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The Greatest Story Ever Told
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The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic religious film that retells the Biblical account of Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Produced and directed by George Stevens, the film features an ensemble cast and includes the final film performances of Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut.
The origins of The Greatest Story Ever Told trace back to a half-hour radio series in 1947, inspired by the four canonical Gospels. The series was later adapted into a 1949 novel by Fulton Oursler. In 1954, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel, but development stalled for several years. In November 1958, Stevens joined the project, agreeing to write and direct. However, in September 1961, Fox withdrew due to concerns over the film's projected cost and its thematic similarities to King of Kings (1961), another religious biopic about Jesus.
A few months later, Stevens moved the project to United Artists. He opted to film in the Southwestern United States rather than the Middle East, and principal photography began on October 29, 1962. Filming fell behind schedule due to Stevens' meticulous shooting techniques, prompting David Lean and Jean Negulesco to assist with some sequences. Production concluded on August 1, 1963.
The film premiered at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City on February 15, 1965, receiving a polarized response from critics. It was also a box office disappointment, earning $15.5 million against a $20 million budget. Despite this, it received five Academy Award nominations.
The film opens with Three Wise Men following a celestial star to Jerusalem, seeking the prophesied newborn King of the Jews. Summoned by the paranoid King Herod, they reveal the Messiah’s birth, foretold to occur in Bethlehem. Herod secretly dispatches spies to track the child, but the Magi instead find Mary and Joseph in a humble stable, presenting gifts to their infant son, Jesus. Warned by an angel, the family flees to Egypt just before Herod orders the slaughter of Bethlehem’s male infants. Herod dies shortly after, and the family returns to Nazareth.
Years later, Judea chafes under Roman rule. Herod Antipas, now tetrarch of Galilee, dismisses messianic hopes while the prophet John the Baptist preaches repentance at the Jordan River. Jesus, now an adult, arrives to be baptized by John, then retreats to the wilderness. There, he resists three temptations by a mysterious Dark Hermit, embodying spiritual evil. Returning to Galilee, Jesus gathers disciples—including fishermen Peter, Andrew, John, and the skeptical Judas Iscariot—promising to make them “fishers of men.”
As Jesus teaches through parables and performs miracles like healing a crippled man, crowds grow. In Capernaum, he recruits the tax collector Matthew, while Pharisees and priests grow alarmed. Herodias, wife of Herod Antipas, manipulates her husband into arresting John the Baptist for denouncing her marriage as adulterous. Meanwhile, Jesus’s fame spreads: he spares Mary Magdalene from stoning, heals a hemorrhaging woman, and feeds 5,000 with scant loaves.
In Nazareth, Jesus faces rejection when locals demand proof of his divinity. Later, he resurrects his friend Lazarus in Bethany, stunning onlookers and confirming fears among Jerusalem’s leaders. Herod, learning Jesus survived his father’s massacre, executes John and orders Jesus’s arrest.
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The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic religious film that retells the Biblical account of Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Produced and directed by George Stevens, the film features an ensemble cast and includes the final film performances of Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut.
The origins of The Greatest Story Ever Told trace back to a half-hour radio series in 1947, inspired by the four canonical Gospels. The series was later adapted into a 1949 novel by Fulton Oursler. In 1954, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel, but development stalled for several years. In November 1958, Stevens joined the project, agreeing to write and direct. However, in September 1961, Fox withdrew due to concerns over the film's projected cost and its thematic similarities to King of Kings (1961), another religious biopic about Jesus.
A few months later, Stevens moved the project to United Artists. He opted to film in the Southwestern United States rather than the Middle East, and principal photography began on October 29, 1962. Filming fell behind schedule due to Stevens' meticulous shooting techniques, prompting David Lean and Jean Negulesco to assist with some sequences. Production concluded on August 1, 1963.
The film premiered at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City on February 15, 1965, receiving a polarized response from critics. It was also a box office disappointment, earning $15.5 million against a $20 million budget. Despite this, it received five Academy Award nominations.
The film opens with Three Wise Men following a celestial star to Jerusalem, seeking the prophesied newborn King of the Jews. Summoned by the paranoid King Herod, they reveal the Messiah’s birth, foretold to occur in Bethlehem. Herod secretly dispatches spies to track the child, but the Magi instead find Mary and Joseph in a humble stable, presenting gifts to their infant son, Jesus. Warned by an angel, the family flees to Egypt just before Herod orders the slaughter of Bethlehem’s male infants. Herod dies shortly after, and the family returns to Nazareth.
Years later, Judea chafes under Roman rule. Herod Antipas, now tetrarch of Galilee, dismisses messianic hopes while the prophet John the Baptist preaches repentance at the Jordan River. Jesus, now an adult, arrives to be baptized by John, then retreats to the wilderness. There, he resists three temptations by a mysterious Dark Hermit, embodying spiritual evil. Returning to Galilee, Jesus gathers disciples—including fishermen Peter, Andrew, John, and the skeptical Judas Iscariot—promising to make them “fishers of men.”
As Jesus teaches through parables and performs miracles like healing a crippled man, crowds grow. In Capernaum, he recruits the tax collector Matthew, while Pharisees and priests grow alarmed. Herodias, wife of Herod Antipas, manipulates her husband into arresting John the Baptist for denouncing her marriage as adulterous. Meanwhile, Jesus’s fame spreads: he spares Mary Magdalene from stoning, heals a hemorrhaging woman, and feeds 5,000 with scant loaves.
In Nazareth, Jesus faces rejection when locals demand proof of his divinity. Later, he resurrects his friend Lazarus in Bethany, stunning onlookers and confirming fears among Jerusalem’s leaders. Herod, learning Jesus survived his father’s massacre, executes John and orders Jesus’s arrest.