana Mangano | Rachel |
| Arthur Kennedy | Pontius Pilate |
| Katy Jurado | Sara |
| Harry Andrews | Peter |
| Vittorio Gassman | Sahak |
| Jack Palance | Torvald |
| Ernest Borgnine | Lucius |
| Norman Wooland | Rufio |
| Valentina Cortese | Julia |
| Michael Gwynn | Lazarus |
| Arnoldo Foà | Joseph of Arimathea |
| Laurence Payne | Disciple |
| Tullio Tomadoni | Blind Man |
| Ivan Triesault | Emperor |
| Richard Fleischer |
6.70 out of 10 (1209 votes)
Visitor Reviews
the Higher Criticism in a nutshell
posted on 14 May 2009Many Bible scholars are of the opinion that the story of Barabbas, the thief who was freed in place of Jesus, never happened. There is no record of such a custom being observed in Jerusalem or anywhere else for that matter, the name Barabbas makes no sense (it simply means "son of the father" in Aramaic), and the whole point of the story seems to be part of the Evangelists' attempts to place the whole blame for the death of Jesus on the Jews while Pontius Pilate comes off smelling like a rose (the early Christians were eager to reassure the Roman authorities that they were harmless, and that Jesus' execution at the hands of a Roman governor was all a misunderstanding). I do not necessarily agree with these arguments myself, but I think they need to be considered. "Barabbas" is a troubling film on many levels, not the least of which is its apparent endorsement of the ancient idea of collective Jewish guilt for the Crucifixion. Perhaps this was unavoidable in an Italian film. Barabbas in many ways seems a symbol for the Jewish people, the "Wandering Jew" who can never die because he must bear witness to the Saviour. Barabbas (played in a typically larger-than-life performance by Anthony Quinn) is not necessarily the Anti-Christ, but he does come across as a sort of Counter-Christ whose life parallels Jesus' in haunting and often unexpected ways. For instance his death on the cross: his final words, commending himself to the darkness. Barabbas is on a decades-long search for meaning, seeking to understand why he was spared instead of Jesus, but at every step of the way he gets it wrong. When he does espouse Christianity he makes matters worse by playing into the hands of the Romans seeking to brand the new faith as terrorism. "Barabbas" has obvious similarities with other Biblical and gladiator epics--"Spartacus," "Ben Hur," "Gladiator," but stands on its own merits. It benefits from superb widescreen photography and bold, dramatic lighting reminiscent of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and capable direction from action-film veteran Richard Fleischer ("Tora, Tora, Tora.") Arthur Kennedy has an interesting cameo as Pontius Pilate, here seen as a rather long-winded bureaucrat. The Christian characters all come across as insufferable know-it-alls only too ready to rub Barabbas' nose in the dirt, and the lovely Silvana Mangano, as Rachel, is little more than a feminine stand-in for Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. A thought-provoking film that raises more questions than it answers.
Interesting parallels
posted on 05 Jan 2009The story of the man whose place Jesus took on the cross is told here with power and imagination. Quinn gives an excellent performance in the role of a man who becomes blinded by the light of Jesus, figuratively descends into the tomblike hell of a salt mine, is resurrected to become a gladiator, and finally dies, knowing what Jesus had done for him many years before. The interweaving of parallels between Barabbas' life and that of Jesus are intriguing.Jack Palance is deliciously evil as the villainous sadist in the arena. Mario Nasimbene's score is haunting, using experimental musical approaches to describe the pain of Barabbas in conflict with the glory of Rome and the ultimate victory of the spirit over evil and death.
An invented Barabba
posted on 27 Jul 2008..and a very good sword and sandals,one of the best of an era which produced many of them.Like "the robe" which used an anonymous character of the gospels (one of the officers who crucified Jesus) ,it deals with what could have become of Barabba after the Christ days.It's based on a novel,not on historical facts.Funny how the evolution of Barraba looks like that of the hero of "the robe" .The beginning of the film is well known;it's interesting to have introduced a female character (Sylvana Mangano,whose appearance is too short),some kind of repentant Mary Magdalene.Anthony Quinn is well cast as the thief who will make his way to the kingdom of Eden through an eventful initiatory journey.From the salt mines to the catacombs via arenas (Jack Palance is featured as a gladiator),this is another successful effort in Fleischer's brilliant career whose eclecticism was remarkable.
An Intelligent, Sane, Thoughtful, Moving Film: Mel Gibson Had Nothing To Do With It
posted on 18 Jul 2008This is a first-class, reverent film that doesn't fall into Hallmark-card empty kitsch on one hand, or Mel Gibson's sado-masochistic porn on the other. This movie does not insult the subject-matter or the audience, and that's rarer than we might like. Special credit goes to Aldo Tonti's Rembrandt lighting, consistently a joy. Mario Nascimbene's musical score rises above his usual brutality to real eloquence. The acting is without weakness, Quinn, Borgnine, Jurado and Andrews putting aside their sometimes numbing predictability for this special occasion. Richard Fleischer's direction is punchy without being vulgar, serious but not ponderous.There are some awful religious films out there. This is thankfully not one of them. It's definitely worth the viewing for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Poetic, and inspirational
posted on 09 Nov 2007What epics of olde they once did weave to nearly return this wretch to again believe;From freedom, to searching From Sulphur mines to inner mind;A stirring rendition, To rival Perdition!A crafty man who deftly craft this work of ancient draft!From confounded release at mankinds loss To redemption for the simple loss of a man.From a modern legacy of Barabbas's fate To the forlorn movie that lifts my spirit in times
of Woe. Excelsior!
Anthony Quinn is "Barabbas"!
posted on 19 Oct 2007The gladiatorial training scenes are thrilling. The sulphur mines are claustrophobic and frightening. The crucifixion of Christ is amazingly real. The stoning of Barabbas's girlfriend is viciously horrific and cruel. The burning of Rome is a whirlwind. The struggle of the Christian faith is amply etched in your memory by Anthony Quinn's vivid portrayal of the choice we all face in life, whether to choose Christ in our lives or to reject it. Barabbas's struggle with this proves his acceptance of Jesus in his life - that God has touched his soul as his life is spared while Christ is crucified in his place. The times of Christ are penetratingly revealing. This is a truly great film. I enjoyed it immensely. I saw it for the first time at 7 years of age and I never forgot it. And I never will. I highly recommend this one. The love interest shows a subtlety in film-making rarely seen. The character of Barabbas is beautifully portrayed by Quinn as to be the definitive rendition of the role. A great movie.
The Mighty Quinn eludes the cross...for a while.
posted on 02 Mar 2007Whatever happened to that guy who was let off the hook when Jesus was crucified? Here is a fictional account of his life after he was released in Jesus' place. Quinn plays the title character, a thief and rabble-rouser who is set to be crucified when a technicality allows one prisoner to be released due to a holy day. It is brought up in order to free Jesus, but the crowd instead calls for Barabbas' freedom and stay of execution. Quinn spots Jesus briefly through piercing sunlight, then finds himself touching the blood that he's left on a post. He shakes it off and returns home only to find that his lover (Mangano) has fallen under Jesus' spell and won't play anymore. Soon, he has returned to his old ways and when he's arrested, he discovers he can't be killed due to the same technicality that freed him the first time! So he's shipped off to a harrowing sulfur mine where he is chained to man after man, each of them dying in turn until he's paired with an ideological Christian (Gassman.) Circumstances then lead this pair to the Roman Coliseum where they are trained in the art of gladiatorial combat and must face down the deranged and powerful Palance. As the many years go by, Quinn finds himself tempted to believe in Jesus, but always wavering until finally he must make a choice. The film is epic in story and scope with several memorable sequences including a solar eclipse, a stoning execution, a cataclysmic cave-in and a spectacular visit to the Coliseum. The film must be seen in its wide-screen format in order to appreciate the magnitude of its composition. Quinn gives an understated performance with surprisingly little dialogue. His grunting, mumbling approach near the beginning fortunately gives way to a more comprehensible, accessible performance later. The film has a parade of famous actors each of whom is billed in order of appearance except for Mangano (who unfairly gets special treatment due to her marriage to the producer!) It's really Quinn's show, but several others get a chance to shine. Gassman is given a heroic and dignified role, Andrews adds weight to the film with his surehanded presence and Palance is quite notable as the unbeatable gladiator. With his ear-to-ear, snarling grin and his stony stares at his opponents, he presents a formidable foe in the arena. The production is quite eye-filling and visually arresting, but also relentlessly downbeat. Jurado, as Quinn's second favorite bed-mate, adds a little earthy humor to the proceedings, but is dispatched without much ado. There is a tad of unintentional humor along the way thanks to some of the conventions of film-making at the time, but mostly from the entire sequence featuring Lazarus, recently risen from the dead and not looking too great for it! The hysterically wan and creepy looking performer does little to encourage anyone's desire to be resurrected! It's an oddly under-appreciated film, though, which can stand proudly aside its cousins such as "Ben-Hur" and "Spartacus".
Just Where Do Some of Those Peripheral Bible Characters Go?
posted on 05 Jun 2006I've often wondered at times from a literary as well as religious point of view what happens to some of the peripheral cast of characters in the Scripture. I'm sure that's a question that more than a few have pondered on, whether they are believers or not.Case in point is Barabbas. All we know about him is that he was the guy that the mob shouted for when offered a choice between pardoning him or Jesus of Nazareth. Some tradition has him as a common bandit, others have him as a rebel against Rome. As played by Anthony Quinn, Barabbas is a troubled soul. As the message of Jesus of Nazareth spreads, Barabbas is unsure of what his role is. He's realized he's been a participant in something historic to say the least. But people treat him differently. The early Christians view him with some resentment. To Pontius Pilate, played by Arthur Kennedy, Barabbas is still a no good bandit. Of course Barabbas gets himself arrested again and begins his odyssey.The movie is an adaption of a novel by Swedish Pulitzer Prize Winning writer Par Lagerkvist and a Swedish film adaption had already been filmed prior to this international cast epic. Might be interesting to view it side by side with this one. I'm sure the Swedish film didn't have half the budget this one did.The movie fuzzes certain issues as films of this type generally do. Pacifism is a tenet of the early Christian faith of those hiding in the catacombs. Turning the other cheek is a big thing. But Anthony Quinn isn't a Christian so his modus operandi isn't exactly turning the other cheek.Some top flight professionals are in this cast. The aforementioned Arthur Kennedy as Pilate, Silvana Mangano as Barabbas's girl friend who becomes an early convert, Vittorio Gassman as Sahek who is Barabbas's martyred Christian friend and most of all Jack Palance in a scene stealing performance as the top gladiator in Rome. You should watch this film for him alone.The message the film tries to convey is that Barabbas in and of himself wasn't important. Jesus's life and death were pre-ordained and it could have been Barabbas or any of hundreds of others who could have been where he was. But the way certain folks enter into biblical stories does give writers a whole lot of license to construct wholly fictional lives around them. This is as good a film as any for that purpose.
Imaginative plot, great acting, fine action scenes
posted on 02 Feb 2006If you have any appreciation for big-budget epics set during the days of the Roman Empire, you won't be disappointed by this film. The gladiator training outdoes SPARTACUS, and Anthony Quinn gives one of his finer performances. The writing--or Quinn's improvisation--gives him plenty of good, understated lines as he goes through his torturous odyssey.Jack Palance is a special treat.This film offers an even-handed, sober treatment of budding Christianity--it is not out to appease or make converts, just tell a story about the man the mob preferred over Jesus.Suitable for most of the family except maybe the youngest members who might get shaken by some of the violence. A stoning scene is quite disturbing.Rent, zap a bag of popcorn, and enjoy.
great
posted on 12 Jun 2004I do not have the words to describe what i felt when i saw this movie. It is a masterpiece, and it is made in a way that nowadays at Holyywood they do not make the movies anymore.I mean they do all this, with a lot of soul, and the players really know what they are doing.And, of course they know because it is about an Anthony Quinn that is spectacular, also a Jack Palance that could not be chooses better in the role of that cruel killer.I am not very much of a specialist in commenting movies, but i tell what i feel about what i saw.Important is what you remain with, at the end of seeing a movie, what you grasp out of the things that you see, and at the end of this movie, the feeling is that thee is nothing hard for Lord to accomplish.Barabas, the villain, is changed. If he is changed by the power of God, that means that everything is possible to God.And, yes, we are in His loving hands, no matter what the direction in which the world is heading to.
An intelligently subversive Biblical epic: SUBTEXT, people!
posted on 11 Jan 2004I'll leave the plot summary to the others who've done it well, so far. But a plot summary doesn't begin to show how this one differs from the other Biblical epics of it's time. The difference lies in a script that wonderfully reflects the double-edged attitudes of Par Lagerkvist's powerfully brilliant short philosophical novel. Unimaginitive believers can see what the plot summaries indicate. But underneath it all, the adapter-screenwriter Christopher Fry, and the director, Richard Fleischer, manage to successfully walk an ironic tightrope , in which the "too-good" Christians and the ordinary sinful Barabbas are constantly contrasted during conversations long and short. Barabbas thinks Christianity all bosh, the world is not what Christians believe it is, but then why can't he die or be killed? As the King of Siam would say, the fact does make a puzzlement.I must apologize for the following spoiler, but how anybody who is thinking at all can blithely assume that Barabbas is beyond doubt "saved" into the fold of the blessed is way beyond me. Even as a kid in the days of BARABBAS's first release I knew that something unusual was going on as soon as I heard Barabbas" final words from the cross: "Darkness...I give myself up to your keeping... It is Barabbas." I haven't left anything out; the dots just indicate pauses in Quinn's delivery. Prior to this line Barabbas has complained that he can't tell whether it is night or day and asks what time it is and remembers that it was at the sixth hour that.... I love this film as wonderful dramatic exploration of the modern dilemma of faith. I expect I'm biased in loving it because it helped develop my abiding interest in philosophy; But I don't think that that bias has pushed me into a mistake when I call BARABBAS one of the most thoughtful and intelligent movies of its time, in spite of its being a sword and sandal epic.
The man who could not die...
posted on 09 Nov 2003Through Barabbas, complex themes of faith, spirituality, violence, peace, morality, human dignity and cruelty were examined in the guise of a Biblical epic directed by a competent filmmaker of action pictures... His film vividly captured the panoply of Rome, the stultifying sulfur mines, the savagery of the Roman arena, the gladiatorial sadism, Nero's fire in Rome, and the persecution of Christians… Despite a lamentable weak script, the acting was often comfortable, and the action very entertaining…Anthony Quinn made his best as the confused man of violence, the common thief and the assassin... Vittorio Gassman was good enough as the brave gladiator who stood on his faith... Silvana Mangano was beautiful as Barabbas' former lover who knew that Jesus was, for her, the true substitute...Jack Palance was, as always, great as the cruel and sadistic gladiator…
The Religious 12 Step Program
posted on 09 Nov 2003Mega-producer Dino DeLaurentiis saw the windfall reaped by biblical epics in the late '50s ('The Ten Commandments', 'Ben-Hur', and 'Spartacus') and wanted a piece of that pie too. So he paired director Richard Fleischer with star Anthony Quinn and they all gave us 'Barabbas'. It's not a very original take on the thief and murderer who was set free by the Romans on the same day of Jesus' crucifixion. This story is ripe to be taken in tremendous directions. After all, the tagline says, he's "the man of violence in whose place Christ died". That's a heavy burden for any man's conscience and I was happy to see Quinn give him some dimensions. I wasn't happy that most of those dimensions were the same kind of ungrateful/unchanged/heroic/enlightened 12 Step Program progressions we see in so many movies about redemption.This film rehashes the ABCs of religious conversion. Yet in this case, it seems false that a man with such bad moral character would ever change. Is that the point of Christianity, though? No matter how bad you've been, you too can be saved? Barabbas is a tough study, as Bible-based characters go. Play him too unrelenting and audiences wonder why they paid to see a man with no redeeming qualities. Too soft and audiences wonder why he was such an infamous criminal in the first place. No one in the cast stands out, although Quinn is fairly solid in the title role. I don't know if he was quite as conflicted as he should have been, but the spectre of Christ always hangs over Barabbas...and even the entire movie.I was expecting more of the film to focus on the day Jesus died. Not many movies have given us much about the immediate aftermath without first highlighting Christ himself. The early scenes contrasting Barabbas' elation at being inexplicably released with Jesus' torturous death are rather powerful. But the failing of 'Barabbas' to streamline its story destroys any impact. It knows the general idea of how to tell a religious epic (liberally "borrowing" from other scripts), but nothing in this movie compares to the power of those other three Biblical flicks I mentioned earlier. Both the man and the movie just don't measure up.
A speculative Bible story
posted on 19 Oct 2003A what if story from the Bible. What if there was this lowdown, dirty bad guy and for the briefest moment he was held at the same level of Jesus Christ. Who would the people go for and why? I appreciated the fact that this movie seems to be made specifically for skeptics and agnostics. Stipped down and hard boiled. Existential and quotidian but the spiritual still emerges and commands the narrative. The death of Christ coinciding with the real solar eclipse has immense visual power with Barabbas observing both events. From there the film keeps asking the audience is the Jesus Christ figure one that a man this hardened ever find worth following and strive to follow his teachings. There's a lot besides Quinn's performance to enjoy here. The gladiator section is extremely well done as and seems to be a bonus movie within the movie. Jack Palance in full dangerous he-man mode with his trademark scary/funny quality.
Well done fantasy based on a novel
posted on 25 Sep 2003This film is not purely a Hollywood production since this was made in cooperation with the Italian producers. Nevertheless, it can be categorized to all classical movies, like CLEOPATRA, QUO VADIS, BEN HUR, or SPARTACUS. What is there that makes this film so similar?It is a fantasy faithful to history. These two worlds, the historical and the fictitious one, integrate together. The story of Barabbas is strongly linked to the times of the 1st century, the beginnings of the Christian faith and the cruel reign of Caesars, esp. Nero. Par Lagerkvist, the author of the novel BARABBAS, which got the Noble Prize in 1951, showed Barabbas as someone who does not believe, but the light of Christ is present in his soul from the moment he was set free and Jesus sentenced to be crucified. The spiritual content of the movie cannot be skipped. Barabbas experiences the struggle within his heart, though he mocks Nazarenes in the beginning. "Love one another" somehow unconsciously rings in his mind from the moment of Christ's death (the imagery of Jesus's crucifixion is one of the most powerful I have ever seen on screen). This is showed beautifully and faithfully to the book by Richard Fleischer in the movie.Another aspect that makes the film similar to great, classical productions are the monumental scenes, particularly the arena moments. Lions, gladiators fighting on arena remind me of SPARTACUS (1960), THE SIGN OF THE CROSS (1932) or DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (1954). Barabbas also fights as a gladiator with the bravest man of Rome, Torvald (Jack Palance), and wins...And the cast... Great Anthony Quinn as Barabbas is very memorable. He beautifully presents his change of heart from a bad guy to the Christian. Silvana Mangano also does a good job as Rachel whose meeting with Christ changed her life forever; Vittorio Gassman gives a memorable performance as a Christian, Sahak, whose sole aim in life is following his Master to martyrdom; and Jack Palance is absolutely gorgeous as a cruel, "unconquered" Torvald.I like this movie. It is a profound film, with a wonderful message. Even if you are not much aware of Christ, He is within you. The story of Barabbas, if true or not, also proves the fact that everything in our lives has a MEANING! NOTHING IS MEANINGLESS! Good movie! 8/10
Barrabas (1961) ***
posted on 01 Sep 2003This is a captivating but fictionalized story about what may have happened in the aftermath of the hardened criminal Barabbas being released to freedom in place of Jesus Christ, who was the one chosen by the people to be crucified in his place. As the thieving and murderous Barrabas, Anthony Quinn is perfectly cast for the part.Barabbas becomes a free man only temporarily, as it's not long before his old ways get him imprisoned again, landing him twenty years hard labor in the deadly sulphur mines. He is consistently tormented by repressed guilt and confusion for being freed in the place of Jesus and when he meets up with a Christian prisoner at a time where it's considered blasphemous to hold such beliefs, Barrabas begins to tread on the path of acceptance of his part in history and his discovery of Christianity. Along his journey to self-realization, Barabbas becomes a gladiator who must come face to face with the most sadistic warrior of all, the dreaded Torvald (a deliciously sinister performance by Jack Palance) as they confront each other in the arena in a life-and-death duel.My favorite sequence in the film is one which rarely gets mentioned. It involves a former love of Barabbas, a woman named Rachel (Silvana Mangano) who had begun to follow Jesus during the period where Barabbas was incarcerated. She is now a holy disciple and prophet for Christ, and when the citizens catch her spreading his word, they call for her to be stoned to death. Rachel's brave plight as she is lead down into a great pit and sits solemnly still as hundreds of sinners hurl their rocks at her face from above, is a truly powerful scene. Her faith carries her through the horrifying ordeal, and she reaches confidently out for the hand of Christ, oblivoius amidst the flying stones. Just a beautiful moment.
Palance takes the cake
posted on 27 Sep 2002The story is already told by those before me, but it is Anthony Quinn in one of his better, less full-blooded performances, to put it nicely. The real powerhouse performance in this film, however, is Jack Palance as Torvald, the gladiator from Hell. I saw this film when I was 12 years old and had never heard of Jack Palance. Well, I never forgot him after this. He scared the hell out of me. A similar thing happened that same year when I saw Lee Marvin for the first time in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". The scene where he viciously whips Jimmy Stewart for being a nice guy was too much. How can you even think about whipping Jimmy Stewart?
Great Performances
posted on 20 Jun 2002Anthony Quinn gives an outstanding performance as BARABBAS a lifelong criminal who was set free in the place of Jesus Christ. Through the film you see the changes in Barabbas life as his conscience begins to wonder why he was spared a miserable death in the place of a good man. Jack Palance also gives a good performance as a ruthless gladiator in the arena as well as the rest of the cast. A great film all around.
The forgotten biblical film?.
posted on 30 May 2002Pontius Pilate asks the people of Jerusalem whom they want freed, Jesus Of Nazareth or Barrabas?, the former has been tagged as a King of the Jewish people, the latter a thief and a murderer, they choose Barrabas.This is a pure work of fiction based around the 1950 Pär Lagerkvist novel of the same name. It has basically taken a passage in the New Testament and extended it to ask what became of the man who was freed instead of Christ?. We open of course with the people choosing Barrabas, and the subsequent crucifixion of Christ that is now scripture legend. This event doesn't at first seem to bother Barrabas, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that he himself has his own cross to bear. We follow him as he witnesses a barbaric stoning of someone close to him, this turns him bitter and a return to a life of crime is his only response. Once again arrested, he is sent to work in the sulphur mines, here he ages fast and hangs on desperately to his life and sanity. He forms a friendship with a fellow inmate and after both men get sent to gladiator school, he finds that the faith surrounding Christ looms large and bright in his life story.Richard Fleischer directs, producer is Dino De Laurentus, Anthony Quinn takes the role of Barrabas, and Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine add weight to the acting roll call. There is some very good work to be sampled here, Quinn manages to put a bit of sincerity into the lead role, for as Barrabas' perspective alters, Quinn convinces with a nice show of depth. Palance is decently nasty as Torvald, and although Ernest Borgnine is wasted as Lucius, he leaves a very decent impression due to a good show of acting restraint. There are some lovely shots here as well, particularly around the sulphur mines sequences, whilst both the sets and costumes are suitably on the money.Barrabas is a film that is rarely mentioned when talk of biblical epics arises, and the small amount of user comments here suggests it's largely forgotten. That's a shame because it holds up well against the likes of The Robe and King Of Kings, 7/10.
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At long last, a notable epic comes to DVD, presented in an exceptional widescreen transfer.
posted on 09 Aug 2009Richard Fleisher's BARABBAS is an Italian-American co-production, from the early sixties, much like Robert Aldrich's epic, SODOM AND GOMORRAH. Fleischer does a surprisingly good job turning Par Lagerkvist's preachy novel into a picturesque, character-driven epic, and Anthony Quinn is particularly good as the brooding, boorish lead character. There's some of the traditional ham-handed, Hollywood handling of ancient Christian martyrdom, but, as with most Biblical epics of the time, this is offset by better casting of the non-Christian and Roman characters (the script, much like that of QUO VADIS and BEN-HUR, always tends to make the Romans more interesting and memorable). The production design by Mario Chiari is exceptional, as is the subtle, effective music by Mario Nascimbene; and all of this is perfectly captured on Columbia/Tri-Star's new DVD version. The Technirama picture is presented in high-definition anamorphic widescreen and doesn't attempt to compromise the earth-toned Technicolor of the original film prints. The sound is mastered from the original 4-track magnetic elements and retains the localized dialogue of the theatrical mix. This is a quality costume epic, ranking with the best of it's kind, for fans of the genre. Too bad a disc version of the film is too late to allow commentary from it's star: the late, great Anthony Quinn.