Barabbas
1961 · Movie · NR · 137 min · ★ 6.9 · 84% critics
The story follows a convicted thief pardoned instead of Jesus, then haunted by guilt and searching for meaning through a series of harsh ordeals. His path eventually leads him to the gladiatorial arena, where he fights for freedom and confronts his inner demons, finding spiritual direction in the aftermath.
Based on Barabbas
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Details
- Years
- 1961
- Release date
- 1961-12-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (178 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy Barabbas if you like epic religious dramas and intense historical settings with guilt-and-redemption themes; Not for you if you want fast, lightweight storytelling like Quo Vadis or King of Kings.
Pros: lavish biblical scale; memorable arena scenes; powerful eclipse moment | Cons: slow pacing stretches; heavy-handed religious tone; divisive storyline choices
Themes
- roman empire
- christianity
- crucifixion
- bible
- biography
- catholic
- peplum
- barabbas
- 1st century
- jesus christ
- roman legion
- christian film
- +4 more
Cast & crew
Anthony Quinn
as Barabbas
Silvana Mangano
as Rachel
Arthur Kennedy
as Pontius Pilate
Katy Jurado
as Sara
Harry Andrews
as Peter
Vittorio Gassman
as Sahak
Norman Wooland
as Rufio
Valentina Cortese
as Julia
Jack Palance
as Torvald
Ernest Borgnine
as Lucius
Directed by Richard Fleischer