Barabbas (Columbia Pictures) (1961)

Jack Palance When a man’s career can encompass such activities as a coal miner, short order cook, radio repairman, salesman, lifeguard, bomber pilot, professional boxer, student and athlete—and then he can win both the Sylvania Award and TV’s Emmy (equivalent of filmland’s Oscar) as well as an Academy Award nomination, obviously this man—Jack Palance— rates some special distinction. And now, in Dino De Laurentiis’ production, “Barabbas,” the Columbia Pictures release with Anthony Quinn in the title role fatncherrmery sae Theatre, Palance once again gives testimony to his inimitable talents. He plays Torvald, captain of the gladiators, in this Technicolor-Technirama film. Injured in a bomber crash and discharged from service after a period of hospitalization, Palance enrolled at Stanford University under the G.I. bill to study journalism. While at school, he joined the Drama Club, a seemingly innocuous action that changed the course of his life. Again, impulsively and unexplainably, Palance left the University determined to become a Broadway actor. After a number of minor roles in plays which invariably folded, Palance became understudy for Anthony Quinn in the touring company of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and subsequently replaced both Quinn in Chicago and Marlon Brando on Broadway when the stars were invalided. The experience brought him to the attention of noted director Elia Kazan, who brought Palance to Hollywood and launched his film career in “Panic In The Streets.”’ Since then, Palance has worked exclusively in films, except for two invitational appearance with the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford, Conn. No ‘Glamour-Boys’ One of the many remarkable facts about “Barabbas,” starring Anthony Quinn at the .......... Theatre, is that the cast was chosen to fit the story and not the story to fit the actors. Producer Dino De Laurentiis and his director, Richard Fleischer, refused to compromise with this novel by Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist, casting each role with an actor whom they thought was perfect for that particular part. There are none of the so-called “glamour boys” in the cast, but there are great personalities and performers, such as two time Academy Award winner Anthony Quinn, for example, one of the screen’s most sought-after actors. Quinn plays the title role in this story of the assassin and thief who was given his life and freedom when Christ was crucified in his place. Jack Palance can hardly be called the “collar-ad” type, but here again is character and in “Barabbas,” Palance is the epitome of evil, playing the gladiator captain bent on destroying Barabbas in the arena. Ernest Borgnine was one of the first stars to start the trend away from the glamour boys, with his outstanding success in “Marty,” for which he won an Academy Award and Arthur Kennedy is another actor who has never depended on handsome looks to win his fame. Handsomest man in “Barabbas” is Vittorio Gassman, as the slave who becomes Barabbas’ friend. Gassman symbolizes a gentle follower of the Nazarene, he was chosen for his ability to portray this characteristic rather than for his good looks. On the distaff side, there also was no compromise. Katy Jurado, for example, plays a bawdy tavern keeper in Jerusalem who is in love with Barabbas and she looks every inch the part and lovely Silvana Mangano plays the gentle Rachel, the girl of the streets who becomes a follower of the Nazarene. Page 14 (Mat 2C; Still No. Spec. 23) Anthony Quinn, in the title role of “Barabbas,” asks the Roman crowd whether he should spare gladiator Jack Palance, in Dino De Laurentiis’ Technicolor-Technirama production for Columbia Pictures release. Also starred are Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews, Vittorio Gassman and Ernest Borgnine. “Barabbas” is based on the novel by Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist. 3) IB age Ie Le Roman Gladiators Hundreds of gladiators engaged in mortal combat — hungry animals pacing back and forth waiting for human flesh to feed on— a cheering crowd of blood-thirsty Romans urging the combatants on. This is the realistic action sequence staged by Director Richard Fleischer in “Barabbas,” the Dino De Laurentiis production in Technirama and Technicolor for Columbia release, now starring Anthony Quinn at the ...... Theatre. The Roman inventiveness for gore was unbelievable, so much so that Fleischer toned down the script to make it more credible to moviegoers. The public shows of death are first recorded in 160 B.C. Before long they became so popular among the masses that politicians sponsored them to win the support of the voters. In 63 B.C., to stop this “corrupt practice,” a law was passed which forbade a politician to sponsor such spectacles for two years preceding his candidacy for office. The honor of presenting the shows was progressively limited until only the Emperor could do so—to become a means of maintaining public support. Long famous as a tourist attraction, the Colosseum in Rome is a constant reminder of the carnage which took place. It held more than 50,000 blood-thirsty Romans who sat from dawn to dusk to watch the continuous show of killing. On the day the Colosseum was inaugurated, for example, 5000 beasts were killed, not to mention the humans. In October 1, 316, Constantine decreed that criminals could no longer be used as slaves — thus cutting off a major source of talent for the gladiator schools. By the early part of the Fifth Century, this bloody blot against humanity became a part of history. Music Master! Mario Nascimbene, one of Europe’s leading composers, wrote the musical score for Dino De Laurentiis’ production of “Barabbas,” Columbia Pictures release which stars Anthony Quinn in the title role at the ........ Theatre in Technicolor and Technirama. Also starred in the drama, based on Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist’s novel, are Silvana Mangano, Arthur Kennedy, Katy Jurado, Harry Andrews, Vittorio Gassman, Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine, Nascimbene worked on the musical backgrounds for such films as “Solomon and Sheba,” “Room at the Top,” “Sons and Lovers,” “The Vikings,” “Romanoff and Juliet,” “Farewell to Arms,” which won him an Academy nomination, and others. 2000-Year Old Sets Several of the sets in the Dino De Laurentiis production, “Barabbas,” Columbia release starring Anthony Quinn at the .......... Theatre, are more than 2,000 years old. An entrance into Rome sequence, for example, used a stretch of the famed Via Appia Antica, down which the conquering legions of Caesar once marched, Even the entrance gates to the city, straddling this most famous of all highways, the Porta San Sebastiano, were used. Director Richard Fleischer also used the Tiber River and one of its oldest bridges, the Ponte Quattro Capi (Four Heads), as a background for a scene in which Quinn and Vittorio Gassman, as gladiators, are forced by gladiator captain Jack Palance to swim the swift-flowing river in full armor, as part of their training. This bridge, still open to traffic, was built more than 2,000 years ago; it is in the heart of the city, adjacent to the Isola Tiberina, the island on which Emperor Tiberius had a palace built in the shape of a huge galley. The famed Colosseum, still one of the great sights of this city, is no longer usable as an arena so the huge “Barabbas” company had to move to Verona, where the Roman arena built before the Colosseum is still in an excellent state of preservation. De Laurentiis had _ the ancient arena restored to its original splendor, at a cost of $100,000, and here in the very same arena where hundreds of gladiators died in a single day to amuse the bloodthirsty mobs of the day, De Laurentiis staged an authentic re-enactment of the very same events. Christopher Fry World-famous as a poet and playwright, Christopher Fry was especially chosen by producer Dino De Laurentiis to write the screen play for “Barabbas,”’ Columbia Pictures release now starring Anthony Quinn in the title role at theweeniachicie Theatre in Technirama and Technicolor. Fry, who wrote the screenplay for “Ben Hur,” gladly undertook to translate into the screen idiom Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist’s novel, “Barabbas,” which he had long admired. A former English school teacher, Fry’s first play, “The Boy With a Cart,” was written for an amateur group in a Sussex Village; twelve years later, it was performed in London, with Richard Burton in the leading role. “The Lady’s Not for Burning,” a new and provocative version of the martyrdom of Joan of Arc, won Fry his international reputation. 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Mario Chiari Broducediby, 42sec ee Dino De Laurentiis Costumesiany ss: hos ee Maria De Matteis Miréctedthy s..21.5. 9580: Richard Fleischer Technirama® Technicolor® A Dino De Laurentiis Production A Columbia Pictures Release THE STORY (Not For Publication) Pontius Pilate offers the people of Jerusalem their choice: he will free either the prophet Jesus of Nazareth or the assassin and thief Barabbas. The people cry “Give us Barabbas . . . ” Barabbas celebrates his unexpected freedom with his rowdy friends and voluptuous tavern keeper Sara. Rachel, a girl of the streets, spurns him because she now is a follower of the Nazarene and Barabbas makes love to her by force. It grows dark in mid-afternoon. Barabbas is drawn to Golgotha. He sees the disciples re moving the dead man from the cross and he scoffs at Rachel’s prediction Jesus will rise again. Despite Sara’s eager attentions, Barabbas finds himself constantly reminded of the Nazarene. Rachel is arrested for preaching the new gospel; Barabbas helplessly watches as she is stoned to death. Returning to his old way of life, robbing and killing Romans, Barabbas is again captured. This time, he is sentenced to the sulphur mines in Ttaly where he lives and works underground chained to a slave-partner. In the mines for 20 years, outliving the other slaves, Barabbas comes to think himself indestructible because his life was spared at the expense of Christ’s. Barabbas and Sahak, his latest slave-partner and a Christian, are sole survivors of a mine disaster. Julia, wife of Rufio, Governor of the province, suggests bringing Barabbas and Sahak back with them to Rome; they are lucky. Barabbas and Sahak are assigned to a Roman gladiatorial school where Barabbas makes an enemy of Torvald, captain of the gladiators. Sahak, unable to stop preaching Christianity, is charged with treason. Rufio gives him an opportunity to recant: when he refuses, he is slain by Torvald. Barabbas, asked if he is a Christian, tells Rufio he has no God, but would like to believe. : In the arena, before the Emperor, Barabbas and Torvald next day wage a titanic struggle. Barabbas finally downs Torvald, receives the Emperor’s signal to kill him. The Emperor rewards Barabbas with freedom. No longer a slave, Barabbas’ first act is to exhume Sahak’s body and take it to the Christians in the Catacombs. Emerging from the caves, he finds Rome in flames. He believes the rumor, started by the Emperor, that the Christians are responsible. Barabbas sets new fires, thinking he is helping the Christians burn Rome, so a new world may arise. In prison with the hundreds of innocents, Barabbas learns he has only helped to destroy them. <5] B] Bh BB) I) I) BB I] I) I IBS Ded ied Also sentenced to death by Crucifixion, Barabbas finally discovers a meaning to his life. As he x) a dies on the cross, he cries out: “I give myself up .. . into your keeping. I am Barabbas.” & Ps) {YB x] 2B 3B 2 | BD] BB) DD I IIIS EEPzAibsdb=apxabcdbedbcdhsdbsdbsaipca bed raed pea abraded RES Printed in U.S.A.