PROBLEMS OF SOURCE MATERIAL

The Greatest Story Ever Told is one of many Bible films. “Bible films” or “biblical films” are films made from the stories which occur in the Bible and opposed to films which are set in Biblical times and may have a “cameo” by some Biblical character. Ben Hur, Barabbas, The Robe, and its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators are good examples of these “biblical times epics. Even The Last Days of Pompeii falls into this category although the timing is way off on it.

Any film about a biblical figure at his point is obviously going to be of the kind in which the film maker did not personally know the person about whom they wrote, or any of their contemporaries. With Jesus, the complexity lies in the fact that his “authorized” biography is basically found in one book – The Bible which is considered a revealed text. There are no known officieal records or historical documents available that can be consulted.

The idea of a revealed text – one that comes from God - is found basically only in the religions of the Children of Abraham – that is to say Judaism, Christianity and Islam all of which of related and grow out of the previous one. While the New Testament nasically is a continuation of the Old Testament, the Koran is not a narrative and does not in itself continue the story, although there are references made to figures in the Old and New Testament and Mary, the mother of Christ, actually gets mentioned more in the Koran than the Bible! Jesus is regarded as a prophet along with others.

THE AUTHORS AND THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND INTENDED AUDIENCES

The authorized story of the life of Christ is found in the four gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke and John. There are other books, known as the Apocrypha which contain information about his life, but these are not regarded as “canonical” or proper. The decision about which books went into the New Testament and which did not occurred at the direction of the Emperor Constantine. In 325 The Council of Nicea (Turkey) was formed for this purpose of coming up with an “authorized set of books” among other things. The final splitting off of the Coptic Church is in 451.

As a result of all this, there are a number of conflicting ideas and sources about the life of Jesus – many of which are regarded as heresy by some groups and dogma in others - a situation which is common enough and one that is faced by biographers who are even able to talk to the friends and relatives of the person they are writing about. Aside from that, the four gospels accepted by all are sometimes contradictory and as a result people who wish to film a “life of Christ” must either restrict themselves to one Gospel or find ways to resolve the problems of the contradictions. This is also true of some of the Old Testament in which, for example, the order of creation is different in Genesis One and Genesis Two. One can see quite easily then, that dealing with a Christ biography is as complex – if not more complex than dealing with anyone else. In effect there is an “authorized biography” (The 4 gospels) which are occasionally contradictory along with “unauthorized biographies” in the form of the Apocrypha (the rejected books of the Bible, which are accepted in some divisions). The books of the Apocrypha are the books rejected by the convocation. More recently found gospels are also excluded from the Bible. There are of course, even battles as to whether Christ ever really existed!!!!

At any rate it generally thought that the writers had different audiences in mind which has an impact on what they wrote. Luke is generally thought of as a gentile for example and was writing for a gentile audience, Matthew on the other hand is seen as Jewish Christian.

Mark is by an unknown author (attributed to Mark) and was intended for a Greek non Jewish audience. It explains many Jewish customs for example

John was apparently written for Greek speaking audience. It is also radically different from the synoptic gospels (Matthew (who is reprted to be a tax collector), Mark and Luke (possibly a physician)) who tell basiclly the same story. John was originally seen as somewhat heretical and used by the gnostic Christians

The Greatest Story EVer Told is, like other Christ films based on a book; in this case, Fulton Ousler's book of the same title. Oustlers book is of coure, rooted in the gospels) Mel Gibson's The Passion for example is based on The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by a nun - a 19th century (1774-1824) mystic named Sister Anna Katharina Emmerich.

The film credits George Stevens as the directed although it appears he bit off more than he could chew, and David Lean (Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawerence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago etc.) and Jean Negulesco Three Coins in the Fountain, Boy on a DOlphin, How to Marry A Millionaire, etc.) directed some scenes but were not credited.

The film was shot in Ultra Panavision 70 and advertised as 70 mm Cinerama. Cinerama was a kind of filming that went through an evolution which was rather comlex. Initially, Conerama was filmed basically by three cameras with 27mm lensesand projected by three projetors on a screen with a deep curvature. There were problems with the system but it produced a screen ratio of 266:1 at best (265:1 at worst) which covered 146 degrees of arc - virtually that of the human eye.

Because of many technical problems (and expense) with the 3 camera/projetor set up, a new camera which could virtually duplicate the Cinerama experience came into existence. There were called Ultra Panavision 70 and SUper Panavisioni 70 and produced virtually the same screen ration, but not the 146 degree field of view.

None the less, the wide screen format moved into its own and rather than the 4:3 screen ration there were all manners of wide screen formats available. They all requier a different kind of composition. Consider tha aspect ration as the equivalent of a canvas shape and size.

Ration of :

The term "tableau" refers to a scene with people "picturesquelly" or "artistcally" arranged - often during a scene all the performers freeze in position and then resume action as before. What use is there of "tableau" in this film? What can you say about the structure of the film? How does the film open (and close)?

What kind of shots and edits are there? What effect does this have on the film?

What kind of oppositions that we have seen before return in this film?

After the Film

As a result, by the middle sixties, there was a strong tendency to realize that the Old Testament for Christians was being seen through "New Testament" eyes, and that one needed to both see it on its own terms and to realize that Christ and his contemporaries would not have seen the Old Testament tin the way that more "modern" Christians would.

How does this impact on the film?

What does Pilate say Christ's crime is? How does that relate to the film?

Everyone who is everyone is in the film! Lots of cameos by lots of people. Max von Sydow was chosen for Christ. Not well known in America - a Swedish actor known in Bergman films. This seems to be a response to the problems of casting famous actors in known parts. Unfortunately Stevens couldn't resist doing this all thought the rest of the film. There may have been some nod at the growing interest in European "art films" with which von Sydow was associated.

Many people found their attention was distracted by people like Claude Reins (recently - at that time seen on TV in Casablanca and the Invisible Man.

Certain one of the major shifts is the reliance on the prophetic aspect of the Old Testament and Jesus as fulfilling the prophecies. Several of the Old Testament books are cited.

Despite this the film is rather conservative

How does the film open (and close)?

Shots of image of Christ on a church ceiling. What effect does this have as a kind of "book end"

Places the story in historical context. Christianity will succeed.
Also places the story in a rather static manner.

Filmic Problems

Structure of text:

Parallelism between raising of Lazarus (ends part I) and resurrection of Christ (end part II).

What kind of shots and edits are there? What effect does this have on the film?

The devil appears in the film several times: When and to what end?

In wilderness, at trial pushing things in bad directions.

Costuming:

The hooded cloaks of Jesus make him look monastic
Something of the feeling of a European guru dealing with "New Age" religion - especially in nature.

Lighting