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Be sure to check out my blog over at FlickChart, 'The Depths of Obscurity', where I delve into the most obscure sub-genres and decide which film reigns supreme.

Entries in 1965 (1)

Monday
Nov302009

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Release Year: 1965

Director: George Stevens

Review: Sometimes a movie is exactly what you expect it to be.  This is the case with George Stevens' biblical epic 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'.  I wanted to give this nearly three and a half hour long story of Jesus' life a fair watch.  I thought it couldn't possibly be as boring as I was envisioning.  I was wrong.  At no point does Stevens try to do anything even remotely interesting.  He had a story, he told it.  It was as dry and unemotional as reading from a text book.  The score, dialog, acting, cinematography seemed to be over reaching and trying to force an epic tale into an utterly bland film.  It's not that I need thrills every second either.  I can appreciate that the film takes its time.  My problem was that it was continually falling flat thematically, and didn't earn its casually pace.  Stevens was simply connecting dots without investing.  Perhaps if you are deeply religious the film would connect better, but for me everything seemed a whitewash version of the bible story.
Rating: 1/5