Barabbas (1953 film)


Barabbas is a 1953 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. It is based on the novel Barabbas by Pär Lagerkvist about the biblical character who was released instead of Jesus. The film was entered in the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. It was one of the biggest Swedish productions of its time. In 1961 an American adaptation of the same novel was released, starring Anthony Quinn in the lead role.

Cast

After a year of preparation, shooting started in the spring of 1952 in Israel and Rome, and then moved to Sweden for interior scenes during the summer. As the assigned cinematographer Göran Strindberg became ill early during production, the still up-and-coming Sven Nykvist, later star cinematographer for Ingmar Bergman, had to replace him for the exterior shots. Additional filming occurred during the autumn and into December.