Barabbas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Barabbas Blu-ray Movie Review

The Passion of the Thief.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 25, 2013

There are some who question the existence of a historical Jesus, even though there is substantial evidence that such an individual existed—whether or not one wants to believe in his divinity. But rather strangely only a relative handful of folks have ever questioned the existence of Barabbas, the supposed criminal who was freed in the place of Jesus, in one of the more contentious passages in the Gospels (at least with regard to the version in Matthew). This seems especially strange since the historical record concerning Barabbbas is decidedly more sketchy than the one surrounding Jesus of Nazareth. Swedish novelist Pär Lagerkvist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1951, which some wrongly ascribe as an award given solely for Lagerkvist’s best known (internationally, at least) novel, 1950’s Barabbas, rather than rightly understanding it was a “career” trophy. But Lagerkvist’s novel provided much of the source material for a modern conception of the Barabbas character, and it has been adapted (repeatedly) into various media, including the 1961 Richard Fleischer film Barabbas, which starred Anthony Quinn (and which is still sadly unavailable on Blu-ray), and now this 2012 Italian television production which premiered during Eastertide on the Reelzchannel.

Roger Young, who has a long career crafting Biblical dramas for television (not to mention now long forgotten fare like the Richard Chamberlain made for television version of The Bourne Identity), directs Billy Zane in the title role here in an effort that is laudable and laughable in about equal measure. The production is slightly more opulent than, say, some of the low-fi efforts we’ve seen from domestic Christian label Pure Flix, but it still reeks of a “cast of tens” feeling that deprives a lot of the story of scope and epic feel. Some of the dialogue, especially in the first half of this two part miniseries, is silly, if not flat out ridiculous. But once Barabbas starts on his own spiritual journey after the crucifixion of Jesus, things actually perk up a bit, and the series develops some fine drama in the interplay between Barabbas and Pontius Pilate (Filippo Nigro). This yet another film following in the gruesomely bloody wake of The Passion of the Christ, and so parents who might think of this as appropriate “educational” material for their kids may well want to pre-screen Barabbas to make sure it’s not too graphic for younger eyes.

Barabbas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Barabbas is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Gaiam Vivendi and Sonar Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. According to the IMDb, this made for television film was shot in Super 16, and it boasts a reasonably sharp image in this high definition presentation, though one that doesn't offer overly robust color or much depth. Fine detail is very good in close-ups, where Zane's weathered, stubble filled face is displayed in all its "glory".

Barabbas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Barabbas's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is rather nicely immersive a lot of the time, and it benefits from a very colorful score from Paolo Vivaldi which spills consistently into the surrounds. Ambient environmental sounds also dot the side and rear channels. Dialogue is cleanly presented, though a lot of this effort seems to have been post-looped and many of the actors are obviously not native English speakers.

Barabbas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc, a rather odd decision considering the fact that Reelzchannel produced at least two promotional specials that I'm aware of.

Barabbas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Barabbas has some of the post-modern self importance that hobbled parts of The Bible: The Epic Miniseries, but it also has its heart in the right place. The first half of this miniseries is a good deal less effective than the second half, so patience is recommended.