Barabbas could be a good film as I see the efforts of its artists and production. First off, the effort to film the crucifixion during a solar eclipse is one of the most ingenious acts I have ever seen in the film industry. The sincere, almost spotless acting of Anthony Quinn is another great asset for this film, complimenting it is the.underrated performance of Vittorio Gassman as Sahak.
Some scenes positively stuns me to this day such as the gladiator scenes, mainly when Barabbas fights Torvald, the scary fire of Rome and the sulfur mine collapse which greatly depicts the claustrophobic atmosphere of the place. I also like that the ending calls out a specific part in the beginning of the film wherein Peter proves to Barabbas that he is truly became a fisher of men once they met for the third time in Rome.
Unfortunately, I still have issues in the pace of the story, specifically during the middle (the sulfur mine part). Unlike the Jerusalem part (where Barabbas seeks to find what happened to Jesus) and the Rome part (where Barabbas tries to win the gladiator match), the sulfur mine part loses any driving force that could naturally put an excitement in pushing the film forward, because Barabbas did not plan any escapes to the mine, not until he met Sahak.
But more concerning to the plot's pacing is post-production's subpar performance. The most laughable mediocrity of post-production is allowing the sound of whipping to be like a waving magic wand during the scourging of Jesus. In many parts of the film, the artists' voices are not synchronized with their mouths and it really turns me off.
In the beginning of my review, I commend the effort of waiting for the solar eclipse to reincarnate the crucifixion, yet, it will not diminish the fact that the crosses during this scene, in my opinion, looks like lame cardboard cutouts. Not to mention that during the second Pilate encounter of Barabbas, there is a brick wall that looks like a wooden plank painted without care. Lastly, the color grade of some of the parts of the film is too gloomy and muted that it looks so unnatural.
So to sum up, Barabbas has a potential to be a good film if only the post-production team had put great effort to make it more sensually satisfying.
Some scenes positively stuns me to this day such as the gladiator scenes, mainly when Barabbas fights Torvald, the scary fire of Rome and the sulfur mine collapse which greatly depicts the claustrophobic atmosphere of the place. I also like that the ending calls out a specific part in the beginning of the film wherein Peter proves to Barabbas that he is truly became a fisher of men once they met for the third time in Rome.
Unfortunately, I still have issues in the pace of the story, specifically during the middle (the sulfur mine part). Unlike the Jerusalem part (where Barabbas seeks to find what happened to Jesus) and the Rome part (where Barabbas tries to win the gladiator match), the sulfur mine part loses any driving force that could naturally put an excitement in pushing the film forward, because Barabbas did not plan any escapes to the mine, not until he met Sahak.
But more concerning to the plot's pacing is post-production's subpar performance. The most laughable mediocrity of post-production is allowing the sound of whipping to be like a waving magic wand during the scourging of Jesus. In many parts of the film, the artists' voices are not synchronized with their mouths and it really turns me off.
In the beginning of my review, I commend the effort of waiting for the solar eclipse to reincarnate the crucifixion, yet, it will not diminish the fact that the crosses during this scene, in my opinion, looks like lame cardboard cutouts. Not to mention that during the second Pilate encounter of Barabbas, there is a brick wall that looks like a wooden plank painted without care. Lastly, the color grade of some of the parts of the film is too gloomy and muted that it looks so unnatural.
So to sum up, Barabbas has a potential to be a good film if only the post-production team had put great effort to make it more sensually satisfying.