''The Big Fisherman'' is a 1959 American historical drama film directed by

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), ''A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), '' Man's ...

about the life of

Simon Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupa ...

, one of the disciples of Jesus. Starring

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

, Susan Kohner and

John Saxon John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor who worked on more than 200 film and television projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playin ...

, the production is adapted from the 1948 novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, which is closely related to Douglas' previous book, 1942's '' The Robe'' which, six years earlier, in 1953, had been adapted for the screen under the same title, '' The Robe''. The film was shot at Universal-International studios but released by Buena Vista, the film releasing company of Walt Disney Productions. ''The Robe'' ends with "the Big Fisherman" as a nickname for Peter; Jesus called him "the fisher of men" and "the Rock".

Plot

The story traces Peter's journey from self-sufficient fisherman to his dependency on a risen Christ. It also presents another story of redemption and forgiveness, as he takes in a young Arab/Jewish girl, Fara. As they both learn of Jesus, it changes their lives. The young Fara discovers that she is the daughter of

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both ...

who married and shortly discarded her Arab mother in favor of

Herodias Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution. Family rel ...

. Disguised as a boy, Fara goes to Galilee to assassinate Herod in revenge. Robbed by bandits, Fara is discovered by

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

who advises her to listen to the great teacher, Jesus. She comes under the protection of Peter but vows to kill Herod. She manages to be employed in Herod's household to translate a series of prophecies. Fara and Peter hear Jesus teaching. Fara turns away when he urges nonviolence. Peter is initially cynical, but in stages is drawn to become his disciple. Fara gains an opportunity to kill Herod, and reveals her identity to him. As Peter watches, Herod urges her not to sink to murder. Fara recalls the words of Christ, and lowers her knife. Peter declares her free of her own chains. Peter takes Fara to Arabia where they rescue Voldi, an Arab prince who wishes to marry her. However, Fara realises that her mixed race would jeopardize his future rule, so she leaves with Peter to spread the word of peace.

Cast

as Simon-Peter * Susan Kohner as Fara *

as Voldi *

Martha Hyer Martha Hyer (August 10, 1924 – May 31, 2014) was an American actress who played Gwen French in '' Some Came Running'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, ''Finding My Wa ...

* Herbert Lom as Herod-Antipas * Ray Stricklyn as Deran *

Marian Seldes Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...

as Arnon *

Alexander Scourby Alexander Scourby (; November 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American film actor, film, television actor, television, and voice actor known for his deep and resonant voice and Mid-Atlantic accent. He is best known for his film role a ...

as David Ben-Zadok * Beulah Bondi as Hannah * Jay Barney as

* Charlotte Fletcher as Rennah * Mark Dana as Zendi * Rhodes Reason as

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

* Henry Brandon as Mencius * Brian Hutton as

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

* Thomas Troupe as

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

* Marianne Stewart as Ione *

Jonathan Harris Jonathan Harris (born Jonathan Daniel Charasuchin, November 6, 1914 – November 3, 2002) was an American character actor whose career included more than 500 television and film appearances, as well as voiceovers. Two of his best-known roles w ...

as Lysias *

Leonard Mudie Leonard Mudie (born Leonard Mudie Cheetham; April 11, 1883April 14, 1965) was an English character actor whose career lasted for nearly fifty years. After a successful start as a stage actor in England, he appeared regularly in the US, and mad ...

as Ilderan *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Education Griffith attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a classmate with Glenn Ford. Both were active i ...

as The beggar * Peter Adams as Phillip * Jo Gilbert as Deborah * Michael Mark as Innkeeper * Joe Di Reda as Assassin *

Stuart Randall Stuart Randall may refer to: * Stuart Randall, Baron Randall of St Budeaux, British politician * Stuart Randall (actor) Stuart Randall (born Clarence Maxwell, July 24, 1909 – June 22, 1988) was an American actor of film and television ...

Aretas Aretas is the Greek form of a name borne by kings of the Nabataeans resident at Petra It can refer to: * Aretas I was a king in the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes * Aretas II ruled Nabatea from 120 or 110 to 96 BC *Aretas III ruled Nabatea from 87 ...

Herbert Rudley Herbert Rudley (March 22, 1910 – September 9, 2006) was an American character actor who appeared on stage, films and on television. Early life Rudley was born in 1910 in Philadelphia and attended Temple University. He left Temple after winnin ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

* Phillip Pine as

Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

Francis McDonald Francis McDonald (August 22, 1891 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Early years Born on August 22, 1891, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, McDonald was the son of John Francis McDonald and Catherine Ash ...

as Scribe spokesman * Perry Ivins as

Pharisee The Pharisees (; he, פְּרוּשִׁים, Pərūšīm) were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs be ...

spokesman * Ralph Moody as Aged Pharisee * Jony Jochim as

Sadducee The Sadducees (; he, צְדוּקִים, Ṣədūqīm) were a socio- religious sect of Jewish people who were active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. T ...

spokesman * Don Turner as Roman captain

Production

The film was Rowland V. Lee's first in over 10 years. It was shot in

Super Panavision 70 Super Panavision 70 is the marketing brand name used to identify movies photographed with Panavision 70 mm spherical optics between 1959 and 1983. Ultra Panavision 70 was similar to Super Panavision 70, though Ultra Panavision lenses were anam ...

(the first film so credited) by Lee Garmes. The original music score was composed by

Albert Hay Malotte Albert Hay Malotte (May 19, 1895 – November 16, 1964) was an American pianist, organist, composer and educator, best known for his musical setting of "The Lord's Prayer". Biography and career Malotte was the son of Charles and Katherine (Donav ...

, an American composer who is best known for his musical setting of The Lord's Prayer, composed in 1935, and introduced on radio that year by John Charles Thomas. Though originally rejected by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

because of its religious tone, the film was supported by Roy Disney, and was distributed by Buena Vista, making it one of the few religious films ever associated with the Disney Company. It was shot on location in the San Fernando Valley in California. Portions were shot at La Quinta, California.
here for Table of Contents
After having starred in a number of MGM film musicals from 1950 ('' Annie Get Your Gun'') to 1955 ('' Kismet''), Howard Keel switched to straight acting roles with the 1958 British noir thriller '' Floods of Fear'', followed by ''The Big Fisherman''. He starred or co-starred in six additional features (four of which were westerns) between 1961 and 1968 and made his final appearance in a 2002 film, playing a supporting role. John Saxon was borrowed from Universal. It was Borzage's last film that he completed.

Reception

''Variety'' called it "pious but plodding." ''

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'' was a book-format collection of movie capsule reviews that began in 1969, was updated biannually after 1978, and then annually after 1986. The final edition was published in September 2014. It was originally call ...

'' (2012 edition) gave ''The Big Fisherman'' 2½ stars out of 4, describing it as a "sprawling religious epic" and deciding that it is "seldom dull, but not terribly inspiring." ''

Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV and Videocassette Steven Henry Scheuer (January 9, 1926 – May 31, 2014) was a film and television historian and critic. He edited all seventeen editions of ''Movies on TV'' published between 1958 and 1993 and wrote ''The Movie Book'' (1974), subtitled ''A Compreh ...

'' (1993–1994 edition) also settled on 2½ stars out of 4, writing that "the story of Simon called Peter" "unfolds with predictable pageantry and uplifting sermonizing". Assigning 2 stars (out of 5), ''

The Motion Picture Guide ''The Motion Picture Guide'' is a film reference work first published by Cinebooks in 1985. It was written by Jay Robert Nash, Stanley Ralph Ross, and Robert B. Connelly. It was annually updated through new volumes and had a CD-ROM version, whic ...

'' (1987 edition) found it to be "long, often-enraging and totally miscast" with "a nonsinging Keel as Saint Peter". Evaluating the presentation as "just so much biblical nonsense because such liberties are taken that any serious student of the life and surrounding events will take exception," the write-up declares that "Douglas wrote the novel but made the mistake of entrusting it to the wrong people." After pointing out the film's "numerous technical mistakes: microphone boom shadows, klieg lights, Martha Hyer's vaccination mark", the ''Guide'' concludes that "to make a love story the focal point of such a potentially dynamic saga of history's most memorable era was a bad decision. One of the rare bummers by Disney in those years."''The Motion Picture Guide'' (Chicago, 1987), volume I, page 193

Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' F ...

in his ''Film and Video Guide'' (5th edition, 1985) dismissed it as a "well-meaning but leaden adaptation of a bestselling novel which followed on from ''The Robe''. He concluded that it is "too reverent by half, and in many respects surprisingly incompetent." Halliwell's quoted ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' ("its overall flatness of conception and execution is a stiff price to pay for the lack of spectacular sensationalism characterizing its fellow-epics") and ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' ("the picture is three hours long, and, except for those who can be dazzled by big gatherings of props, horses and camels, it is hard to find three minutes of entertainment in it").

Running time

''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'' (2012 edition) notes that the film's running time was originally 184 minutes, then cut to 164 minutes then to 149 minutes.

Awards and honors

The film was nominated for three

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

: * Lee Garmes for Best Cinematography *

Renié Renié Conley (July 31, 1901 − June 12, 1992) was a prominent Hollywood costume designer. Biography Born in Republic, Washington and studied at Chouinard Art Institute and University of California in Los Angeles. For over three decades, Renié w ...

for Best Costume Design *

John DeCuir John DeCuir (June 4, 1918 – October 29, 1991) was a Hollywood art director and production designer known for his elaborate set designs that were illustrated with his own watercolor paintings.http://www.adg.org/?content=cm§ion=14 www.adg.or ...

and Julia Heron for Best Art Direction (color)

References

External links

* * *
''The Big Fisherman''
at ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...

'' (a longer form of this 1987 write-up was originally published in ''The Motion Picture Guide'') * * *
The Big Fisherman
' (e-book) available freely at the ''

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

of Australia'' website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Fisherman, The 1959 films American historical drama films 1950s historical drama films Films based on the Gospels 1959 drama films Films directed by Frank Borzage Cultural depictions of Saint Peter Films based on American novels Films with screenplays by Howard Estabrook Religious epic films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films