Filmmaker
George Stevens chose Monument Valley, Utah for his exterior sequences in The Greatest Story Ever Told, this ($20 million) adaptation of Fulton Oursler's best-selling book. The "Greatest Story" is, of course, the life of Jesus Christ, played herein by
Max von Sydow. The large supporting cast includes
Dorothy McGuire as Mary,
Claude Rains as Herod the Great, Jose Ferrer as Herod Antipas,
Charlton Heston as John the Baptist,
Donald Pleasence as Satan (identified only as "The Dark Hermit"),
David McCallum as Judas Iscariot,
Sidney Poitier as Simon of Cyrene,
Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate and
Martin Landau as Caiaphas. Even
Robert Blake as Simon the Zealot,
Jamie Farr as Thaddaeus, and motorcyle-flick veteran
Richard Bakalyan as Dismas, the repentant thief, are well-suited to their roles. Originally roadshown at 260 minutes,
Greatest Story Ever Told was later available in a 195-minute version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide