The Great Commandment
| The Great Commandment | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Irving Pichel |
| Produced by | John T. Coyle |
| Written by | Dana Burnet |
| Starring |
John Beal Irving Pichel Albert Dekker |
| Cinematography | Charles P. Boyle, A.S.C. |
| Edited by | Ralph Dixon |
| Distributed by | Cathedral Films, Inc. |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
78 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Great Commandment is a 1939 American Christian film directed by Irving Pichel, which portrays the conversion to Christianity of a young Zealot, Joel, and the Roman soldier Longinus through the teachings of Jesus in his Parable of the Good Samaritan. It was co-produced by Rev. James K. Friedrich and released by Cathedral Films in 1939. Its theatrical release was in 1941 by Twentieth Century Fox.
The film takes place in 30 A.D. Judea in a fictional village near Jerusalem. The protagonist is Joel, the elder son of the village rabbi Lamech. Lamech wants Joel to follow in his footsteps as a scribe and rabbi, but Joel is secretly a zealot leader, believing that more must be done to help his nation than studying the Scriptures. He is also secretly in love with Tamar, the daughter of the carpet merchant Jemuel, and he overhears his father and Jemuel arranging a marriage between Tamar and one of Lamech's sons. Unfortunately for Joel it turns out to be his younger brother Zadok, an impetuous zealot, whom Joel has to protect from his own recklessness. A crisis is brought about by the arrival of a troop of soldiers led by a centurion, Longinus, who issues the demand for a special tax to be collected by a tax collector traveling with them. Zadok and other zealots organize the release of prisoners taken by the soldiers, which moves Longinus to plan a massacre of the men of the village. Zadok wants to attack the Romans right away, but Joel feels that a larger resistance is needed through someone reputed to be the coming Messiah of the Jewish people, Jesus Christ. Joel runs afoul of his father in declaring his love for Tamar, whom his father wants wedded to Zadok, and in revealing that he is a zealot leader.
...
Wikipedia