-
John the Baptist : Are you going to free me?
Herod Antipas : I am going to kill you.
John the Baptist : Then you free me!
Herod Antipas : [walking away]Â I hope so.
Screenplay, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Jose Ferrer had a stage and film career for half a century, and from almost the first he was recognized as a rising star. My favorite screen role of his came early in his career as defense attorney Lieutenant Barney Greenwald in The Caine Mutiny (1954).
His opportunity to portray Herod Antipas came in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Ferrer plays Herod Antipas as a world weary cynic who fears that Hell is all too real, feebly trying to deny the coming damnation that he knows he has richly earned:
His execution of John after the dance of Salome seals his damnation as far as Herod is concerned. (Charlton Heston’s portrayal of John is a wonder to behold.)Â By the time Pilate sends Christ to him, Herod is a drunken wreck who can only mock the Truth he has rejected, and sends Him back to Pilate.
The film is available on Youtube with ads. Go here to watch it. Go here to view a making of documentary on the film. Anyone who has not seen this masterpiece, I heartily recommend viewing it this Holy Week.
Thank you, Don! Wishing you and your bride a blessed Holy Week
Thank you Cathy! Same to you and yours!
Yes, Don, God bless you and your loved ones.
Same for you and your loved ones Tom!