The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Greatest Story Ever Told
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Stevens
Screenplay by	George Stevens James Lee Barrett
Based on	The Greatest Story Ever Told by Fulton Oursler Henry Denker Bible
Produced by	George Stevens
Starring	Max von Sydow José Ferrer Charlton Heston Dorothy McGuire
Cinematography	Loyal Griggs William C. Mellor
Edited by	Harold F. Kress Argyle Nelson Jr. Frank O'Neil
Music by	Alfred Newman
Production company	George Stevens Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	February 15, 1965 (1965-02-15) (United States)
Running time	199 minutes (see below)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million[1]
Box office	$15.5 million[2]

The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic religious film about the retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Produced and directed by George Stevens, with an ensemble cast, it features the final film performances of Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut.

The Greatest Story Ever Told originated as a half-hour radio series in 1947, inspired by the four canonical Gospels. The series was later adapted into a 1949 novel by Fulton Oursler. In 1954, Twentieth Century Fox acquired the film rights to Oursler's novel, but development stalled for several years. In November 1958, Stevens became involved with the project, in which he agreed to write and direct. However, in September 1961, Fox withdrew from the project because of financial uncertainty concerning its presumptive cost and its thematic similarities with King of Kings (1961), another religious biopic of Jesus.

A few months later, Stevens moved the project to United Artists. Stevens decided not to film the project in the Middle East, but instead in the Southwestern United States, for which principal photography began on October 29, 1962. Filming fell behind schedule due to Stevens' tedious shooting techniques, in which David Lean and Jean Negulesco were brought in to film other sequences. The film wrapped on August 1, 1963.

The film premiered at the Warner Cinerama Theatre in New York City on February 15, 1965. It was not well received by critics on its initial release, with criticism aimed at its star-studded cast and the use of American Southwest as filming locations. The film was also a box office disappointment, grossing $15.5 million against a $20 million budget. It received five Academy Award nominations.