7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Barabbas, the criminal that Pontius Pilate induced the populace to vote to set free, so that Christ could be crucified, is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life.
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, Katy Jurado, Arthur Kennedy, Harry AndrewsHistory | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Biography | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.20:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 1.5 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Richard Fleischer's religious epic Barabbas, produced by Dino De Laurentiis, concerns itself with the not-totally-agreed-upon Christian Biblical account of its title character, a convicted murderer pardoned by Pontius Pilate -- at the behest of a passionate crowd -- in place of Jesus at the site of his later crucifixion. (Not seeing the problem here... didn't that work out for the best?) During the next several decades, we follow Barabbas (Anthony Quinn) as he battles both guilt and past vices, the latter of which eventually leads to a brutal slavery sentence in the sulfur mines of Sicily.
Yet I remain somewhat distantly vague about a more in-depth analysis or even overview of Barabbas for two reasons: it's perhaps best experienced with as few spoilers as possible, and its sensitive subject matter -- especially from the perspective of a hard-line atheist -- potentially invites more snarky jokes than objective criticism. Yet it's easy to see that while Barabbas can't quite measure up to the fundamental heights of this era's best-known religious epics such as King of Kings, Ben-Hur, and of course The Ten Commandments, in some ways I prefer Barabbas' less-traveled subject matter and morally ambiguous territory even if it's still mostly regarded as a second-tier production. (Jesus' crucifixion scene was also reportedly shot during a real-life total solar eclipse, and that's just badass.) But again, enough can't be said about Quinn's central performance, which more or less anchors the narrative and presents its title character as a clearly flawed but amiably sympathetic figure, and Barabbas just wouldn't be the same without him.
Released alongside the substantially less Biblical epic The Long Ships, the Australian boutique label Imprint presents Barabbas on a
region-free Blu-ray designed to compete with a few other recent international editions. Sadly both of these discs suffer from woefully unrestored
masters, making these lavish Technicolor epics look and sound substantially less impressive than they ought to. Luckily, their slick packaging and a
nice pile of retrospective bonus features at least make them worth a look for established fans, even if their A/V shortcomings may prove to be fatal
flaws.
Similar to Imprint's recent Blu-ray edition of The Long Ships, viewers are greeted with the following ominous disclaimer before the main feature begins: "Due to the original source materials, viewers may notice some imperfections in the presentation of this film. The best available master from the copyright owner has been used." Again this a pretty huge understatement, as Barabbas looks several generations removed from what its Technicolor roots actually deserve and suffers from most or all of the same immediately noticeable drawbacks as that other linked title. Fine detail, textures, contrast, density, black levels, and more are all well below average, and the regular appearance of edge enhancement and macro blocking once again rears its ugly head. Still, there are differences that set this apart from The Long Ships in certain areas: a handful of scenes fare better with clean edges and an overall look that actually borders on acceptable, yet a few other segments suffer from a juddery frame rate issue. I'm not sure if this could be due to a flaw in its digital conversion or a possible PAL discrepancy, but it's noticeable at times. All told, this transfer looks closer to a widescreen VHS presentation than even solid anamorphic DVD quality, let alone one that warrants a dual-layered Blu-ray. But again like The Long Ships, an olive branch can be extended for its historically disappointing home video picture quality, not to mention that all of this disc's potentially fatal flaws are clearly not the fault of those who encoded it.
Likewise, many sonic criticisms of Imprint's recent Blu-ray edition of The Long Ships can also be applied to this LPCM 2.0 track -- they really are almost indistinguishable in overall fidelity and presence, featuring near-identical pervasive drawbacks and dynamic range issues that combine to make an underwhelming but at least listenable experience. Light hissing, popping, crackling, and other subtle distractions are regularly presence, as is a cramped high end that slightly hinders louder conversations, action, and the original score by composer Mario Nascimbene. It's not a total loss, but this certainly isn't a standout track and one that, like the video, would benefit from a proper restoration.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature, and you might need them.
Imprint's Blu-ray features the studio's trademark deluxe packaging, as this one-disc release ships in a clear keepcase with attractive cover artwork, an inner print, and a glossy slipsleeve with alternate poster-themed artwork. On-disc extras are light in number but easily serve as the biggest draw for established fans and newcomers too.
Richard Fleischer's religious epic Barabbas, produced by Dino De Laurentiis, plays out as expected: an over-the-top spectacle with solid performances that nonetheless places its visuals and cinematography over an airtight script, yet the end result is still accessible and even fitfully enjoyable whether or not you subscribe to its source material. Sadly, some enthusiasm is dampened by the (possibly unavoidable?) below-average technical presentation of Imprint's region-free Blu-ray which, like The Long Ships, is sorely in need of a full restoration. Yet the film's more immediate strengths and its slimmer but more enjoyable extras make Barabbas the disc to get if you can only choose one, even if its remaining flaws don't exactly make this a highly recommend purchase for all but the film's most forgiving fans.
1965
2016
1962
1964
2015
1970
2017
2015
2017
2015
1956
Hollywood Gold Series
1975
Imprint #198
1956
Imprint #133
1970
Hollywood Gold Series
1956
2015
2014
2015
1959
1969