This 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 Barabbas, 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, Barabbas 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, oblivious amidst the flying stones. Just a beautiful moment. *** out of ****
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, Barabbas 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, oblivious amidst the flying stones. Just a beautiful moment. *** out of ****