Barabbas

Barabbas is an Italian-American historical drama about the thief spared from crucifixion when the crowd in Jerusalem chooses him over Jesus. Set free while the man who took his place dies on the cross, Barabbas is left to reckon with what that reprieve means. His unease hardens into a restless life of crime, forced labour in a sulphur mine and finally the gladiatorial arena, where he fights for his freedom and for some answer to the faith he cannot shake. Pär Lagerkvist's novel, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, provides the source.

Richard Fleischer directed, working from a screenplay by Christopher Fry, Ivo Perilli and Nigel Balchin, with Dino De Laurentiis producing for Columbia Pictures. It was Fleischer's eighth film as director, following Compulsion and preceding Fantastic Voyage. Anthony Quinn plays the title role, with Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy as Pontius Pilate, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews and Vittorio Gassman among a credited cast of twenty-eight.

The film runs 137 minutes and took about 6 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from roughly 7,700 votes; on TMDB it also stands at 6.9, from a much smaller base of 188 votes. The two audiences agree closely, and both suggest a solidly regarded but not widely seen historical epic.