Trailer
Plot summary
Held by the Romans, the thief Barabbas stands before Pontius Pilate on the Passover feast, when one prisoner may go free. Pilate puts him up against Jesus of Nazareth, and the crowd gathered for the pardon picks Barabbas, sending Jesus to the cross. Freed, Barabbas looks for his lover Rachel, but his companions tell him she has joined the followers of Christ. She comes back, greets him without pleasure, and the two of them struggle. Barabbas watches the crucifixion, and the blackness that comes over the sky as Jesus dies leaves him shaken. He sees the body laid in the tomb, and when the tomb is found open he will not accept Rachel's word that Christ has risen, calling it an illusion or a stolen body.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Barabbas (1961)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The crucifixion scene in Barabbas was filmed on 15 February 1961 during an actual total eclipse of the sun.
- Before major casting began, Yul Brynner was actively considered for the title role of Barabbas but never got the part; his earlier Biblical roles were Rameses II in The Ten Commandments and Solomon in Solomon and Sheba.
- Mario Nascimbene's score for Barabbas introduced electronic sounds achieved by manipulating tape speeds; the composer called his stark experimental work "new sounds", and Franco Ferrara conducted the score.
