Watch Order
0 / 3 watchedAll three versions in release order.
About Barabbas
Barabbas expands the thief pardoned instead of Jesus from the Passion narrative. The 1953 Swedish version adapted Par Lagerkvist's 1950 novel first. The 1961 Richard Fleischer epic with Anthony Quinn runs 137 minutes, shot the crucifixion during a real 1961 eclipse, and earned-sidebar Italian award nominations.
The 2012 TV film with Billy Zane retells the same novel for television. Each version starts from the novel rather than continuing the last. Release order shows the story shrinking from Cinecitta epic to intimate TV scale.
Good to know
Watch in release order with the 1961 epic as the center, since it is the famous telling. The 1953 Swedish version adapts the novel first on a smaller scale. The 2012 version retells it for television with a new cast and smaller scale. No new adaptation has been announced, so the 2012 TV film is the current endpoint.
