Nardo Vladimiro Picciafuochi Uncredited Roy Mangano as Jesus Christ Paola Pitagora as Mary Magdalene Rina Franchetti as Mary of Clopas Piero Pastore as Nicodemus Vera Drudi as Salome Nino Segurini as Apostle John Jacopo Tecchi as Apostle Thomas Ivan Triesault as Emperor Nero Sharon Tate as Patrician in arena Before major casting began, Yul Brynner was actively considered for the title role, yet never got the part. His previous Biblical film roles were The Pharaoh in The Ten Commandments and Solomon in Solomon and Sheba. Production The music score by Mario Nascimbene, which was conducted by Franco Ferrara, the noted conductor and lecturer on conducting at several famous international academies, was noted for its unusual, stark experimental component – the composer referred to his work, which included the introduction of electronic sounds achieved by the manipulation of tape speeds, as "new sounds". The main theme was based on the "Kyrie" from "Orbis Factor:Missa XI" which is a part of the Roman Catholic Ordinary. The depiction of the crucifixion was filmed on 15 February 1961 during an actual total eclipse of the sun. Differences from the book In Lagerkvist's original novel, Barabbas' later crime that sends him into slavery is explicitly left vague. He is sent to the copper mines of Cyprus, rather than Sicily as in the film. Sarak and Barabbas are freed from the mines by an overseer friendly to Christians, rather than it being destroyed by an earthquake. There are no gladiatorial scenes anywhere in the book, as Barabbas is made a field slave and then a house slave to his Roman owner. Reception Barabbas received positive reviews; it currently holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10. Awards Nominee Best Color Cinematography - Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Aldo Tonti) Nominee Best Costume Design - Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Maria De Matteis) Nominee Best Production Design - Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Mario Chiari) Selected Top Foreign Films of the Year - National Board of Review See also 1961 in film Italian films of 1961 List of films featuring eclipses References External links 1961 films 1960s adventure drama films Italian adventure drama films Columbia Pictures films 1960s English-language films English-language Italian films Films directed by Richard Fleischer Films scored by Mario Nascimbene Films based on Swedish novels Films based on the Gospels Films