Director George Stevens has made some powerful films, “A WALK IN THE SUN,” is far more daring and timeless than generally acknowledged. His “SHANE” has inspired more than a few talented directors to offer their own revamping, but never coming close to succeeding in their efforts.

Many who knew him, including his son, have remarked “THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD” was probably the project he cared most about. But, while previous biblical films had generally been big box-office successes, this last film of his wasn’t to become another. While there are some beautifully crafted images within this nearly 3 ½ hour presentation, “THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD,” just feels dull, and never gripping. As much as Stevens’ passion for the film has been spoken and written about, one can’t tell from what’s onscreen. Unfortunately, even after spending a reported 5 years of time in getting the film actually through production, and originally crafting a film that ran nearly an hour longer, time and effort don’t necessarily equal a terrific result, regardless of best intentions.  Somehow, as with other passion projects from other talented directors, their brilliant vision becomes muddled. Such is the case here.  For such a lengthy film, it’s infuriating to find there aren’t any moments that feel natural, placing a viewer into the situation on-screen with even the slightest sense of reality. Everything feels staged and often forced.  While Stevens’ talent certainly had a lot to do with getting a large variety of Hollywood superstars agreeing to join for even minute speaking parts(John Wayne has one line, in a scene ranking up there with the most artificial), it’s likely those same actors had a hard time sitting through the film, while waiting for their short appearance, at any premieres. This film is really too slow. It was really hard to sit through for this review, and hard to imagine any younger viewers sitting through it, even within a religious school setting, when more gripping, albeit, equally flawed offerings(THE PASSION) are available.

MGM/FOX  has provided the correct 2.75:1 aspect ratio for this AVC MPEG-4 encoded 1080p blu-ray.  While colors are a major improvement over the previously available dvd, the source print suffers from plenty of age-related imperfections.  Detail is often fine, even impressive, but there are many instances wherein it takes a nose-dive, especially in darker scenes. Compression and other artifacts also pop up on a semi-regular basis.

MGM/FOX has provided a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. While there are plenty of flaws with the film and image transfer, this lossy mix distinguishes itself as superior to  them. The Alfred Newman score is wonderful and complimented with the way it’s been rendered here. For the most part, the dialogue also benefits from this lossy mix. However, there are occasions wherein the limitations of the dubbing process are noticeable.

MGM/FOX has provided several featurettes(standard resolution), including a brief deleted/alternate scene. The theatrical trailer is presented in 1080p.