"The Greatest Story Ever Told" is a lavish production on the life of Jesus that was directed by George Stevens. In some ways, it's pretty good...in other ways it's left wanting. Plus, with ANY life of Christ on film, I guarantee some will love it and some will hate it!

So what didn't I like? Well, one big problem is that the film is a star-studded affair and really shouldn't have been. Tons and tons of well known actors are in the film to the point where at times it seems more about them than about telling the story of Jesus. The best example, clearly, is John Wayne in a tiny scene where he seems more to be playing himself than a Roman Centurion. The other problem is that the film was filled with folks who looked totally out of place in the story. In other words, everyone is so white. Now I am not a super politically correct sort of guy...but having a Swede play Jesus? And, the likes of fair-skinned and blue-eyed John Derek as a disciple?! Huh?! My final quibble is that the film is way too stilted and lacks humanity. In other words, Jesus and pretty much everyone in the film are humorless and stiff....and don't feel especially real because of this.

On the other hand, while the film pretty clearly looks like the American Southwest, it wasn't a bad substitute for Israel. Also, the sets were lavish and obviously cost a lot of money.

Overall, this is a film many will enjoy, though I think some other similar films about Jesus are better, such as "Jesus of Nazareth".

That is a very subjective title and quite hyperbolic in a sense. I usually don't really like such titles such as this, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Magnificent Showman, because not bad per se the movies are not as good as their titles suggest. And that is exactly the case here.

The best asset is by far the production values, which from the cinematography to the scenery to the costumes are superb. The music is also wonderful, the direction is above decent, there are some compelling parts in the story and of the acting Max Von Sydow comes off best while Charlton Heston and Dorothy McGuire are good and are examples of performances that grew on me with repeat viewings.

However, the film is overlong and ponderously paced so some scenes in the middle come across as tiresome. There is also some awkward dialogue, and the supporting cast is variable, some work, some don't. I do like John Wayne, but for me, his infamous appearance was one that didn't work, the only way I could tell it was Wayne was his voice and for an actor of his calibre one couldn't help think he needed a bigger and more expansive role.

All in all, not bad, but not necessarily one I'd recommend. 5/10 Bethany Cox

THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD is the epic Hollywood version of the Jesus story. I'm not big on religion but I do like historical epics so this one interested me, and an all-star cast studded with endless cameos and the like turns out to be irresistible. Generally this is a well-mounted production with a more than earnest cast of performers doing their very best to bring an ancient world to life. It's full of awe and gravitas and at times merely seems to be an opportunity for Max Von Sydow to recite all of the famous sayings, lines and aphorisms that Jesus was known for. I have to say that the following decade's JESUS OF NAZARETH surpassed this film quite considerably, making this look dated and studio bound by comparison, but Christian viewers will still love it.