Speaking of Biblical Epics

Today being Easter, TCM played two of the more well-known epic movie versions of the story of the Savior, "King of Kings", and "The Greatest Story Ever Told".  Considering this to be an Easter-appropriate activity, I came home from Church and spent the rest of the afternoon watching them.  Both have their merits, but I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison.  So here goes...

King of Kings

What it's got going for it - Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus, Robert Ryan as John the Baptist, and an original story concerning the politics of Judea at the time.  There's plenty of intrigue and action, and Jeffery Hunter gives a really nice portrayal of the Savior.  

Cons - The same original story.  If you're looking for a story that holds closely to that told in the Gospels, this isn't it.  And I'd bet it was filmed in Italy, since quite a few of the actors appear to not be quite in sync with the dialog.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

What it's got going for it - Filmed in Southern Utah, there's terrific local scenery.  It's very faithful (with a few exceptions) to the text of the Gospels, and it has a really beautiful music score by Alfred Newman.  There's also a host of cameo appearances, Dorothy Mcguire, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer, and Telly Savalas to name a few.

Cons - I hate to say it, but the biggest con for this one is that Max Von Sydow is a creepy Jesus.  His hairstyle is wrong, and he's just, well creepy.  If you have sharp eyes, you'll see Jamie Farr as one of the twelve disciples.  But after being used to seeing him in a dress for 10 years on MASH, it really throws me off.