THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD P2 of 4
George Stevens was producing THE GREATEST STROY EVER TOLD through “The George Stevens Company.” Initially, he was to release through 20th Century Fox as the company had just released THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. As it was an immense production, eventually, due to the overages on CLEOPATRA, Fox had to withdraw. Stevens then set up financing and release through United Artists and decided to film entirely in the United States .
Stevens’ “The Greatest Story Ever Told” had a long roadshow engagement in 1965 at The McVickers Theatre in Chicago where I saw it and, as contemporary parlance would have it, “was completely blown away.” I realized when I saw GSET then that its was a great film and it has remained so for me ever since. The “problem ” lots of people seem to have with it is its “slow ” pace which I find hypnotic. It has a completely different rhythm from most films. You have to surrender to GSET to get it, and if you don’t it won’t work for you. I wrote my 3rd year high school term paper on Stevens’ films which got an A+ from my teacher, and subsequently met him when he appeared at the Walter Reade Theatre in Chicago, where he signed it, in purple ink, without hesitation.
Michael McDonagh on George Stevens — http://www.ebar.com; http://www.culturevulture.net. Someone on http://www.imdb.com culled from my comments on GSET in their Stevens bio there which pleases me much.
Michael McDonagh “clarifies whom he’s talking about in the 6th sentence in paragraph one, of his comments on George Stevens’ monumental life of Jesus “The Greatest Story Ever Told ‘ (1965). ” on Stevens’ films which got an A+ from my teacher, and subsequently met Stevens…”
Michael McDonagh http://www.culturevulture.net BIO
http://www.allkindsofweather.com wwwnorfolkpress.com
My name is Michael McDonagh.